More than 60 percent of U.S. in drought

[blonndee]

More than 60 percent of U.S. in drought

By JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 37 minutes ago

STEELE, N.D. - More than 60 percent of the United States now has abnormally dry or drought conditions, stretching from Georgia to Arizona and across the north through the Dakotas, Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin, said Mark Svoboda, a climatologist for the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

<snip>

Fields of wheat, durum and barley in the Dakotas this dry summer will never end up as pasta, bread or beer. What is left of the stifled crops has been salvaged to feed livestock struggling on pastures where hot winds blow clouds of dirt from dried-out ponds.

Some ranchers have been forced to sell their entire herds, and others are either moving their cattle to greener pastures or buying more already-costly feed. Hundreds of acres of grasslands have been blackened by fires sparked by lightning or farm equipment.

<snip>

Brad Rippey, a federal Agriculture Department meteorologist in Washington, said this year's drought is continuing one that started in the late 1990s. "The 1999 to 2006 drought ranks only behind the 1930s and the 1950s. It's the third-worst drought on record — period," Rippey said.

full story at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060729/ap_on_re_us/northern_plains_drought

[panader0]

1. From today's Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)

Year to date rainfall: 2.83"
Normal year to date: 5.27"

[Monkeyman]

2. Last year here in IL no rain this year a lot

But now its 95 with dew point 100 and we have a heat wave until Friday by all reports

[skooooo]

3. map of drought here..

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2006/jun/us-drought.html#DetOverview

[MoseyWalker]

4. I think another thing that should be mentioned

is the patterns of rainfall.

Whereas there used to be a fairly stable period of times for rain and times for not, now it all seems to come in a flood, and then not rain for 4 months.

That should be factored in also, as just having the normal totals doesn't tell the whole story.

[SmokingJacket]

5. ALL the rain is coming down here, this month, anyway.

June and July here in upstate NY has had excessive rain -- it's been storming nearly every day. I love it, but wish we could send some of it out west where it's needed.

Of course, we'll probably need it next year, or even next month.

Fricking screwed up weather patterns.