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A new scientific study of long-range statistical climate forecasts (published recently in Nature Geoscience) shows that temperature patterns in the central Pacific Ocean can predict the likelihood of droughts and heat waves on the East Coast by up to several weeks. You can read a story about the research at PBS at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/pacific-hot-water-predicts-heat-waves-drought/. The Christian Science…
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A few weeks ago I posted an article about a new report on the Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands from the US Department of Agriculture. Here is a 4 minute video which describes the report in a little more detail. You can watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv-SMcnYabw&feature=share.
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Spring snowstorms can be among the most costly to cattle producers because in many areas of the country, that is when calving occurs. AgWeb published a story yesterday warning that a snowstorm that is forecast to hit Wyoming in the next few days may severely impact cattle producers in the area due to the number…
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The WunderBlog post for 3/25 discusses the likely evolution of the tropical Pacific Ocean from strong El Niño to “whatever comes next”. Both El Niño and La Niña produce strong climate signals in the Southeast, so farmers are starting to watch this transition carefully to see what is likely to happen later this summer and…
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David Zierden, the Florida State Climatologist, is featured in a long article published by the Southeast Farm Press on the current climate in South Carolina and the Southeast as well as the outlook for the growing season in the Southeast. You can read it at https://southeastfarmpress.com/soybeans/el-ni-o-no-stop-rain-south-carolina-until-april-not-all-bad. The highlights include the continuing wet conditions from El…
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The State Climate Office of North Carolina just published their winter recap for 2015-2016. Even if you don’t live in NC, the analysis covers most of the Southeast and you may be interested in reading about how El Niño affected our winter conditions. They also rate the accuracy of woolly worm caterpillars, groundhogs, and the…
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A recent study by Brown University scientists suggests that impacts of climate change on agriculture might be worse than expected. You can read about the study at https://news.brown.edu/articles/2016/03/matogrosso. The scientists used satellite analysis of land use changes and studied cropping patterns in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. They showed that an increase in average temperature in Mato…