Drought and Heat May Fuel Early Fire Season in West
Fire season may come early this year in the West, as it has more frequently in recent years, thanks to ongoing drought conditions and increasing temperatures. According to a new outlook issued by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, ID, major wildfires in California could begin as early as this month, nearly a month ahead of… Read More
At Long Last, Great Plains Sees Some Drought Relief
While the drought is far from over in the Great Plains, the precipitation that fell this week was welcome news for a region that has needed it the most. For example, in parts of South Dakota, about 30 inches of snow fell through Wednesday, carrying more than an inch of liquid water equivalent that will help increase soil moisture.… Read More
2012 Drought Worse Than Dust Bowl Era & Unpredictable
The report may leave more open questions than answers, given that it found that no known source of natural climate variability can shoulder most of the blame for the drought, nor can man-made global warming, which over the long run is projected to make droughts more likely in some parts of the U.S., particularly the Southwest.… Read More
Spring Blizzard to Dump Heavy Snow, Spark Severe Storms
This storm will be notable for its broad geographic reach and multiple hazards, ranging from blizzard conditions with heavy snow and powerful winds, to severe thunderstorms containing large hail, damaging winds, and potentially tornadoes. … Read More
Another Summer of Drought Looms for Texas and West
The drought that has gripped Texas for the better part of two years is expected to continue into the summer. Conditions are also expected to expand and intensify all across the West and Southwest, where below-average annual precipitation have combined with low water supplies left over from the drought that began in 2012. An update to the Seasonal… Read More
Drought and Floods in NOAA’s ‘Mixed Bag’ Spring Outlook
The West and South will continue to face more drought this spring, while the Midwest is likely to see heavy rains and some serious flooding as the northern snowpack melts, according to a seasonal forecast released by the U.S. government on Thursday. The Seasonal Outlook, a product of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration… Read More
Heavy Rains, Snow Bring First Hint of Good Drought News
There was a net decline in all categories of drought across the lower 48 states during the week ending on Feb. 26. Most of the drought relief was confined to the Southeast and Southern Plains. In the Southeast, the total area in moderate drought or worse plummeted from 43.76 percent down to 27.26 percent in just one week.… Read More
Time Is Running Out to Avert a Third Summer of Drought
Meanwhile, the economic toll of the worst drought to strike the U.S. since at least the 1950s is climbing, and it “will probably end up being a top-five disaster event” among the government’s ranking of all weather disasters over the past three decades, said Brad Rippey, a meteorologist in the Agriculture Department’s Office of the Chief Economist,… Read More
