NOAA Projects TX/Southern Plains Drought To Continue Through Mid-Summer - NYT

[hatrack]

Wildfires have burned about 1.5 million acres in Texas since January, egged on by a drought that federal forecasters say is the worst to hit the state in 45 years. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say their weather models predict the severe drought that has parched the southern United States will continue to midsummer -- and beyond.

EDIT

Drought has hit a wide swath of the southern United States, stretching from Arizona to Florida, with central states like Texas the hardest hit.

The map of current conditions maintained by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than half of the state colored red -- indicating an "extreme" drought, expected to recur every 20 to 50 years -- or maroon -- indicating an "exceptional" drought seen every 50 to 100 years. The so-called "extreme" drought also stretches west, into southern New Mexico and Arizona, and east, into southern Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Panhandle, western Louisiana and southern Arkansas.

Scattered rains have brought short-term relief to some scattered pockets of the region in the past several days, including Texas' Big Bend region, the Red River along the Texas-Oklahoma border, eastern Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas. But overall, the size, shape and intensity of the drought have changed little over the past week, and the latest weather forecasts aren't promising.

EDIT

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/04/26/26climatewire-extreme-drought-sets-texas-ablaze-and-may-sp-28352.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. Gives another level of meaning to the term "red states"

I sure hope the Republicon Reds will wake up and realize they are suffering from a global climate change manifestation -- and cease their obstruction of efforts to address it.

[madrchsod]

2. climate change maps of the usa 1895-2006

the southern states are cooling...


http://www.isws.illinois.edu/atmos/statecli/Climate_change/ustrends-maps.htm