USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States

Two-thirds of the United States is now experiencing moderate to extreme drought

USDA has designated 76 additional counties [2012 total of 1,369 counties] in six states [total of 31 states] as primary natural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by drought and excessive heat.

During the 2012 crop year, USDA has designated 1,369 counties across 31 states as disaster areas—1,234 due to drought. The drought disaster declaration list also includes numerous other counties designated as contiguous disaster areas.

Most of the drought-stricken areas from Kansas to Ohio need in excess of 10 inches of rain to break the drought, said a National Weather Service meteorologist, however,  little precipitation is on the horizon.

“Monday’s crop ratings showed losses on par with the damage seen during the 1988 drought if these conditions persist,” said Bryce Knorr, senior editor for Farm Futures Magazine. “Weather so far has taken almost 4 billion bushels off the corn crop, so a lot of demand must still be rationed.”

List of the most recent counties declared as drought disaster areas by USDA on July 25:

• Kansas. USDA has declared 47 counties  in Kansas as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • List of the 25 primary disaster areas: Chase, Franklin, Lincoln, Osage, Dickinson, Geary, Marion, Osborne, Douglas, Jefferson, Miami, Ottawa, Ellis, Johnson, Mitchell, Rush, Ellsworth, Leavenworth, Morris, Russell, Saline, Shawnee, Smith, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte counties.
  • List of the 22 contiguous disaster areas: Anderson, Cloud, Jewell, Ness, Atchison, Coffey, Linn, Pawnee, Barton, Greenwood, Lyon, Phillips, Butler, Harvey, McPherson, Pottawatomie, Clay, Jackson, Rice, Riley, Rooks and Trego counties.

• Missouri. The above Disaster declaration covers 5 counties in Missouri because they are contiguous: Bates, Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties.
• Nebraska.  Franklin and Webster counties.

• Michigan.   Drought disaster declared in 10 Michigan counties:
  • Primary DAs: Branch, Cass, Hillsdale and  St. Joseph counties.
  • Contiguous DAs: Berrien, Calhoun, Jackson, Kalamazoo Lenawee, and Van Buren counties.

• Indiana. Contiguous DAs: Elkhart, Lagrange, St. Joseph and Steuben counties.

• Ohio. Fulton and Williams counties.

• Nebraska.  USDA has declared 22 Nebraska counties as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing  drought.
  

• Indiana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 38 counties in Indiana as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • Illinois. The above declaration also extends to three counties in Illinois: Clark, Edgar and Vermilion counties.

• Illinois. USDA has designated twelve counties in Illinois as agricultural  disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing  drought.
  • PDAs: Crawford and Pike counties.
  • CDAs: Adams,  Calhoun,  Greene,  Lawrence, Richland,
    Brown, Clark, Jasper, Morgan and Scott counties.

• Wisconsin. USDA has designated 31 counties in Wisconsin as agricultural  disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by the ongoing drought.
  • Illinois. The above declaration extends to 6 contiguous areas in Illinois: Boone, Lake, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, McHenry and Winnebago counties.
  • Iowa. The above declaration also extends to 3 contiguous areas in Iowa: Allamakee, Clayton and Dubuque counties.

Weekly U.S. Precipitation Map for the Week Ending July 24, 2012. Source: HPRCC

Corn in Drought Map. Latest available map of drought superimposed on the corn production areas. This map depicts drought-affected areas of the U.S. corn producing farmland as of July 17, 2012. Approximately 88% of the corn grown in the U.S. is within an area-experiencing drought, based on historical U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop production data.

Other USDA Disaster Declarations

• Colorado. USDA has designated 8 counties in Colorado as agricultural disaster areas due to damage and losses caused by freezing temperatures that occurred April 7-8, 2012.
  • Utah. The above declaration also extends to two counties in  Utah: Grand and San Juan counties.

• Wisconsin.  USDA has designated 34 counties in Wisconsin as agricultural disaster areas due to losses to maple syrup production caused by an unseasonably early thaw, unseasonably warm nights and excessive heat that occurred Jan. 23 – March 31, 2012.
  • Michigan. The above declaration extends to 4 counties in the state of Michigan.
  • Minnesota. The above declaration also extends to 4 counties in the state of Minnesota.

Related Links

• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.

Serious drought conditions continue to creep across nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states: USDA 

Farmers and ranchers across most of the U.S. have been affected by a string of extreme weather in 2012, as serious drought conditions in the Midwest expands north and west, further worsening the crop conditions and putting even more crops at risk, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.

“Hot, dry and drought conditions across states from California to Delaware have damaged some crops and slowed development of others.” USDA said in a news release, as the agency’s senior officials prepared to tour “Michigan, Ohio and Indiana—three states affected by severe frost and freezes in the spring, with Indiana now experiencing increasing levels of drought. In the weeks ahead, additional USDA subcabinet leaders will travel to Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and others.”

From a Crisis to a Horror Story

“We’re moving from a crisis to a horror story,” said a Purdue University Professor of Agronomy. “I see an increasing number of fields that will produce zero grain.”

Precipitation

Two-thirds of the Continental U.S. has received less than 1 inch of rain in the last 7 days. See below for 7-day and 90-day total precipitation maps.

Precipitation Map for continental U.S. (7-day total). Source: HPRCC

Precipitation Map for continental U.S. (90-day total). Source: HPRCC

Palmer Drought Index

Based on the Palmer Drought Index, 55 percent of Continental U.S. was under moderate to extreme drought conditions in June, NOAA reported.

Topsoil Moisture Map

U.S. Topsoil Moisture as of July 15, 2012

Corn Crop Condition

Corn conditions have further worsened since last week. The amount of corn rated as FAIR to EXCELLENT conditions have plummeted from 89 percent last year to only 62 percent.

Soybean Condition

Soybean conditions too have further worsened since last week.  The amount of soybean rated as FAIR to EXCELLENT conditions have plummeted from 90 percent last year to only 70 percent.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report

Pasture and range conditions: 24 percent very poor, 30 poor, 28 fair, 16 good, and 2 excellent. The rating was well below 68 percent fair to excellent last year.

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (July 5 to September 30, 2012)

Map of Agricultural Disaster Areas in the U.S.

Map of U.S. counties declared as agricultural disaster areas under ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process,’ as of July 12, 2012

PRIMARY & CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES designated for 2012 crop disaster losses – As of 07/10/2012 – through Designation No. S3260 (Approved 07/03/2012)

Drought conditions have sparked disaster declarations in about 1,300 counties (1,016 primary, 278 contiguous) across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported.

• U.S. drought has been intensified by the driest June in history and triple-digit temperatures on 10 out of 11 days recently.

• As of last week, Moderate to Extreme drought conditions prevailed in 52.56 percent of the Midwest, and 68.39 percent of the South. Moderate to Exceptional drought conditions covered 73.87% of High Plains, 64.15% of the West and 35.46% of the Southeast.

• The declaration covers 26 states across the country: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and Hawaii.

Worsening Drought Conditions

• Missouri.  Worsening drought throughout Missouri has forced Gov. Nixon to ask the federal authorities for disaster declaration for all of the state’s 114 counties with the exception of independent city of St. Louis.
  • Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday a ‘Streamlined Disaster Designation Process’ a USDA rule change for Secretarial disaster designations that will allow nearly automatically a county to be declared a disaster area once it is categorized by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a severe drought for eight consecutive weeks during the growing season.

Maps of U.S. Hazards Outlook

Map of U.S. Hazards Outlook for July 19 – 23, 2012, showing persistent severe drought.

Map of U.S. Hazards Outlook for July 20 – 26, 2012, showing persistent severe drought.

Map of U.S. Hazards Outlook to July 30, 2012, showing persistent severe drought.

U.S. Drought Comparison Maps for July 3 and July 10, 2012.

U.S. Drought Comparison Maps for June 26 and July 3, 2012

Current U.S. Drought Map – Released July 12, 2012.

Triple digit heat is coming back

Links to Recent Related Entries

• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012

• Disaster Declared in More Counties Across 11 States Posted  July 13, 2012
• U.S. Drought Expands, Intensifies Posted July 12, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in 26 States Posted July 12, 2012

• Third of U.S. Corn in Poor or V. Poor Condition Posted on July 11, 2012
• Continental US Experienced Warmest 12 Months in 117 Years Posted  on July 10, 2012
• Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin Posted on July 10, 2012
• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012

• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Drought: State of Emergency Declared in Wisconsin

Drought conditions prompt Wisconsin Gov to declare a state of emergency in 42 southern and central counties

Drought has hit plants during the most vulnerable time in their growing cycle, killing their pollen.

“The lack of rainfall since May in the southern half of the state has hit hard in a crucial part of the growing season,” Walker said in a statement. “Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service reports this week that most of the land in these counties is short or very short of soil moisture.”

• With 78,000 farms across the state, Wisconsin is the nation’s top producer of cranberries, oats and snap peas and is among the top-five producing states of potatoes, maple syrup, sweet corn, green peas, cucumbers for pickles, and other crops, said Wisconsin Department of Agriculture.

• The state is also home to about 13,000 dairy farms with an average of 100 cows.

• All counties in the southern half of the state are affected.

U.S. Drought Map. Released July 5, 2012

Links to Recent Related Entries

• U.S. Corn Belt Hit by Drought, Heat Wave Posted on July 9, 2012
• Record Heatwave Kills Dozens in U.S. Posted on July 8, 2012
• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012

• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012
• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• States of Emergency Declared in 4 States and DC as Storm Death Toll Rises Posted  on July 1, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• China.  Epic flooding and massive landslides spawned by extreme rain events have buried parts of 8 provinces in China affecting about 20 million people. Deaths, destruction and evacuations are occurring in Jiangsu, Anhui and Shandong provinces in east China, Henan and Hubei provinces in central China, Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province in southwest China and Shaanxi Province in northwest China,Xinhua reported. The official weekly toll currently stands at:
  • Dead or missing:  100 people
  • Displaced: 1.17 million people
  • Houses destroyed: 66,000
  • Destroyed or damaged crops: 982,400 hectares
    
  • A mile-wide landslide in Sichuan province is currently burying everything in it path, threatening to block rivers and cause additional disasters.
  • More than 113.36 million people, about 9 percent of the China’s population, have been affected by natural disasters (floods, hail and landslides has had the greatest impact, followed by droughts, earthquakes, snowstorms and typhoons), with at least 465 dead and and 97 missing in the first half of this year, the report said.

U.S. Drought Intensifying

Drought conditions spread to more than ¾ of the U.S.

Moderate to Exceptional drought levels (D1 – D4) have intensified  by about 10 percent since last week, spreading throughout the contiguous U.S.

• D0 – D4 drought conditions prevail in 76.33 percent of the lower 48.
• Alaska has not reported any change in drought levels.
• Hawaii drought conditions increased to 81.07% from 78.89% last week.

U.S. Drought Map. Released July 5, 2012

Map of Total Precipitation in the U.S. – 7 Days

Map of Total Precipitation in the U.S. – 30 Days

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (July 5 to September 30, 2012)

Recent History

Weekly US Drought Map, January 3, 2012.  Source: US Drought Monitor.

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Declared in Montana Posted on July 5, 2012
• Colorado Declared Agri Disaster Area Posted on July 4, 2012
• Disaster Declared in 94 Counties across 4 States Posted on July 3, 2012

• Deadly Heat Blankets Eastern U.S. Posted on July 2, 2012
• Deadly Heat Wave Affects Third of U.S. Population Posted on June 30, 2012
• The record-setting heat wave continues to expand Posted on June 30, 2012
• Explosive Wildfires Continue Erupting Across the U.S. Posted on June 29, 2012
• Destructive Wildfire Activity Intensifies in Colorado Posted on June 28, 2012
• Drought 2012

U.S. Summer Drought Outlook

Dryness and drought increasing in extent and intensity: Report

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook. Drought Tendency During June 21 – September 30, 2012. Dryness and moderate drought have been increasing both in extent and intensity across much of the Corn Belt region, the middle and lower Mississippi Valley, and much of the Great Plains. Drought is likely to either develop, persist or expand across these areas. Source: NOAA/CPC

Some 68.78 percent of Contiguous US is currently abnormally dry or in drought condition [D0-D4]

• Previous Drought Forecast: Drought 2012

DAILY MEAN Heat Index Forecast

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Disaster Calendar 2011: Deaths Mount in U.S. Heatwave

Record-Breaking Grid Loads in Texas, South as Heatwave Persists

[August 5, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,685 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

READ THIS FIRST

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FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

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Disaster Calendar 2011 – August 5 Entry

Oklahoma, USA. The official death toll from Oklahoma heatwave has climbed to 15, reports said.

Texas, USA. As temperatures topped 100F (38C) in parts Texas for the 39th straight day, a “power emergency” was declared for the fourth consecutive day. Heat records across the U.S. were broken at least 2,600 times during last month.

Texas’ power grid was still at Level 1 emergency Friday afternoon, as reserves dropped below 2,300 megawatts, ERCOT reported.

Thursday’s peak demand was 66,815 megawatts between 4 pm and 5 pm local time, when ERCOT was forced to pull 1,033 megawatts from several neighboring grids, including Mexico.

Friday’s peak is expected to rise to 67,794 megawatts.

Meantime, the rising water temperatures in Tennessee River, which climbed over 90 degrees on Wednesday, forced Tennessee Valley Authority to cut down electricity generation by 50 percent at Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Decatur, Alabama.

Water from Tennessee River is used to cool down the nuclear reactors at the plant.

U.S. Drought Outlook. The drought in Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico is forecast to  persist or intensify until the end of October, NWS  reported.

Related Links

• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying  Posted by edro on April 14, 2011
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August

• US Nuke Plants Threatened by Extreme Heat
• Killer Heat Persists in Central United States

Epic flood threats through summer as more rain predicted

EPIC DROUGHT and DELUGE

2011 summer flooding season could rival Great Flood of 1993—the worst in U.S. history: Forecasters

With rivers still running above flood stage and soils fully saturated, even small amounts of rain could cause  widespread flooding this summer, forecasters said.

The “Great Flood of 1993” submerged vast swathes of at least 9 states  from April to August, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

“The sponge is fully saturated – there is nowhere for any additional water to go,” said the director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “While unusual for this time of year, all signs point to the flood threat continuing through summer.”

Some of the flooding is expected to occur in the areas that have already experienced major to record flooding, NWS said.

U.S. Precipitation Map. 8 – 14 day outlook precipitation probability for July 14 – 20, 2011. Click images to enlarge.

U.S. Precipitation Map. Three-months outlook precipitation probability for July, August and September 2011.

The highest summer flood risk areas include:

• North Central U.S.: Souris River (North Dakota) and Red River of the North (border of North Dakota and Minnesota), Minnesota River (Minnesota), Upper Mississippi River (Minnesota and Iowa), and Des Moines River (Iowa)

• Lower Missouri River : From Gavin’s Point (Nebraska and South Dakota border) downstream along the border of Nebraska and Iowa, continuing through the borders of Kansas and Missouri then through Missouri to the Mississippi River
• Tributaries to the Lower Missouri: The James and Big Sioux Rivers in North Dakota
• Lower Ohio River Valley: The White, Wabash and lower Ohio Rivers
• East and West of Rockies: North Platte River in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska and Yellowstone River in Wyoming and Montana, Utah and Colorado

The worst-hit areas so far:

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North and South Dakotas.

U.S. Drought

FIRE-EARTH models show that the drought in the southern U.S. would persist at least through the summer, intensifying in several areas.

U.S. Temperature Map. Three-month outlook temperature probability map for July, August and September 2011.

Map of potential hazards related to climate, weather and hydrological events in the U.S.  Click images to enlarge. [All images on this page were sourced from NOAA/CPC]

Related Links

• WARNING: Global Disasters to Intensify Posted on June 12, 2011
• Disaster Forecast: The United States Posted on July 10, 2010
• 2011 Much More Disastrous Posted on September 13, 2010
• Megadisasters Loom Posted on December 11, 2010