Tag Archives: drought

Drought Update: January 2014

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So far this winter, snow has been plentiful across the mid-west and northeastern US. In the western states, however, long-term drought continues to leave much of the region parched.

According to the latest report from the US Drought Monitor, 61% of the West is suffering under conditions of moderate drought.  In California, where 2013 was their driest year on record, the situation has gone from bad to worse. In just this past week, the category of extreme drought jumped from 28% to 63% of the entire state.

These dry conditions are not only lowering reservoir levels and reducing crop production, they are increasing the risk of wildfires.  In fact, a large fire broke out today in the San Gabriel Mountains near Glendora, CA – a heavily populated suburb of Los Angeles.

January is usually the wettest month of the year in southern California, but a persistent ridge of high pressure over the region has pushed the storm track north. Unfortunately, this dry weather pattern is forecast to remain in place for the near future.

Image Credit: US Drought Monitor

Image Credit: US Drought Monitor

NYC Monthly Summary: November 2013

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New York City was on a temperature roller-coaster this November.  We had highs that ranged from a warm 70°F to a brisk 30°F.  The chilly weather won in the end, though.  The city’s average monthly temperature was 45.3°F, which is 2.8°F below normal.

On the precipitation side of things, the city saw its first trace of snow for the season, but remained mostly dry.  While we received 3.15 inches of rain in Central Park, most of it fell during a nor’easter just before Thanksgiving.  Despite this late soaking, the city was still 0.87 inches below normal.  November is now the fifth consecutive month that NYC received below average rainfall.

Nov_Temps

Credit: The Weather Gamut

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Credit: The Weather Gamut

NYC Monthly Summary: October 2013

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October was warm and dry in New York City this year.  With all but ten days posting above average readings, the city’s overall monthly temperature was 60.2°F.  That is 3.2°F above normal.

In terms of precipitation, NYC was unusually dry.  We only received a meager 0.36 inches of rain, which is 4.04 inches below normal.  This makes October 2013 the city’s third driest October on record. It was also our fourth consecutive month with below average rainfall.  As a result, the city is currently listed in the “moderate drought” category on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

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RainGraph Credit: The Weather Gamut

Drought Update: Summer 2013

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This summer has been marked by heavy rain and even flooding in many parts of the United States.  Long-term drought, however, continues to plague a large section of this country.

According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, 45% of this nation is in some form of drought. While this number represents improvement for some areas, such as the east and mid-west, the western states remain dry. Conditions of moderate drought or worse cover 77% of that region with 19% suffering under extreme drought.  These numbers are up from this time last year.

As the drought intensifies in the west, it is helping to fuel the region’s numerous wildfires.

droughtImage Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor

Winter 2013 Drought Update

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A plethora of winter storms have rolled across the continental U.S. this season, often producing impressive snow events.  Long-term drought, nonetheless, continues to plague many parts of the country.

According to the latest report from the US Drought Monitor, 51% of this nation is in some form of drought. While this number represents improvement for some areas, such as the southeast and mid-west, it is still bad news overall.  The heart of the drought remains in the High Plains, this nation’s agricultural breadbasket.  Conditions of moderate drought or worse cover 91% of the region with 24% suffering under exceptional drought, the worst possible category.

Experts say the High Plains require significant precipitation – at least 12 inches of rain or its snow equivalent – to quench the worst drought the area has seen in more than fifty years.

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Image Credit: U.S. Drought Monitor

2012: Warmest Year on Record for U.S.

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Its official!  2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, the average temperature for the country was 55.3°F, which is 3.2°F above the long-term norm.  It is also a full 1°F above the old record set in 1998.  While a single degree may not sound like much, it is actually a large departure.  Records usually only differ by a tenth of a degree.

As hot as it was last year, this new record does not come as much of a surprise.  2012 brought the United States a record warm spring in addition to its fourth warmest winter, third warmest summer, and an above average autumn.

In terms of precipitation, 2012 was the 15th driest year on record in this country.  The average precipitation total for the lower forty-eight states was 26.57 inches, which is 2.57 below normal.  This lack of rain brought on the worst drought this nation has seen in more than fifty years.  The dry conditions, in turn, helped fuel a destructive wildfire season.  More than nine million acres were charred nationwide this year – the third largest area on record.

While high temperatures and low precipitation dominated, 2012 was also a year of severe weather.  According to the US Climate Extremes Index, 2012 was the second most extreme year on record for this country.  As a whole, the nation experienced eleven natural disasters that each caused at least one billion dollars worth of damage.  These events included hurricanes Sandy and Isaac as well as several tornado outbreaks in the south and mid-west. What a year!

Isaac’s Impact on U.S. Drought

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The worst drought in fifty years has been plaguing America’s agricultural heartland all summer. Earlier this week, however, the soggy remnants of Hurricane Isaac brought some much needed relief to the situation, if only in a small area.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, between two and six inches of rain fell across the Mid-West. As a result, the region’s severe drought status improved from 50% to 45%. While this precipitation was beneficial to area’s soybean crop, which is still maturing, it arrived too late to save the region’s fields of desiccated corn.

To quench this drought completely, experts say another five to fifteen inches of rain is still needed.

Image Credit: US Drought Monitor

Drought Impacts Commerce on the Mississippi River

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The ongoing drought of 2012 is delivering a serious economic blow to America’s agricultural heartland.  Its impact, however, is not limited to food prices.  The lack of rain in the central United States is also affecting one of this nation’s vital shipping arteries – the Mississippi River.

Thousands of tons of cargo – from fertilizer to coal – travel along the mighty Mississippi everyday.  The exact number of barges allowed to safely navigate the river at one time is determined by its water level.  The wider and deeper the river, the more barges can travel. As the river shrinks, so to does its capacity to transport goods and materials.

River levels typically fall off in the summer, but this year’s drought has pushed them well below normal.  For months now, barges have been carrying reduced loads in an effort to ride higher in the water and avoid running aground.  Without significant rain to replenish the river’s flow, conditions on the Mississippi have been getting worse.  In fact, the U.S. Coast Guard reported yesterday that it temporarily closed an eleven-mile stretch of the river near Greensville, MS, because of precariously low water levels.  As a result, nearly 100 vessels were stranded.

These drought induced reductions and delays in shipping – just like this year’s diminished farm yields – will ultimately translate to higher costs for consumers.

How Droughts Work

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The drought of 2012 has gone from bad to worse this summer as relentlessly hot and dry conditions continue to dominate the central United States.

Once drought takes hold of a region, it tends to feed on itself in a vicious cycle. To start, high temperatures increase evaporation rates causing the soil to dry out.  Without plentiful rain to replace the moisture, the sun’s energy heats the ground and the air even further.  The parched ground is then unable to support healthy vegetation that would release moisture into the air through transpiration.  Humidity levels then drop and the air becomes even less able to produce rain, making the affected area even drier.

To break this cycle, a drought stricken region needs more than a few spotty showers. It requires drenching rains on a regular basis.  Alas, these are not in the forecast for America’s desiccated heartland.

Image Credit: Agriculture Emergency Report

Drought Economics

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The widespread drought of 2012 is now considered the worst that the United States has seen in more than fifty years. The nation’s agricultural heartland has been particularly hard hit, and losses there are forecast to have a ripple effect throughout the economy.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1,297 counties in 29 states have been designated as natural disaster areas. With grazing lands going barren and staple crops like corn and soybeans wilting in the ground, potential farm yields are plummeting. Following the laws of supply and demand, consumers all across the country will soon be paying higher prices for food.

The cost of many other goods is also expected to rise, as corn is used in a wide variety of products.  It is a key ingredient in items like livestock-feed, ethanol, and anything that contains corn syrup.

Devastating and costly, this drought is likely to intensify as hot and dry conditions continue to dominate the weather in the mid-west.  While not on the same scale as the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression, many analysts expect this year’s drought to rank as a billion dollar natural disaster.

Corn crop withers in drought stricken field.

Image Credit: BuffaloNews