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The preliminary climate summary maps for March 2023 show that the entire region was warmer than normal, although not as far above normal as February. And this was in spite of two separate periods of frost and low temperatures in the middle of the month. Most of the region was also drier than normal, although…
Posted in: Climate summaries -
As the climate changes, farmers can become more resilient by adding new crops to their portfolio of choices. One I read about today is elderberry. Another is pongamia, a hardy tree that grows in Florida’s subtropical climate and serves as a source of oils, a soybean-like protein source, or a fertilizer feedstock, according to the…
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Drought increased significantly in Florida this week with the introduction of extreme (D3) in the peninsula, which was largely skipped by rain this week. Moderate (D1) drought also expanded in eastern Virginia this week. North Carolina saw increases in abnormally dry conditions. Other states saw only minor changes in drought status this week. Puerto Rico…
Posted in: Drought -
Did you know that the Southeast is the region that experiences the most weather-related major power outages? In the period from 2000 to 2021, the Southeast experienced 474 major power outages. Many of them were due to hurricanes or other severe weather, although winter weather also contributed to some outages. Texas was the state with…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
There have been several articles in the news recently about the impacts of both heavy rain and continuing drought on large lakes in the Southwestern United States. In California, a series of atmospheric rivers has brought huge volumes of water to the region, drowning agricultural land and causing disputes between farmers about where the water…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The Southeast has more mobile homes than any other part of the country. These homes are especially vulnerable to severe weather because of their construction and often, their lack of anchoring and a storm shelter nearby to use in case of tornadoes or strong winds. The Washington Post published an article about this issue earlier…
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The late freezes in the Southeast have caused a lot of problems for peach and blueberry growers here in the Southeast, but it also affected blueberries in Mississippi, according to MSU Extension. While it is too early to get a final tabulation of losses, they expect to see a reduction of about 50% of the…