U.S. Drought Expands for 5th Straight Week

Drought persists in West, High Plains

“Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought areas (designated D1 to D4 on the chart) in lower 48 expanded to 46.13 percent, up from 44.85 percent a week ago, according to the US Drought Monitor.

• D1 to D4 drought areas in the South covered about 60.32 percent of the region, up from 54.97 percent a week ago.

• “Moderate” to “Exceptional” drought areas in the West covered about 76.84, up from 76.41 percent.
• High Plains saw the drought expanding this week to 67.00 percent, up from 66.22 percent.
• D0 to D1 drought levels in Midwest increased to 7.16 percent, up from 2.68 percent.

US Drought Map as of July 16, 2013, released by US Drought Monitor on  July 18, 2013.

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Expands for 4th Week July 11, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared in 3 States July 18, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]

Wildfire Forces 6,000 Residents, Visitors Flee Calif. Town

Fierce, fast-moving wildfire turns on Calif. town, surrounding communities

At least 6,000 people were under mandatory evacuation Wednesday night as a massive wildfire exploded out of control in mountain terrain SW of Palm Springs.

The so-called Mountain fire has already consumed about 20,000 acres and destroyed 15 structures including at least 6 homes.

Mandatory evacuations were issued as a wind shift pushed the massive Mountain fire toward the resort town of Idyllwild.

At least 2,200 homes were evacuated and 4,100 residences including hotels, condominiums and cabins were threatened, said Forest Service spokeswoman Melody Lardner.

Large amounts of smoke and ash from the fire has prompted the authorities to issue a smoke advisory for multiple areas including Hemet, San Jacinto Valley, Banning Pass, Anza and the Coachella Valley.

The blaze is burning in the San Jacinto Mountains about 12 miles from the site of the 2006 Esperanza fire that destroyed 34 homes and five U.S. Forest Service fire crews, AP reported.

Timelapse of “Mountain Fire” near Idyllwild/San Jacinto wilderness

“Mountain Fire” in the San Jacintos destroys homes

Related Links

• Wildfire Clears Thousands in Calif. Town
• 6,000 people under evacuation orders as winds stoke Mountain fire

Thousands of Towns and Villages Devastated by Floods in China

Extreme Rain Events and floods destroy or damage an estimated 200,000 homes affecting 50 million people

Extreme rain events and devastating floods have left about 600 people dead or missing and affected up to 50 million others  in 30 provinces since the beginning of the year, authorities said.

The toll so far this year stands at

• No of people killed by floods: at least 337 
• No of people missing: 213
  
• No of injuries: NOT released, possibly thousands
• No of houses destroyed: at least 150,000
• No of houses damaged: NOT released, probably hundreds of thousands
• Farmland affected: 4 million hectares
• Source: China’s Control and Drought Relief Headquarters (SFCDRH)

And the flood season hasn’t even started!

“China is expected to face serious flood control challenges in the next 30 days as it heads into flood season,” said a report quoting the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

This year’s flood season will run from about July 15 to Aug 15, authorities said.

Heavy rainfall is expected in northern and southwestern China, causing severe flooding in many major rivers, such as the upper reaches of the Yangtze, Haihe, Yellow, Songhua and Liaohe rivers.

Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Henan and Guangdong provinces should expect 24-hour rainfall amounts of up to 200 mm, said the National Meteorological Center.

Sichuan will be in the height of its rainy season over the next few months, possibly bringing more chaos to the already battered province.

“Since most of the same parts of Sichuan province will be hit again with heavy rainfall, severe floods, flash floods and mudslides are likely,” said a Ministry of Water Resources official. (Xinhua)

Meantime, Tropical Cyclone CIMARON, the eighth storm of the year, is forecast to make landfall  in Southeast China on Friday, just days after Tropical Storm SOULIK hit Fujian and Jiangxi provinces.

Sichuan Province

Rainstorms and floods hit 43 counties in Sichuan producing total  precipitations of 400 mm to 800 mm in Deyang and Dujiangyan, and 800 mm to 1,151 mm in some areas  between July 7 and 12, said deputy head of the Sichuan Provincial Meteorological Administration.

The extreme events destroyed 13,400 houses, affecting 3.47 million people and forcing at least 300,000 people to relocate.

Related Links

• China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster July 17, 2013
• Fire Destroys 200 Houses in SW China July 17, 2013
• Flooding Destroys Town of Caopo in SW China July 16, 2013

• Typhoon SOULIK Affects 2 Million in China  July 15, 2013
• Hundreds of Thousands Evacuated as SOULIK Hits China July 13, 2013
• Extreme Weather Wreaks Havoc in SW China July 10, 2013

Agricultural Disaster Declared in 3 States

Disaster declared for 23 counties across three states due to drought and deluge

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 13 counties in Texas as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the ongoing drought.

The list for the primary and contiguous disaster areas includes Galveston, Henderson, Anderson, Cherokee, Harris, Smith, Brazoria, Ellis, Kaufman, Van Zandt, Chambers, Freestone and Navarro counties.

Nevada Drought Disaster

USDA has designated also 4 counties in Nevada—Storey, Lyon, Washoe and Carlson City—as agricultural disaster areas due to drought.

Agricultural Disaster Declared in Montana

USDA has designates six  counties in Montana—Phillips, Blaine, Fergus, Garfield, Petroleum and Valley—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by excessive moisture and flooding that occurred from May 1 – June 27, 2013.

Related Links

• Disaster Declared for 61 Counties in 5 States July 12, 2013
• Disaster Declared for 140 Counties in 10 States July 4, 2013
• Major Disaster Declared in 47 Iowa Counties  July 3, 2013
• Agricultural Disasters 2013 [Index Page]
• China to Become Top Wheat Importer after Major Crop Disaster July 17, 2013

• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]