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Like many ecological disasters, there is not a single cause of the disaster. I was intrigued and saddened to read this story about the loss of many livestock in Mongolia due to a combination of extreme and more frequent drought and heavy winter snows coupled with overgrazing. The combination leaves little available food to get…
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In our current weather pattern, a ridge of high pressure is dominating in the western US, while a persistent trough of low pressure is in place over the East. While this pattern is in place, the Southeast is experiencing waves of storms moving into the area from the northwest, bringing cold air and the potential…
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The latest 7-day QPF map shows little rain across most of the region this week. The only places that look like they might get some precipitation are along the Gulf and East Coasts and in southern Florida. Most of that will fall over the next three days, leaving the rest of the week dry. Next…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
The strong winds that blew through Georgia earlier in January caused a lot of bruising on Vidalia onion plants. If it happened late in the season, it could cause big impacts on the maturing onions, but grower say that since it is quite early in the season, damage will be limited and the onions should…
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The cold weather in November followed by a warm December has caused some blueberries in Georgia and Florida to start blooming well ahead of when they usually do. Some growers estimate that up to 30 percent of their fields are already blooming, which may make them vulnerable to the cold weather we are having this…
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The latest monthly and seasonal climate outlooks were released today. They show a pattern that is very typical of a weak to moderate La Niña, with warmer and drier than normal conditions expected in most parts of the Southeast but especially along the Gulf Coast and in Florida. The result is that the seasonal drought…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
I’ve been so busy that I missed the latest La Niña outlook that was released last week. Not surprisingly, it shows we are nearly at the peak of the current La Niña and that we are expected to move back towards neutral conditions over the next few months, although perhaps not quite as soon as…
Posted in: El Nino and La Nina