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In the course of answering a question for a friend on Facebook, I noticed that February 4-5, 1917 produced a very cold and widespread Arctic outbreak. Instead of looking at the weather records this time, I took a look at some of the historical newspaper reports of the outbreak. Here are some screen shots from…
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Flash drought is something that is hugely important for the Southeast as well as other parts of the country. Definitions vary, but generally flash drought occurs when there is rapid onset or rapid intensification of a drought due to lack of rainfall with or without very high temperatures and low humidity. Agriculture is one of…
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The latest Drought Monitor, released this morning, shows that a second area of moderate drought has been added to Alabama this week along with an expansion of last week’s drought. Abnormally dry areas have also expanded. In Florida, more than half the state is now considered to be in abnormally dry conditions after receiving little…
Posted in: Drought -
Some of you may know that normal temperatures are averages calculated over a 30-year period. The current “normal” period is 1981-2010, but that is due to change later this year when the climate records for 2020 are finalized after quality control and the new averages are calculated by NOAA. The new normals should be released…
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Today is Groundhog Day, and the major news outlets all have stories about the cute little marmot who is supposed to predict the climate for the next six weeks. It’s always a day that drives meteorologists crazy (although I do like the movie). A study of how often they are right range from 50 percent…
Posted in: Climate and Ag in the news -
In another Vegetable and Specialty Crop News story, watermelon producers in South Florida are watching to see how recent cool and windy conditions will affect their newly planted seedlings. Rapid temperature changes and windy conditions can lead to more diseases which can affect the strength of the stems, leading to yield losses. Farmers in South…
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The colder temperatures this winter have made fruit producers happy as the accumulated chill hours have been very good for peach and blueberry production. Continued cold conditions for the next couple of weeks should help make most varieties meet their needed chill hours this year without too much trouble. The biggest concern at this point…