Lake Mead Falls to Record Low

Lake Mead falls to 36 percent of capacity

Lake Mead water level fell to a record low of 327.65m (1,074.98 feet) above sea level, or 36 percent of the available capacity,  just before midnight Tuesday, said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The level rose slightly to 327.68m (1,075.05 feet), barely above the critical level of 327.66m (1075 feet) by 7 am Wednesday, said the Bureau.

At 327.66m (1075 feet) elevation, Lake Mead has an available capacity of 11.84 km³ (9,601,000 acre feet), with the total available capacity being 32.56 km³ (26,399,000 acre feet), according to the USBR 2009 data.

In August 2010, Lake Mead level fell to 331 meters (1,087 feet) above sea level, compared with August 1985 level of 370m.

Summary of Lake Mead Stats

• Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S. in terms of water capacity.
• It’s formed by the Hoover Dam (construction finished in 1936), fed by the Colorado River, and located in the states of Nevada and Arizona.
• The lake is 177 km long when full, and has 1,220km of shoreline.
• Max. Width: 12.87km
• Max. Depth: 162m (532 feet)
• The high-water line: 375 m of (1,229 feet) above sea level. ( At this elevation, the water would be more than 7 1/2 feet over the top of the raised spillway gates, which are at elevation 372.28m, or 1,221.4 feet —USBR).
• Surface area: 642 km² (248 square miles) at 372.28m (1,221.4 feet)
• Capacity: 35.7 km³ (28,945,000 acre feet) – less the accumulated sediments.
  • Available capacity: 32.56 km³ (26,399,000 acre feet)
• Last time at full capacity: 1983 (the lake has since been plagued by drought and increased water demand.)
• Current capacity: 36 percent of the available capacity.
• Demand: About 42 million people including farmers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico depend on Leak mead for their water.
  • Lake Mead attracts more than 9 million visitors each year for swimming, boating, skiing, fishing and other outdoor pursuits.
• Annual Inflow: Lake Mead receives most of its water from snow melt in the Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah Rocky Mountains.
• Annual Outflow: About 9.7 million acre feet (12.0 km³)
  • Evaporation (included in the above): About 800,000 acre feet/ year (0.987 km³).
• Annual Deficit: 1.2 million acre feet (1.5 km³)
• Drought: Colorado River is currently experiencing its 15th consecutive year of drought.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Reclamation has issued the following warning.

Excessive Heat Warning: Visitors to Hoover Dam should expect temperatures at least 10 degrees higher than the Las Vegas area, ranging from [49 to 52 degrees Celsius] 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. There is limited shade at Hoover Dam. Visitors must be prepared for the heat with appropriate clothing and extra water, and are encouraged to visit Hoover Dam during morning hours.

Related Links

• Lake Mead at Lowest Level Ever September 23, 2010

Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States

Crop disasters declared for 70 counties across seven states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 70 counties in seven states:  Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming—as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by multiple disasters including drought, severe flooding and hail, as well as severe  freezing.

Disaster Designations due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought

• Washington. Adams, Benton, Columbia, Douglas Franklin, Garfield, Grant, King, Klickitat, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pierce, Skamania,Walla Walla,Whitman and  Yakima counties.

• Oregon Gilliam, Hood River, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Wallowa and Wasco counties.

Disaster Designations due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought

• Oregon. Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Morrow Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco and Wheeler counties.
• Idaho. Adams, Idaho and Nez Perce counties.
• Washington. Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Garfield, Klickitat and Walla Walla counties.

Disaster Designations due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought

• Idaho. Bingham, Butte, Bonneville, Clark, Fremont, Jefferson, Lemhiand, and Madison  counties.
• Montana. Beaverhead County.

Disaster Designations due to losses caused by severe flooding and hail that occurred on June 3, 2015, and continues

• Wyoming. Converse, Goshen, Niobrara, Platte and Weston counties.
• Nebraska. Sioux County.
• South Dakota. Cluster and Fall River counties.

Disaster Designations due to damages and losses caused by severe freezing that occurred from Nov. 13, 2014, through Jan. 2, 2015

• Oregon. Clackamas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Marion, Sherman, Wasco and Wheeler counties.
• Washington. Klickitat County.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,329 counties across 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

About 99 percent of the 2015 crop disaster designations so far are due to drought.

Crop Disasters 2014

In 2014, USDA declared crop disasters in at least 2,904 counties across 44 states. Most of the designations were due to drought.

Those states were:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. [FIRE-EARTH has documented all of the above listings. See blog content.]

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

ii. The counties designated as agricultural disaster areas, as listed above, include both primary and contiguous disaster areas.

iii. Some counties may have been designated as 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 five disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on June 24, 2015 (posted on their website on June 25).

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Three States June 19, 2015
• Drought Disaster Declared for Counties in Two States June 12, 2015
• Drought Destroys More Crops in Idaho, Oregon, Utah June 4, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

M5.8 Quake Strikes near Hayes Volcano, Alaska

Earthquake strikes near Mt Gerdine, Alaska

[Editor’s Note: Hayes Volcano is an ice-covered volcano located northeast of Mount Gerdine. The volcano was discovered in 1975.

Centered at 61.662°N 151.976°W, about the quake occurred at a depth of 121km (75mi) WNW of Anchorage, at a depth of 15.3 km (71.6 mi), USGS/EHP reported.

EQ Details

Magnitude: 5.8Mw
Date/ Time: 2015-06-24 at 22:32:20 (UTC)
Nearby Cities:

• 103km (64mi) W of Willow, Alaska
• 121km (75mi) WNW of Anchorage, Alaska
• 127km (79mi) W of Knik-Fairview, Alaska

Related Links

• FIRE-EARTH EARTHQUAKE FORECAST – Alaska May 29, 2015