Record Drought Plagues Australia’s Queensland

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
RECORD DROUGHT
CROP DISASTERS
.

Back-to-Back Disasters Continue to Hit Australia as Forecast…

Australia’s Queensland is experiencing its worst drought on record, with about 80% of the state affected.

Rainfall deficits for the 17-month (October 2012 to February 2014) period

Serious to severe deficiencies (lowest 10% to 5% of records) remain in central Queensland and in an area inland of the Great Dividing Range extending from southern Queensland into northern New South Wales as well as in small areas around the Queensland–South Australian border (affecting the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland) and in eastern New South Wales, western Victoria and on the coast of Western Australia near Shark Bay.

Rainfall deficiencies for the 23-month (April 2012 to February 2014) period

Serious to severe deficiencies (lowest 10% to 5% of records) persist in areas of western and inland northern Queensland, a large area around the Queensland–South Australia border and smaller areas along the eastern border of South Australia, an area extending from inland southern Queensland through much of New South Wales inland of the coastal ranges and into northwestern and north-central Victoria. Deficiencies also persist in an area between Geraldton and Shark Bay on the west coast of Western Australia. [Source: Australia BOM]

Rainfall deficiencies for the 23-month (April 2012 to February 2014) period. Source: Australia BOM.

Related Links

• Back-to-Back Disasters Could Hit Australia: FIRE-EARTH Forecast 2011

Crop Disasters Declared in 12 States

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
DROUGHT & DELUGE
CROP DISASTERS
.

83 Counties in 12 States Declared Crop Disaster areas due to Drought and Deluge

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 83 counties in 12 states as crop disaster areas, in seven separate designations, due to the drought, and deluge.

The disaster designations are for the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.

1. Texas Drought Disaster Designations. USDA has designated six counties in Texas as drought disaster areas due to the worsening drought.

Those counties are Victoria, Calhoun, Goliad, Lavaca, DeWitt, Jackson and Refugio.

2. Arizona Drought Disaster Designations. USDA has designated 24 counties in Arizona and 5 bordering states as crop disaster areas due to the worsening drought.

• Arizona: Apache, Greenlee, Navajo, Coconino, Mohave, Yavapai, Cochise, Graham, Maricopa, Gila, and La Paz counties.
• California: San Bernardino County.
• Colorado: Montezuma County.
• Nevada: Clark and Lincoln counties.
• New Mexico: Catron, Grant, McKinley, Cibola, Hidalgo and San Juan counties.
• Utah: Kane, San Juan and Washington counties.

3. Idaho Drought Disaster Designations encompassing Nevada and Oregon

• Idaho: Owyhee, Ada, Canyon, Elmore and Twin Falls counties.
• Nevada: Elko and Humboldt counties.
• Oregon: Malheur County.

4. New Mexico Drought Disaster Designations encompassing Arizona, Colorado, Utah

• New Mexico:  Bernalillo, Cibola, Hidalgo, Sandoval, Catron, Grant, McKinley, San Juan, Valencia and Socorro, Lincoln, Luna, Santa Fe, Torrance, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Sierra counties.
• Arizona: Apache, Cochise and Greenlee counties.
• Colorado: Archuleta, La Plata and Montezuma counties.
• Utah: San Juan County

5. Nevada Drought Disaster Designations encompassing California

• Nevada: Esmeralda, Mineral and Nye counties.
• California: Inyo and Mono counties.

6. Wisconsin Drought Disaster Designations encompassing Minnesota

USDA has designated five  counties  in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota as crop disaster areas due to extremely hot weather and severe drought conditions that occurred in 2013.

• Wisconsin: St. Croix, Barron, Dunn, Pierce and Polk counties.
• Minnesota: Washington County.

7. North Carolina Disaster Designations. USDA has designated nine counties in North Carolina as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rains and flooding that began June 1, 2013, and continues.

Those counties are Cumberland,  Hoke, Bladen, Moore, Robeson, Scotland, Harnett, Richmond and Sampson.

Between January 10 and March 5, 2014 USDA has declared 744 counties across 16 states as crop disaster areas due to drought.

Notes:
i. USDA trigger point for a countywide disaster declaration is 30 percent crop loss on at least one crop.

ii. The total number of counties designated as agricultural disaster areas includes both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. A number of counties have been designated crop disaster areas more than once due to multiple disasters.

iv. The U.S. has a total of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents.

v. The disaster designations were approved by USDA on February 26, 2014.

2014 Federal and Agriculture Disaster Declarations

• Crop Disaster Declared in Three States February 27, 2014
• Crop Disaster Declared in 3 States February 14, 2014
• Crop Disaster Declared For 8 States Due to Extreme Weather  February 7, 2014
• UPDATE: Drought Causes Crop Disaster in 25 Counties across 4 States February 6, 2014
• California Drought Worsens February 6, 2014
• California Drought Could Paralyze the U.S.  February 2, 2014
• California Drops State Water Allocation to Zero  February 1, 2014
• California Drought Intensifies January 30, 2014
• California Communities Could Run Out of Water in 60 to 120 Days January 29, 2014
• Drought Disaster Declared for Multiple Counties in Four States January 25, 2014
• California Declares Drought State of Emergency January 18, 2014
• California Governor to Declare Drought Emergency January 17, 2014
• High Fire Danger in Southern California amid Driest Conditions on Record January 17, 2014
• 520 Counties across 16 States Declared Crop Disaster Areas due to Drought January 16, 2014
• Crop Disaster Declared in 40 Counties due to Drought January 16, 2014
• Crop Disasters Declared in 6 States January 10, 2014

Related Links

• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index