Drought Destroys Crops in U.S. West, Puerto Rico

Drought destroys crops in 5 states and Puerto Rico

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 80 counties across five states—California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington—and 8 municipalities in Puerto Rico as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought.

Crop Disaster Areas – Designation #1

• Idaho: Adams, Boise, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Custer, Gem, Idaho, Latah, LemhiLewis, Nez Perce and Valley counties.

• Montana: Lincoln, Missoula and Ravalli counties.

• Oregon: Wallowa County.

• Washington: Asotin, Pend Oreille and Whitman counties.

Crop Disaster Areas – Designation #2

• Oregon: Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Coos, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Polk, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill counties.

• California: Del Norte and Siskiyou counties.

Crop Disaster Areas – Designation #3

• Washington: Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima counties.

• Idaho: Benewah, Latah and Nez Perce counties.

• Oregon: Hood River, Multnomah and Wallowa counties.

Crop Disaster Areas – Designation #4

• Puerto Rico: Aibonito, Arroyo, Cayey, Coamo, Guayama, Patillas, Salinas and Santa Isabel municipalities.
  

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,692 counties, or county equivalents, across 26 States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated 8 additional municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas.

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 disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on August 5, 2015 .

Related Links

• Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in 10 States July 30, 2015
• Crop Disasters Declared in Six States July 23, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico  July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Extreme Weather Events Destroy Crops in 10 States

Drought, excessive rain, tornadoes… destroy crops in 104 counties across 10 states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 104  counties and parishes across ten  states—Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana,  Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by extreme weather events.

Crop Disaster Designation #1

USDA has designated 17 counties in six states as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

State of Idaho: Benewah, Blaine, Bonner, Cassia, Clearwater, Jerome, Kootenai, Latah, Minidoka, Oneida, Power, Shoshone and Twin Falls counties.

Montana: Mineral and Sanders counties.

Nevada: Elko County.

Utah: Box Elder County.

Crop Disaster Designation #2

USDA has designated 87 counties in six states as crop disaster areas due to the combined effects of excessive rain, flash flooding, flooding, hail, high winds, lightning and tornadoes that occurred during the period of March 1, 2015, and continues.

State of Arkansas: Arkansas, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell counties.

Louisiana: Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne and Webster parishes.

Mississippi: Bolivar, Coahoma and Tunica counties.

Missouri: Barry, Dunklin, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Taney and Stone counties.

Oklahoma: Adair, Le Flore, McCurtain and Sequoyah counties.

Texas: Bowie and Cass counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,604 counties, or county equivalents, across 26 States: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated 14 municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas.

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 disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on July 29, 2015 .

Related Links

• Crop Disasters Declared in Six States July 23, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico  July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Back to Back Rainstorms Destroy Thousands of Homes in China

Deadly storms destroy homes, crops and infrastructure in central and southern China

Extreme weather events continue to wreak havoc across vast swathes of central and southern China, destroying homes, crops and public infrastructure.

Back-to-back storms have affected about a million people, forcing 150,000 to flee their homes in several Chinese provinces, reported the official Xinhua news.

“In central China’s Hunan Province, more than 9,000 people have been relocated since a rainstorm started on Wednesday, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.”

At least four people have died and another five are missing after in Liancheng County, eastern Fujian Province, after severe flooding swamped the streets and cut off power, early Wednesday, said the report.

More than 60,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed or damaged.

Crop Disasters Declared in Six States

Crops destroyed by drought, excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 49 counties and parishes across six states—Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, and Washington—as crop disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought (Oregon and Washington), and excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail in the other four states.

Crop Disaster Designation #1  due to damages and losses caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flooding, high winds and hail that occurred from April 27, 2015, through June 26, 2015.

The disaster areas in Louisiana are the parishes of Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, La Salle, Madison, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, Tensas, Vernon, Webster, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana and Winn.

Other disaster area are as follows:

• Arkansas. Lafayette and Miller counties.
• Mississippi. Amite and Wilkinson counties.
• Texas. Cass, Harrison, Marion and Panola counties.

Crop Disaster Designation #2 due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

• Oregon. Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah and Wasco counties.
• Washington. Klickitat and Skamania counties.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,500 counties, or county equivalents, across 25 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

USDA has also designated 14 municipalities in Puerto Rico as drought disaster areas.

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 disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on July 22, 2015 .

Related Links

• Drought Destroys Crops in Florida, Idaho , Montana, Utah, Washington & Puerto Rico  July 16, 2015
• U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties July 10, 2015
• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Federal Disaster Declared for New Jersey

New Jersey Declared Major Disaster Area

New Jersey Severe Storm (DR-4231)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of New Jersey in the areas affected by a severe storm on June 23, 2015. 

The areas that were worst affected by the extreme weather event include the counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester.

Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 27th Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4231] proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year. Additionally, the federal government has also issued seven Fire Management Assistance Declarations for the year to date, as of posting.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[FM-5090] 07/20/2015 Washington Blue Creek Fire
[FM-5089] 07/20/2015 California North Fire
[FM-5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[FM-5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[FM-5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[FM-5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[FM-5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Federal Disaster Declared for Kansas [DR-4230] July 21, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for Colorado [DR-4229] July 19, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for Louisiana [DR-4228] July 14, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Wyoming  [DR-4227] July 8, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (WV’s 4th major disaster in 2 months) [DR-4221] May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Disasters Displace 3 Percent of World Population in 7 Years

One person displaced by a disaster every second, while one in every 122 humans is a refugee!

An estimated one person has been displaced by a disaster every second since 2008, with 19.3 million people forced to flee their homes in 2014 alone.

In 2014, 17.5 million people were forced to flee their homes due to disasters caused by extreme  weather events such as storms and flooding, while 1.7 million by geophysical hazards, especially earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, said  the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in its global report released this week.

The report argues that these drivers are increasing the number of people becoming displaced, and the risk that their displacement becomes a long-term problem. Today, the likelihood of being displaced by a disaster is 60% higher than it was four decades ago, and an analysis of 34 cases reveals that disaster displacement can last for up to 26 years.

People in both rich and poor countries can be caught in protracted, or long-term, displacement. In the US, over 56,000 people are still in need of housing assistance following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and 230,000 people have been unable to establish new homes in Japan following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident.

Disasters displaced more than 19.3 million people in 100 countries last year, according to the NRC report.

• Since 2008, an average of 26.4 million people have been displaced by disasters each year—equivalent to one person displaced every second.
• Asia, home to 60% of the world’s population, and with 16.7 million people displaced, accounted for 87 per cent of the global total in 2014.
• China, India and the Philippines experienced the highest levels of displacement in absolute terms, both in 2014 and for the 2008 to 2014 period.
• Displacements of fewer than 100,000 people made up 95.4 per cent of the events recorded in 2014, but only 17 percent of the total number displaced.
• Disasters caused by extreme weather events accounted for 86 percent of all displacements  in the 7-year report period (2008 to 2014), with the remaining 14 percent being due to geophysical events, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• In 2014, Europe experienced double its average level of displacement for the past seven years. 190,000 people were displaced in 2014, mostly by flood disasters in the Balkans.

Via NRC/ IDMC. Japan’s triple disasters, Tōhoku earthquake, the massive tsunami and the nuclear meltdowns, forced more than 470,000 people to flee their homes, and four years later about 230,000 are still displaced. [The monkey government of warmongering Shinzo Abe is more interested in throwing obscene amounts of money at the arms industry, instead of building new homes for its displaced and traumatized people.] “The mental and physical health of IDPs has also deteriorated. A 2015 survey of evacuees revealed that many from both inside and outside official evacuation zones were suffering from sleeping disorders, anxiety, loneliness and depression. Fukushima is the only prefecture where the number of deaths resulting from health issues and suicides related to the disaster has exceeded the toll from the direct impacts of the earthquake and tsunami.”

World at War: One in Every 122 Humans is a Refugee

UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report: World at War, released on June 18, 2015 said that worldwide displacement in 2014 was at the highest level ever recorded.

An astounding 59.5 million people, a population the size of Canada and Australia combined, were forcibly displaced at the end of 2014, compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million ten years ago.

3.1 Million Iraqis Displaced by Violence

 9 Percent of remaining Iraqi population now displaced

More than 3.1 million Iraqis have been internally displaced by the ongoing bloody conflict, said UN spokesperson on Tuesday.

At least 300,000 people have been displaced from and within Anbar province including more than 250,000 individuals from Ramadi, the capital of governorate, since military operations began in April, said the UN Assistance (!) Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The DTM has identified 3,112,914 persons displaced by conflict in Iraq. The majority, 67 per cent, are sheltered in private settings that include rented housing, host families and hotels. A smaller but significant number, 20 per cent, are identified as living in critical shelter arrangements, which include unfinished buildings, religious buildings, informal settlements and schools. Eight per cent of those currently displaced in Iraq are living in camp settings.

A total of 1,466 Iraqis were killed and another 1,687 were injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in June 2015, according to casualty figures released by UNAMI earlier this month.

In the first half 2015, at least 6,784 Iraqis were killed and 11,789 others wounded in acts of terrorism and violence.

Fighting to liberate the Anbar province continues between the Iraqi security forces, and the so-called Islamic State (ISIL) terrorists, better known as daesh , the thugs, assassins and murder mechanics left behind from the genocidal regime of Saddam-Hussein, who have seized most of the governorate.

*CAVEATS: In general, UNAMI has been hindered in effectively verifying casualties in conflict areas.  Figures for casualties from Anbar Governorate are provided by the Health Directorate and are noted below. In some cases, UNAMI could only partially verify certain incidents.  UNAMI has also received, without being able to verify, reports of large numbers of casualties along with unknown numbers of persons who have died from secondary effects of violence after having fled their homes due to exposure to the elements, lack of water, food, medicines and health care.  For these reasons, the figures reported have to be considered as the absolute minimum.

Federal Disaster Declared for Kansas

Kansas Declared Major Disaster Area

Kansas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4230)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Kansas in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 4 to June 21, 2015. 

The areas that were worst affected by the extreme weather events include the following 42 counties: Atchison, Barton, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Doniphan, Edwards, Elk, Ellsworth, Franklin, Gray, Greenwood, Harper, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Stevens, Sumner, Wabaunsee, and Washington.

Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 26th Major Disaster Declaration [DR 4205-4230] proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year. Additionally, the federal government has issued five Fire Management Assistance Declarations for the year to date, as of posting.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[5089] 07/20/2015 California North Fire
[5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Federal Disaster Declared for Colorado [DR-4228] July 19, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declared for Louisiana [DR-4228] July 14, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Wyoming  [DR-4227] July 8, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Arkansas [DR-4226] June 29, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Nebraska [DR-4225] June 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (WV’s 4th major disaster in 2 months) [DR-4221] May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Deadly Heatwaves Plague Europe

Extreme heat continues to scorch much of Europe, killing hundreds and igniting forest fires in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain…

Health authorities in Italy have issued a level-3 “red alert” for at least 22 cities, while the fire authorities in Liguria placed the entire region under a forest fire alert as the elevated temperatures brought by the latest heatwave dubbed “Caronte,” and dry conditions posed significant risks.

Record temperatures in northwestern Italy have killed at least 140 senior citizens during the first ten days of July, according to data from the environmental agency, Arpa Piedmont, said a report.

“July 2015 has everything it takes to be among the hottest ever,” says a meteorologist with 3bmeteo. “[We are experiencing]  the most intense heat wave in 70 years.”

The extreme heat has caused a fall in production across Italian farms. Milk production in Italy fell by more than 50 million in the first two weeks of July due to the heat stressing the dairy cows, said a report.

Temperatures in many parts of Europe have been persistently above average by as much as 6ºC for more than three weeks.

Some 60,000 residents of Troyes, a town in the Champagne region of France, woke up in a sweat as the temperature climbed from 24ºC to 33°C, an increase of 9ºC (or 16.2 degrees F), in just one hour (between midnight and 1.00 am), in a phenomena called a heat burst, said a report.

An earlier heatwave that hit France between June 29 and July 5 left 700 dead and thousands more hospitalized, said a report quoting the country’s Ministry of Health.

 Related Links

• Heatwave grips Europe (video clip, external link)
• Wildfires ravage Spain amid record heatwave (external link)

Drought, Deluge, Heat Alert and a Billion-Dollar Typhoon

China Issues Heat Alert

A heatwave was forecast to hit central, eastern and northern China with temperatures rising to as much as 40 degrees Celsius, said The National Meteorological Center (NMC), Reported Xinhua, the country’s official news agency.

“Since mid-May, some northern regions have been suffering from drought due to continued hot weather. Miyun Reservoir, one of Beijing’s major water sources, has shrunk about 39 percent over the past year,” said the report.

“The upcoming heat wave will even worsen the drought. Local governments should work to reduce its impact on agricultural production,” said the weather observatory in China.

Meanwhile, Typhoon CHAN-HOM dumped as much as 322 mm of rain on parts of eastern China, affecting at least 1.92 million people in nine cities, including more than 1.11 million who were evacuated, said the report.

CHAN-HOM  caused direct economic losses of about a billion dollars, according to the provincial flood control and drought prevention HQ.

“The worst hit sector is agriculture with economic losses of 3.62 billion yuan, because the typhoon coincided with the picking period of vegetables and melons and wrecked havoc on agricultural facilities,” said the HQ.

Water level in many rivers and lakes are still above the warning lines, with more damaged expected from potential floods and mudslides.

M5.7 earthquake Strikes Planet of the Abes

Earthquake strikes Kyushu island

Centered at 33.0N, 131.9E the quake struck at a depth of about 60km, said Japan’s weather agency.

The quake registered “5+” on Japan’s seismic intensity scale of 1-7.

EQ Details
Magnitude: 5.7Mw
Location: 33.0N, 131.9E
Depth: 60km
Date/Time: 2015-07-12 at 17:52:06 UTC
Aftershocks: 4.3Mw (31.4N, 131.9E; depth=40 km)

Nearby nuclear power stations:

• Ikata Nuclear Power station
• Sendai Nuclear Power station
• Genkai Nuclear Power station

U.S. Drought: Crop Disaster Declared for Idaho Counties

Drought crop disasters declared for 8 counties in Idaho

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated eight additional counties in Idaho as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by drought.

The disaster areas are Bannock, Bingham, Blaine, Bonneville, Butte, Caribou, Jefferson and Power counties.

Drought in the U.S. West

The drought has intensified in the western U.S., according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-07-07	22.40	77.60	61.14	43.04	18.87	7.26
2015-06-30	23.90	76.10	60.38	39.01	17.13	7.26

.
California: No change reported!

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-07-07	0.14	99.86	98.71	94.59	71.08	46.73
2015-06-30	0.14	99.86	98.71	94.59	71.08	46.73

.
Oregon

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-07-07	0.00	100.00	100.00	83.71	34.09	0.00
2015-06-30	0.00	100.00	98.60	83.66	34.09	0.00

.

Washington State

Week	None	D0-D4	D1-D4	D2-D4	D3-D4	D4
2015-07-07	0.00	100.00	100.00	86.14	0.00	0.00
2015-06-30	0.00	100.00	92.52	45.79	0.00	0.00

.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,375 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 disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on July 8, 2015 .

Related Links

• Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States July 2, 2015
• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• 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

Latest Disasters, States of Emergency Declarations

Disaster declared for Idaho counties affected by wildfire

The Cape Horn Fire wildfire near Bayview, Idaho, has been declared a federal disaster.

Federal officials have authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Cape Horn Fire, burning in Bonner County and Kootenai County, northern Idaho.

The blaze had already consumed about 2,000 acres of mostly pine forests, as of Tuesday, destroying at least six upscale homes and forcing more than 650 people from Lake Pend Oreille resort area.

Idaho Gov. Otter on Monday declared the two counties affected by the uncontained fire a disaster emergency area.

States of Emergency Declared in two BC Camid Raging Wildfire

Authorities in the District of Port Hardy, British Columbia, declared a state of emergency due to the immediate threat of life and safety caused by a fast moving wildfire, said a report.

The fire forced the evacuations of more than 100 residences.

More than 170 wildfires raged across the province. “The Squamish Lillooet Regional District also issued a state of emergency due to a 500-hectare fire northwest of Pemberton,” said a report.

State of Emergency Declared in Venezuela amid ERE, Flooding

Major Disaster Declared for Wyoming

State of Emergency Declared in Venezuela amid ERE, Flooding

ERE, flooding affect tens of thousands in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Maduro has declared a state of emergency in the municipality of Paez, Apure state, after extreme rain events (ERE) triggered severe flooding, said a report.

The floods in Paez have been described “as the worst to hit the area in over two decades.” More than two weeks of torrential rains have caused two major rivers to burst their banks inundating large areas, and affecting more than 40,000 people.

In 2010, floods affected more than 1.5 million Venezuelans across three states and the capital, Caracas, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses.

Major Disaster Declared for Wyoming

Wyoming Declared Federal Disaster Area

Wyoming Severe Storms and Flooding (DR-4227)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Wyoming in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding during the period of May 24-June 6, 2015.

Areas worst affected by the extreme weather events—severe storms and flooding—include Johnson and Niobrara counties.

Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 23rd Major Disaster Declaration proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year. Additionally the federal government has issued five Fire Management Assistance Declarations.

Fire Management Assistance Declarations (2015)

[5088] 07/06/2015 Idaho Cape Horn Fire
[5087] 06/29/2015 Washington Sleepy Hollow Fire
[5086] 06/17/2015 Arizona Kearney River Fire
[5085] 06/16/2015 Alaska Card Street Fire
[5084] 06/15/2015 Alaska Sockeye Fire

Related Links

• Major Disaster Declared for Arkansas [DR-4226] June 29, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Nebraska [DR-4225] June 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (4th major disaster in 2 months) [DR-4221]May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

 

Large Wildfires Devour Homes, Force Evacuations across U.S., W. Canada

Wildfires burning millions of acres across United States, W. Canada

Wildfire are burning more than 3.1 million acres across Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington.

Alaska
As of July 2, some 750 wildfires have burned an estimated 2.4 million acres in Alaska so far #Alaska this summer, “which is at pace with the 2004 season when 6.59 million acres burned,” Kale Casey, a public information officer for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, told ABC News today. “In addition to the dry season we’re having, we’ve had a huge amount of lightning—about 6,000 to 10,000 bolts per day. There was three-day period in June where we had over 31,000 lightning strikes.”

Meanwhile, NOAA has issued the following statement:

Fires are raging in Alaska, and there’s no end in sight.

More than 600 fires have burned in excess of 1.8 million acres in the state, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, making this year the worst wildfire season so far in Alaska’s history. Fires have caused evacuations, highway closures, and rail and flight disruptions. More than 350 structures have been damaged, including about 70 homes.

Approximately 100,000 wildland fires occur each year in the United States, capable of severe destruction and loss of life. Above-average temperatures and a longstanding drought in the western U.S. are contributing to wildfires occurring in parts of Washington, Oregon and California.

“It’s only July 6 and this fire season ranks No. 9 on the list of the largest fire seasons on record in Alaska,” said AK Forestry.

A graph from the National Interagency Fire Center that shows how Alaska’s fire season compares to the Lower 48 so far, this year.

Idaho
A large blaze in Idaho has destroyed at least six multimillion-dollar homes forcing more than 200 people to evacuate from Bayview, a resort town on Lake Pend Oreille.

The Cape Horn fire, which was possibly sparked by lightning, and is now being fanned by strong winds and fueled by record temperatures, has consumed about 1,000 hectares, since Sunday.

“There have been multiple wildfires in eastern and central Idaho during the past week with the biggest being the Dietrich Butte fire, which started Friday afternoon. It’s scorched about 2,500 acres north of Dietrich, a town near Shoshone,” said a report.

California
A 400-acre wildfire threatens homes in Vacaville (between San Francisco and Sacramento), Northern California, forcing more than 100 people to evacuate.

Washington
The Sleepy Hollow fire destroyed dozens of homes and consumed about 80 square kilometers before being mostly contained.

In May, Gov. Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency for Washington after snowpack reached historic lows, and rivers began dwindling and irrigation districts were forced to cut off water to farmers.

Oregon
Wildfires have consumed about 160 square kilometers in Oregon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

In June, Gov. Brown declared drought emergencies in Coos, Douglas, Gilliam and Jefferson counties, bringing the total to 19 counties officially in a state of drought.

The counties covered by the declarations:

Baker, Coos, Crook, Deschutes, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Jefferson, Jospehine, Klamath, Lake, Lane, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Wasco and Wheeler.

Saskatchewan, Canada

Saskatchewan First Nations Evacuate 13,000, Declare Wildfire State of Emergency

“Wildfires have forced more than 13,000 Lac La Ronge band members and others from their homes in aboriginal communities in the largest evacuation Saskatchewan has ever seen.”

51 Communities Evacuated amid Raging Wildfires in W. Canada

15,000 Residents ordered to evacuate their homes in Saskatchewan

At least 112 wildfires are burning through the northern region of Saskatchewan, forcing about 17,000 residents in 51 communities to evacuate.

“Saskatchewan’s Buffalo Narrows and La Ronge regions are the hottest wildfire spots at the moment, but there are also 10 uncontained blazes tearing through the province’s Prince Albert region, further to the south” said a report.

Fire Stats
Communities under full or partial evacuation orders: 51
Total number of residents evacuated or under evacuation orders: 17,000
Number of active wildfires (July 6, 2015) : 112
Number of active wildfires greater than 100 hectares: 56  (July 5, 2015)
Wildfires to date: 574 (compared with total of 184 to date in 2014, and seasonal total of 193 blazes)

Western Canada Disaster Watch

• Wildfires are also raging  in the rest of Western Canada, with B.C. and Alberta experiencing similar hot and dry conditions, said CTV News.
• Port Hardy, B.C. declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a wildfire forced the evacuation of 100 homes. The fire is one of 64 that are active across the province.
• There were also more than 120 wildfires burning across Alberta, with hundreds of northern residents put on evacuation alert.
• About 1,000 military personnel have been sent to help contain wildfires in Saskatchewan and assist evacuees relocation.

Floods, Deadly Mudslides Bury Hundreds of Villages in Bangladesh

¼ Million people stranded in Bangladesh as floods, deadly mudslides bury hundreds of villages

Flash floods and deadly mudslides have drowned hundreds of villages in low-lying areas of Bangladesh, including southeastern districts of Cox’ Bazar, Bandarban and Chittagong, destroying scores of homes and leaving about 250,000 people stranded since June 24.

At least two dozen people have lost their lives and many more are injured, according to reports.

The victims are facing food shortages as well as lack of safe drinking water, and are at the risk of being affected by water-borne diseases, according to the government’s Disaster Management Information Center (DMIC).

Drought Destroys Crops in Six U.S. States

Crop disasters declared for 38 counties across six states

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated a total of 38 counties in six states:  Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming—as crop disaster areas due to losses caused by drought.

Disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought (Designation #1)

• Idaho: Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Clark, Elmore, Fremont, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Madison, Minidoka, Lincoln,  and Teton counties.
• Montana:  Beaverhead, Gallatin and Madison counties.
• Wyoming: Teton County.

Disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought (Designation #2)

• Utah: Daggett, Duchesne, Morgan, Rich, Salt Lake, Summit and Wasatch counties.
• Wyoming: Sweetwater and Uinta counties.

Disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought (Designation #3)

• Washington: Asotin, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Garfield, Grant, King, Kittitas, Pierce, Whitman and Yakima counties.
• Oregon: Wallowa County.

Crop Disasters 2015

Beginning January 7, 2015 USDA has declared crop disasters in at least 1,367 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 disaster designations posted above were approved by USDA on July 1, 2015 .

Related Links

• Drought and Deluge, Hail and Severe Freezing Destroy Crops in 7 States June 25, 2015
• 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

Fort McMurray: The Most Polluted Place in N. America

AQI reached a high of 456 in Fort McMurray , Alberta, Canada

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Fort McMurray [pop: ~ 80,000] reached a hazardous high of 456 Monday night local time, the highest in North America, and was hovering in the “Very Unhealthy” territory, as of posting.

“Fort Muck,” as the city is also referred to, has been described as a “place of sex, drugs, violence, homelessness, massive trucks, polluted air and contaminated water.”

PM2.5 Pollution Level

AQi Values of 300 or greater are considered “Hazardous,” the highest health threat level on the EPA scale. This would trigger health warnings of emergency conditions because it puts the entire population at risk.

“Fueling Epidemics of Syphilis and HIV”

“The sex trade in Fort McMurray has kept pace with the booming oil industry, and goes hand in hand with the increase in hard drug use,” said a report, citing a Coordinator for the Council of Canadians.

“The drug of choice changed overnight, from pot to coke,” said the coordinator.

I’ve had boys barely out of high school come into my office freaked out over their sexual identities after getting drunk and having gay sex for the first time, and often unprotected. It’s just plain sad to see.

Does everyone do it [engage in high risk sexual behavior and drug use]? No, but the fact is we have a Syphilis outbreak in this province, and these workers go back to where they are from and it spreads. There are health centers at the work sights, but people don’t go to them for fear that it’ll get back to their employers. It’s an unacceptable situation, but the municipality has bigger things to think about and so the problem is not dealt with effectively.

Related Links

• A Tale of Two Cities: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Fort McMurray

[The link is provided for information only. FIRE-EARTH is not associated with Oil Sands Truth.]

‘Airmageddon’ in Indonesia

Military plane crashes in Medan, Indonesia, killing scores of people

All 113 people on board an Indonesian military transport plane that crashed Tuesday in a major city on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are believed to have been killed, according to the country’s air force chief.

The Hercules C-130 crashed into two houses and a hotel before bursting into flames in a residential area of Medan city [metro pop: ~ 5 million,] according to the chief.

The number of casualties on the ground has not yet been established.

Medan is the capital of the North Sumatra province, and is the fourth largest city in Indonesia.

Mandala Airlines Flight 091

On 5 September 2005, Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashed into a populated area of Medan shortly after take-off from the city’s airport, killing 149, including 49 people on the ground. Additionally, some of the 17 people on board the plane who survived the crash, and 26 others on the ground who were injured, are believed to have since died as a result of their injuries.

Major Disaster Declared for Arkansas

Arkansas Declared Federal Disaster Area

Arkansas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4226)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Nebraska in the areas affected affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 7 to June 15, 2015.

Areas worst affected by the extreme weather events—severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding—include Crawford, Garland, Howard, Jefferson, Little River, Miller, Perry, Sebastian, and Sevier counties.

Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

This is the 22nd Major Disaster Declaration proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year. Additionally the federal government has issued three Fire Management Assistance Declarations.

Related Links

• Major Disaster Declared for Nebraska June 26, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (4th major disaster in 2 months) May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Wildfires Threaten Thousands of California Homes

Up to 30,000 people evacuated from California towns threatened by Wildfires

Raging wildfires have prompted mandatory evacuations for residents of multiple towns and communities in California including Burns Canyon, Rimrock, Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Ranbow Lane and Heart Bar, while a voluntary evacuation remained in place in Pioneertown, said fire officials.

Meanwhile, residents in several other communities including Lake Williams, Erwin Lake, and Baldwin Lake have been warned of possible evacuation orders.

About 400 campers were also ordered to leave the Lake Williams area on Wednesday, as authorities closed Roadways and campgrounds throughout the areas threatened by wildfires, or affected by the smoke.

More than 1,000 residents in Santa Clarita, LA County, were also ordered to flee their homes late on Wednesday, fire officials said.

Alaska Wildfires

More than 300 wildfires are burning across the state of Alaska. Two major fires, the Sockeye fire and The Card Street fire, have destroyed or damaged more than 100 structures.

Meanwhile, the community of Aniak in Southwest Alaska began evacuating some of its residents Thursday as smoke from a 2,500-acre North Aniak Fire wildfire burning nearby blanketed the village, said a report.

State Disaster

Gov. Walker declared a state disaster on June 19 in response to damages caused by multiple wild land fires on the Kenai Peninsula, including the Card Street Fire near Sterling.

Walker also declared a state disaster in response to widespread damages caused by the Sockeye Fire in Willow and the surrounding region on June 16.

State of Oregon

In Oregon, Gov. Brown has  declared drought emergencies for 20 out of Oregon’s 36 counties so far, said spokesman for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management.

Large forest fire are burning in Siskiyou National Forest and Whitman National Forest.

State of Washington

Gov. Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency for Washington in May due to the snowpack being at historic lows, dwindling rivers and irrigation districts being forced to cut off water to farmers.

Wildfires burning in 10 states

Wildfires are burning in 10 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.

Warnings, Advisories and Watches

Red Flag Warnings, Excessive Heat Warnings,Heat Advisories, Excessive Heat Watches, Fire Weather Watches Air Quality Alerts, and/or Dense Smoke Advisories are currently in effect across most of the West, and parts of multiple other states.

Major Disaster Declared for Nebraska

Nebraska Declared Federal Disaster Area

Nebraska Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding (DR-4225)

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Nebraska in the areas affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding during the period of May 6 to June 17, 2015.

Areas worst affected by the extreme weather events, severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding, include the counties of Cass, Dundy, Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lincoln, Morrill, Nuckolls, Otoe, Saline, Saunders, and Thayer.

Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.This is the 21st Major Disaster Declaration proclaimed for a U.S. state/territory, so far this year.

Related Links

• Major Disaster Declared in Guam June 8, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for State of Texas May 30, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for Oklahoma May 27, 2015
• Major Disaster Declared for West Virginia – (4th major disaster in 2 months) May 22, 2015
• Federal Disaster Declarations
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

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