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How do you know if a state has set a new record for temperature, precipitation or snowfall? It’s not an easy process! You have to look at the historical data, assess its accuracy, determine what other events compare to it, and decide if the potential new record meets all the qualifications needed to represent an…
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The rain that has fallen in the past week has slightly decreased drought conditions in Alabama and Georgia, but the rain missed most of Florida. The resulting lack of moisture there has led to an expansion of designated “abnormally dry” conditions across most of the state and the reintroduction of moderate drought in parts of the…
Posted in: Drought -
Today’s stunning picture is of a snowfall in the Sahara desert in an area that has not seen snow in the last 37 years. While summer temperatures in the Sahara can be stifling, winter can actually be quite chilly, especially in the higher elevation areas near the Atlas Mountains. I love the picture of white…
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According to a disturbing report in Gizmodo today, “A new study published in Nature Plants demonstrates the surprisingly damaging effects of a 1930s-type drought on current US crops, and the impacts of global warming on agriculture in the years to come. Researchers Michael Glotter and Joshua Elliot from the University of Chicago ran computer simulations…
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There has been quite a bit of kerfluffle in the news lately about climate scientists rushing to archive climate data and worries that research on climate science will be significantly cut back once President Trump takes office. Cliff Mass of the University of Washington has a thoughtful and detailed discussion of why it is important…
Posted in: Climate science -
Growing Georgia reported this week that a number of Georgia counties have received a drought declaration from the USDA based on the drought that is plaguing the Southeast. This allows agricultural producers in those primary and contiguous counties to be eligible for low-interest emergency loans. You can see the list and read more about it…
Posted in: Drought -
This morning at 5:44 am EST we officially experienced the winter solstice of 2016. This is the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere (and the longest for the Southern Hemisphere) due to the tilt of the earth’s axis of rotation, which is tilting away from the sun this time of the year.…
Posted in: Uncategorized