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The Great Flood of 2019 wiped out millions of acres of farmland in Iowa and Missouri along the Missouri River, leaving many farmers literally underwater. They hoped for help from FEMA to repair the washed-out levees and clean up their fields. However, relief has been slow to come, and in many cases the farmers had…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
The temperature at the Seattle-Tacoma airport hit 100 F today. Tomorrow and Monday are supposed to be even hotter. The heat wave out west has the potential to break all-time record high temperatures at many places in the northwestern US. Understandably, farmers are worried about the consequences of the heat on their crops. Cherries in…
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It’s going to be a very nice week coming up! While we will get more humid as air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic flows back into the area, temperatures will remain mild with no big heat events coming, unlike the West. We are likely to see some daily afternoon showers and thunderstorms…
Posted in: Climate outlooks -
A new study by researchers at Kansas State and North Carolina State Universities shows that warmer nighttime temperatures cause problems in rice and (potentially) wheat, altering their circadian rhythm behavior. This is a concern for farmers because temperatures overnight are warming twice as fast as daytime high temperatures. Warm overnights are linked to higher humidity…
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This week NOAA announced that there is a new section of the US Climate Resiliency Toolkit that is devoted to the Southeast. The section features narratives, tools, and case studies on the impacts of climate change across the Southeast, and information on how people can build resilience to them. You can check out the new…
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I have way too many tabs open on my Windows computer. Here are some of the collected stories of interest that I have seen over the past few weeks. This batch is mostly stories on national or international climate and agriculture. I will publish a second list tomorrow for more local stories from the Southeast.…
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Recent rains have put a dent in dry conditions and drought across the Southeast this past week. The rains, from the remains of TS Claudette and a strong cold front, reduced drought in the Carolinas and Florida. Moderate (D1) drought expanded slightly in Virginia, although overall dry conditions were reduced. With not much rain expected…
Posted in: Drought