Drought Spreads in the U.S.

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
WORSENING DROUGHT
MULTIPLE CROP DISASTERS
SCENARIO 03
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Extreme and Exceptional Drought Levels Spread across the U.S.

About 50.67 percent of the contiguous U.S. is experiencing Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought conditions this week, compared to 48.82 percent last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

U.S. Drought Map – May 6, 2014

U.S. Drought Map as of May 6, 2014. Source: US Drought Monitor.

Drought Monitor Class Change

U.S. Drought Monitor Class Change – April 29, 2014 – May 6, 2014.

Related Links

• Drought Disaster Destroys Crops in Six States May 1, 2014
• LAST CHANCE TO DECORPORATIZE, REHUMANIZE April 27, 2014
• U.S. Drought Expands April 25, 2014
• Drought Disaster Declared for Crops in 9 States  April 24, 2014

• Drought Destroys Texas Crops April 24, 2014
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

U.S. Drought Intensifies

EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS
WORSENING DROUGHT
CROP DISASTERS
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Drought worsens in the U.S. Midwest, South

Drought Levels D0 to D4, Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought, covered about 52.88 percent of the land area in the contiguous United States, up from 51.98 percent last week, according to the US Drought Monitor.

U.S. Drought Class Change (1 week ending April 1, 2014). Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

The West

Areas covered by drought levels D0 – D4 increased marginally to 71.89 percent .  California’s snow-water equivalent is only 32 percent of the average for April 1, when snowpack is at its peak level before the spring melt.

Midwest

D0-D4 drought levels spread to 40.57 percent of the region  from  35.15 percent last week.  The total area covered by snow in the northern Great Lakes region was 56.2% as of April 1, 2014, according to NWS/NOHRSC.

South: Texas
San Angelo Area reservoirs are currently 7.9% full while the Panhandle Planning Region reservoirs are just 1.7% full.

Crop Disaster Declared for 45 Counties in Texas, Oklahoma

The U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA has designated a total of 45 counties in Texas and Oklahoma as crop disaster areas due to the worsening drought.

Those areas are

• Texas. Bell, Dallas, Hamilton, McLennan, Comanche, Eastland, Hill, Mason, Coryell, Fannin, Lamar, Bosque, Erath, Lampasas, Palo, Pinto, Brown, Falls, Limestone, Red River, Burnet, Gillespie, Llano, Rockwall, Callahan, Grayson, McCulloch, San Saba, Collin, Hunt, Menard, Shackelford, Delta, Johnson, Milam, Stephens, Denton, Kaufman, Mills, Tarrant, Ellis, Kimble, Navarro and Williamson counties.

• Oklahoma. Bryan and Choctaw counties.

Drought Disasters 2014

Since January 10, 2014 USDA has declared at least 909 counties across 16 states as crop disaster areas due to worsening drought.

• Those states are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.

• Crop disasters have been declared in an additional 22 counties in the states of New York and Pennsylvania due to  Freeze.

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 may 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 posted above were approved by USDA on April 2, 2014.

Related Links

• Crop Disaster Declared for 45 Counties in Texas, Oklahoma April 3, 2014
• Crop Disasters Declared in 5 States as Drought Worsens March 27, 2014
• Crop Disasters Declared for Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho March 21, 2014
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

High Fire Danger in Southern California amid Driest Conditions on Record

CLIMATE-RELATED DISASTERS
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L.A. Basin blanketed by smoke as Colby fire burns 1,700 acres, destroying homes and forcing mass evacuations

Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to gusty Santa Ana winds and very low humidities, said NWS.

A fast-moving wildfire that started in the hills above Glendora has consumed more than 1,700 acres, destroying  homes, forcing thousands to evacuate, and enveloping much of the Los Angeles Basin in a thick pall of smoke.

The blazed has destroyed at least five homes and damaged 2 dozen outbuildings and other structures, said fire officials. About 600 fire crews have been deployed.

The event is significant because it may herald an unprecedented winter fire season amid the driest conditions ever recorded in the region.

US Drought Monitor Map for January 14, 2014. Released by http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ on January 16, 2014.

Red Flag Warning

High pressure over the Great Basin will continue to generate gusty Santa Ana winds over Los Angeles and Ventura counties. These winds should strengthen some this evening then remain gusty into Friday, before weakening Friday afternoon into Saturday. The strongest winds will occur in the afternoon through evening hours. Peak gusts to around 50 mph are expected in the mountains, with gusts peaking to around 40 mph range in the valleys.  –NWS

The relative humidities would stay between 6 – 8 percent with temperatures forecast to reach 90s.

California Fire Weather Map

Source: NWS, via CalFire.

U.S. Drought Map – September 17, 2013

US Drought Conditions

About 64.09 percent of the land in the contiguous Unites States were covered by drought conditions D0 (Abnormally Dry) to D4 (Exceptional Drought) week ending September 17, 2013, up from 63.75 percent the previous week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Drought conditions D1 – D4 improved marginally to 48.19 percent, down from 50.69 percent earlier.

Weather Summary [mirrored from U.S. Drought Monitor]:

The combination of ample Gulf and Pacific tropical moisture (in part from Tropical Storms Manuel (Pacific) and Ingrid (Gulf) which inundated Mexico), stalled frontal systems, and upsloping conditions produced widespread heavy to copious rainfall (widespread 2 to 6 inches, locally 12 to 18 inches especially near Boulder, CO) and severe flash flooding in parts of New Mexico and Colorado.

Moderate to heavy rains (1.5 to 4 inches) also drenched portions of Arizona, eastern Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, south-central Montana, western sections of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and northern and southern Texas. September monsoonal rains have generated welcome relief from the drought in the Southwest, central Rockies, and High Plains, but unfortunately have been accompanied by flash flooding.

US Drought Disaster Areas

As of September 18, 2013, at least 1,345 counties and parishes, or 42.8% of all the U.S. counties and county equivalents, across 29 states have been designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.

US Drought Disaster Map. At least 1,345 counties and parishes, or 42.8% of all the U.S. counties and county equivalents, across 29 states have been designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought since January 1, 2013. Image source: USDA

Related Links

• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 194 Counties in 13 States September 20, 2013
• Agricultural Disaster Declared for 138 counties in 14 States
• Drought 2013
• Agricultural Disasters Index

U.S. Drought 2013

U.S. Drought Map for January 8, 2013

FEWW DROUGHT FORECAST: REMOVED BY A MODERATOR.

As of January 8, 2013 drought covered more than 60 percent of the contiguous U.S. and rendered a further 11.5 percent as ‘Abnormally Dry,’ according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

• ‘Severe’ to ‘Exceptional’ drought levels plagued more than 86 percent of High Plains including
  • 100 percent of Nebraska
  • 100 percent of Kansas
  • Nearly 97 percent of South Dakota
  • More than 86 percent of Wyoming
  • Over 95 percent of Colorado
• More than half of southern United States including the entire state of Oklahoma and about two-thirds of Texas were also experiencing ‘Severe’ to ‘Exceptional’ drought conditions.
• At least 44 percent of the West, a third of the Midwest and a fifth of the Southeast also reported similar drought conditions.

U.S. Drought Map for 8 January 2013, released by U.S. Drought Monitor on January 10, 2013.

• Disaster Declared in Much of U.S. Wheat Belt  January 10, 2013
• The Land of Rising Heat  January 9, 2013
• Hottest Hell on Earth  January 8, 2013
• U.S. Drought: Little Change Despite Snowstorms January 3, 2013

Recent Drought Links

• U.S. Drought Persists Despite Snow December 21, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through U.S. Farming Region December 14, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S. December 7, 2012

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought: Little Change Despite Snowstorms

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,164 Days Left 

[January 3, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,164 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

About 73 percent of U.S. ‘Abnormally Dry’ or worse

More than 61 percent of the U.S. remained in ‘Moderate’ or worse drought conditions (D1 to D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale), as of January 1, 2013.

U.S. Drought Map for January 1, 2013.  Released January 3, 2013 by U.S. Drought Monitor

Recent Drought Links

• U.S. Drought Persists Despite Snow December 21, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through U.S. Farming Region December 14, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S. December 7, 2012

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought Spreads

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,170 Days Left 

[December 28, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,170 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Drought spreads fractionally across the U.S.

Abnormally Dry or worse drought conditions (D0 to D4 levels on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale) spread to 73.84 of continental U.S. as of December 25 fractionally higher than the previous week (73.79%), while moderate to severe drought (D1 to D4) expanded to 61.82 percent of the country.

U.S. Drought Map for December 25, 2012. Released December 27 by U.S. Drought Monitor

Additional Counties Designated as Drought Disaster Areas

• California.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 30 counties in California as disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that began Jan. 1, 2012, and continues. The designation includes 6 counties as primary disaster areas and 24 others as secondary disaster areas.

• Texas.  USDA has also designated 12 counties in Texas as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by the recent drought. The designation include 2 counties as primary and 10 others as secondary disaster areas.

Recent Drought Links

• U.S. Drought Persists Despite Snow December 21, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through U.S. Farming Region December 14, 2012
• Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S. December 7, 2012

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought Persists Despite Snow

Nearly 74% of the U.S. remains abnormally dry or worse, despite  snowstorms 

“The snow is good, but in most instances it was less than one inch of liquid and if the soils are frozen, there will be little infiltration,” said a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center.

• High Plains:  Severe drought covered 86.20% of the High Plains as of December 18, 2012, up from 86.12% percent the previous week , While extreme drought spread to 59.98% of the region, up from 58.39% and exceptional drought area increased to 26.99%, up from 26.91%.

• Contiguous United States:  About 61.79% of Continental U.S. was in moderate to exceptional drought (D1 to D4 on the Drought Monitor Scale), a marginal improvement from 61.87% on December 11.

U.S. Drought Map for December 18, 2012. Released December 20 by U.S. Drought Monitor

Drought Links

• Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S. December 7, 2012

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Drought Continues to Expand through U.S. Farming Region

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,184 Days Left 

[December 14, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,184 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Drought affecting about two-thirds of U.S. new winter wheat crop

As of December 11, 2012 ‘severe’ to ‘exceptional’ drought levels (D3 – D5 on the U.S. Drought Monitor Scale ) pervaded through 42.59% of continental United States, up from 42.22% a week earlier.

• Some 61.87 percent of the contiguous United States was in at least ‘Moderate’ drought, down from 62.37 percent the previous week.

U.S. Drought Map for December 11, 2012. Release December 13 by U.S. Drought Monitor

Map of the U.S. Counties Designated as Drought Disaster Areas

As of December 12, 2012, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had designated as drought disaster areas  a total of 2,735 counties throughout  the country. The designations included 2,300 counties declared primary disaster areas and 435 additional counties as contiguous disaster areas.

U.S. Drought Disaster Map for December 12, 2012.

Drought Links

• Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S. December 7, 2012

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Drought Continues to Expand through Central U.S.

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,191 Days Left 

[December 7, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,191 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

‘Abnormally Dry’ to ‘Exceptional Drought’ conditions plague more than ¾ of Contiguous United States

More than 76 percent of Contiguous United States was covered by Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought conditions, as of December 4, 2012, U.S. Drought Monitor said.

• The ongoing drought is seriously impacting winter wheat crop and restricting the movement of essential commodities along receding waterways.
  • Drought conditions in the South have expanded by 5 percent, covering additional parts of Texas, Oklahoma,  Missouri, Louisiana and Kansas.
  • The winter wheat conditions are worse than any November on record, USDA reported.
  • More than 65 percent of the new winter wheat crop is in drought areas.
  • Many producers may be forced to abandon the crop due to its extremely poor condition, USDA said.

• Record high temperatures kept 2012 on track for the warmest year on record, NOAA said.
  • The year-to-date has been the warmest first 11 months of any year on record for the contiguous United States.

• Nebraska remained the worst hit state with 100% of the area plagued by Severe to Exception Drought conditions (D2 – D4 on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale).

Drought Links

• US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas December 4, 2012
• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

US: Dozens of Additional Counties Designated Disaster Areas

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,194 Days Left 

[December 4, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,194 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

USDA declares counties across 9 states disaster areas

Drought, excessive heat, unseasonably warm and cold weather, and Hurricane Sandy prompts USDA to declare 163 counties across nine states as agricultural disaster areas.

• The designated disaster areas are in the states of California (4 counties as both primary and contiguous disaster areas), Illinois (3), Michigan (3), Minnesota (6), New York (57), Pennsylvania (9), Vermont (2), Virginia (7) and  Wisconsin (72 counties).

• Some 2,709 counties across 45 states and D.C. are currently designated as agricultural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.  [Note: Drought disaster designations include both primary and contiguous disaster areas,  2,268 and 441 counties respectively. ]

U.S. Drought Disaster Map.  This USDA map is incomplete because it does NOT show all 2,709 counties across the 45 states and D.C. that are currently designated as Drought Disaster Areas. For a recent update see List of Designated Drought Disaster Counties (PDF, 581KB)

U.S. Precipitation Chart, 26 November – 2 December 2012. Source: HPRCC

Highlights from November Drought Update (CPC/NOAA)

• Drought impacts to persist into winter and spring

• Mississippi River barge traffic being impacted by low flows above the Ohio River

• Severe impacts on agriculture, water supplies, river transportation and energy sectors expected if drought persists into next year

• 36% of  lower 48 currently in severe or worse drought

• Exceptional to Extreme Drought persists in Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas

• Extreme Drought persists in parts of Minnesota and Iowa

• 53% of Midwest still in the Moderate to Exceptional range – substantial improvements across the east

• 2012 remains the worst agricultural drought since 1988

U.S. Rain Map  18 – 24 Nov. 2012.  Source: CPC/NOAA

Drought Links

• U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas Posted  November 2, 2012
• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought Deepens

About 76 percent of continental United States abnormally dry or worse

‘Abnormally Dry’ to ‘Exceptional Drought’ conditions cover nearly 76 percent of contiguous U.S., an increase of more than 2 percent since last week.

U.S. Drought Map for November 27, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor  November 29, 2012.

U.S. Weekly Rain Map.  Source: HPRCC

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought Widens Over Past Week

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,206 Days Left 

[November 22, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,206 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

‘Abnormally Dry’ to ‘Exceptional Drought’ conditions cover nearly 74 percent of contiguous U.S.

Extreme and Exceptional drought plague the Great Plains including virtually all of Nebraska and Kansas.

U.S. Drought Map, November 20, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor on November 21, 2012.

Highlights from the weekly Drought Monitor Report:

• Nearly 94% of High Plains is now in drought with more than 84% of the region plagued by ‘Severe’ to ‘Exceptional’ drought levels.

• More than three-quarters of Texas is in at least a ‘Moderate’ drought, with about nearly half the state covered by ‘Severe’ or worse drought conditions.

• More than 72% of the West, 61% of the South, 30% of the Southeast and 52% of the Midwest are in drought.

Weekly Precipitation Map (November 14 – 20, 2012)

U.S. Weekly Rain Map.  Source: HPRCC

Other related stories

• ‘Thieves are stealing thousands of dollars in hay bales in central Kansas amid a drought that has tightened supplies and driven up prices.’
• Wheat Crop Hit Hard by Drought

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

United States: Drought Persists

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,212 Days Left 

[November 16, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,212 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

U.S. Drought persists despite rain: Drought Monitor

As of November 13, about ¾ of contiguous United States remains Abnormally Dry or worse  according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

U.S. Drought Map, November 13, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor on November 15, 2012.

U.S. Rain Map: Total precipitation (inches),  4 – 10 Nov 2012.

Highlights from November Drought Update (CPC/NOAA)

• Drought impacts to persist into winter and spring

• Mississippi River barge traffic being impacted by low flows above the Ohio River

• Severe impacts on agriculture, water supplies, river transportation and energy sectors expected if drought persists into next year

• 36% of  lower 48 currently in severe or worse drought

• Exceptional to Extreme Drought persists in Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas

• Extreme Drought persists in parts of Minnesota and Iowa

• 53% of Midwest still in the Moderate to Exceptional range – substantial improvements across the east

• 2012 remains the worst agricultural drought since 1988

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

U.S. Drought Intensifies in the Plains

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,219 Days Left 

[November 9, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,219 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Middle America: Persistent hot and dry conditions hurting winter wheat crop

Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought conditions continue to affect 72.52 percent of the contiguous US as Exceptional Drought level widens, US Drought Monitor reported.

U.S. Drought Map, November 6, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor on November 8, 2012.

U.S. Soil Moisture – Daily Soil Moisture Anomaly – USDA/NOAA

Drought Disaster Spreads  to 2,709 Counties Across the U.S.

USDA has designated additional counties in North Dakota and Montana as Drought Disaster Areas.  A total of 2,709 Counties across the country are currently designated as Drought Disaster Areas. The total includes 2,266 primary and 443 contiguous counties.

U.S. Drought Disaster Map.  This USDA map is incomplete because it does NOT show all 2,709 counties across the country that are currently designated as Drought Disaster Areas. For a recent update see List of Designated Drought Disaster Counties (PDF, 581KB)

CONTINUED…

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

U.S. Drought: 54 Additional Counties Declared Drought Disaster Areas

USDA designates 2,699 counties drought disaster areas

The drought disaster count increases to 2,699 counties [includes 2,260 primary, and 439 contiguous counties] from 2,645 counties previous week.

Drought Disaster Map.  The above map provided by USDA is incomplete. For a recent list of drought disaster areas see List of Designated Drought Disaster Counties (PDF, 579KB)

U.S. Drought Map

U.S. Drought Map, October 30, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor on November 1, 2012.

Drought Links

• U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas October 25, 2012
• U.S. drought retreats fractionally, expected to persist through winter October 19, 2012
• U.S. Crop Disaster Losses Spreads to 2,673 Counties October 18, 2012
  
• Drought Disaster Spreads to 2,423 U.S. Counties October 12, 2012
• U.S. Drought: Little Change! October 4, 2012

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas

Dozens of counties across 13 states designated agricultural disaster areas

USDA has designated 151 additional counties (includes both primary and contiguous designations and some duplications) across 13 states as agricultural disaster areas. All but 9 of the designations were due to drought and excessive heat.

The states are Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont and Utah.

• USDA has now designated a total of 2,645 counties as agricultural disaster areas thus far in 2012 [includes 2,206  counties listed as primary and 439 as contiguous disaster areas.] The designations extend across the lower 48, Hawaii and D.C.

[NOTE: The disaster list represents 85 percent of all 3,143 counties and county-equivalents in the U.S.]

DROUGHT DISASTER MAP. All Drought Disaster Incidents as of 10/24/2012- Map provided by USDA Farm Service Agency Production, Emergencies and Compliance Division.

• See also: List of Designated Drought Disaster Counties (PDF, 574KB)

Additional Drought Information

• Drought is expected to persist into winter across most of Rockies, Great Plains and Midwest.
• More than two-thirds of winter wheat is currently in drought
• Up to 55% of crops are in poor to very poor conditions

U.S. Drought Map, October 23, 2012. Released by US Drought Monitor on October 23, 2012.

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Aditional U.S. Counties Declared Disaster Areas

U.S. Drought: Little Change!

U.S. drought areas change less than 1 percent since a week ago

As of October 2, 2012, Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought levels (drought conditions D0 – D4 on the US Drought Monitor chart) covered 75.90% of Contiguous U.S. compared with 76.59% a week ago, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

U.S. Drought Map, October 2, 2012. 

Previous Drought Maps

• U.S. Drought Intensifies Posted  September 27, 2012
• U.S. Drought Disaster Grows Posted September 21, 2012
• U.S. Drought Persists Posted  September 13, 2012

Drought – Recent Links

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012
• Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town Posted August 5, 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 

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

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

U.S. Drought Persists

Drought conditions in contiguous U.S. spread, intensify by about 1 percent

About four-fifth of the contiguous United States still faces drought conditions in spite of marginal relief from rains generated by TS ISAAC.

As of September 11, 2012, Abnormally Dry to Exceptional Drought levels (drought conditions D0 – D4 on the US Drought Monitor chart) covered 78.53% of Contiguous U.S., 80.57% of Hawaii, 29.28% of Alaska and 33.34% of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

U.S. Drought Map, September 11, 2012.  

Related Links

• U.S. Drought Disaster Plagues Additional Counties in 19 States Posted  September 6, 2012
• Drought and Deluge Disasters Declared Posted  September 1, 2012
• U.S. Disaster Impact Leaps 24 Folds Posted August 1, 2012
• Disaster Declared for 142 U.S. Counties Posted August 23, 2012

Drought – Recent Links

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012
• Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town Posted August 5, 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 

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

Global Warning

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast

Drought 2012 could linger for months

Corn and soybean prices break all-time records. Corn prices have climbed 53 percent in one month, as worst drought and poorest crop conditions in decades decimate yields in the Corn Belt region and beyond.

U.S. Drought Map for July 17, 2012, released July 19.

List of Disaster Areas Continues Growing

On Wednesday, USDA designated an additional 39 counties in 8 states as Primary Natural Disaster areas due to worsening drought, making up a disaster total of 1,297 counties in 29 states.  Additionally,  several hundred other counties have been declared as contiguous disaster areas.

One Way Drought

Drought is intensifying in the Corn Belt region and creeping to the areas beyond including Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and eastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, southern Minnesota and parts of Missouri, Kentucky and the Dakotas.

Drought and Deluge Double Whammy

The historic drought could finally end in an epic deluge, in which case what is already extreme stress on the topsoil would be incalculable.

NASS Crop Production Data. Map of drought superimposed on the corn production areas, July 10, 2012.

Drought Stats

• Nearly two-thirds of Continental U.S. is currently in drought condition

• More than 42 percent of the lower 48 states were in SEVERE, EXTREME or EXCEPTIONAL Drought Conditions (D2-D4) as of July 17, 2012, a rise of over 5 percent since last week.

• As of July 17, 2012,  the entire Continental U.S. with the exception of Maine was experiencing Abnormally Dry or Drought Conditions (D0 -D4)  in full or in parts of the states, a situation which has since worsened due to scant precipitation and a persistent heat wave in the past few days.

• More than 81 percent of the Contiguous United States was Abnormally Dry or in Drought  Conditions (D0 – D4).
• Drought 2012 is considered as the worst drought since 1956 and worst agricultural drought since 1988.

• About 40% of the U.S. corn crop is in poor-very poor condition.
• Good-excellent soybean crop dropped to 34% – down from 56% at start of season.
• Some 1,297 counties in 29 states have been declared as primary natural disaster areas, with several hundred other counties designated as contiguous disaster areas.
• Less than 10 percent topsoil moisture is left in South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
• Topsoil moisture in the entire Central Region is below 50 percent of normal.
  • Drought is expected to persist or intensify across Central Region.
  • About 98 percent of corn is grown within Central Region.
• About 80 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is experiencing drought.

Deadly Heat Persists

Meantime, preliminary records from NCDC showed 145 high temperature records broken Wednesday and 67 records tied in 23 states: Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

High temperatures in the triple digits will be the norm for the next several days for parts of the central U.S., with heat indices reaching into the 110 degree range. Some NWS Forecast Offices have already extended their heat advisories to last through the middle of next week. Source: NWS

Daily Max Heat Index Forecast

Latest Related Posts

• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Fires ravage Madeira islands and mainland Portugal
• Nationwide Spanish protests turn violent
• Over a third of Fukushima children at risk of developing cancer  [Google, WordPress and others filtered/blocked/suppressed FIRE-EARTH warnings on Fukushima nuclear disaster.]
• 80 people still missing after a Tanzanian ferry sank near Zanzibar
• Over 2,000 houses inundated in flood in Nepal

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

Drought Intensifies in the US South

Entire State of Texas in D1 – D4 Drought Conditions

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

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

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

Disaster Calendar 2011 – September 16

[September 16, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,643 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Drought Map: Contiguous United States

• Southern US Drought Map

• Texas Drought Map
• D1 – D4: 100 percent
• D2 – D4: 99.17 percent
• D3 – D4: 96.75 percent
• D4: 87.83 percent

• Oklahoma Drought Map

• New Mexico Drought Map

• Kansas Drought Map

• Arizona Drought Map

• Arkansas Drought Map

All maps and data sourced from US Drought Monitor. (Current data released on September 13, 2011).

Other Disasters

• Maryland, USA. The White House has today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Maryland following the damage caused by Hurricane Irene during the period of August 24 to September 5, 2011. The worst affected areas are the counties of Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester.
• Thailand. Death toll from heavy rains, flooding and mudslides in Thailand has risen to at least 98, with 30 provinces still inundated. Torrential rains and flooding since late July have affected 54 of the country’s 77 provinces, reports said.
• Brisbane, Australia. A house fire in Logan City, south of Brisbane, Queensland’s state capital, has killed 11 Pacific Islanders, including eight children from two families, officials said.
• The youngest victim was aged 3 and the eldest 47.
• The victims belonged to two families from the Pacific island nations of Samoa and Tonga.
• The cause of fire was not revealed as of posting.

Related Links

• Georgia Declared Disaster Area
• Mega Heatwaves Could Kill Tens of Thousands in the U.S. FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• U.S. Disaster Losses Mounting
• 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season: AAA  FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• U.S. back-to-back disasters phase has begun

• Pakistan Floods: 6 Million Affected, 2 Million Sickened, 300 Dead
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs FIRE-EARTH Forecast

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities EDRO Forecast
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Drought Deepens in the South

Deadly Drought Spreads through the Great Plains and the Midwest

Deepening drought and triple-digit temperatures in southern Plains and Mississippi Valley broil crops and livestock causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

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

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

Disaster Calendar 2011 – August 11 Entry

[August 11, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,679 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Texas, USA. “Extreme” and “exceptional” levels of drought in Texas grew to 94.27 percent of the state from 91.73 percent last week, Drought Monitor reported.
• Oklahoma, USA. Levels of extreme and exceptional drought in Oklahoma grew by nearly 5 percent gripping 92.88 percent of the state, up from 88.10 percent a week earlier.
• The Corn Belt States, USA. Drought is rapidly developing in the corn-growing region of the U.S., with the drought level   intensifying to “moderate” (from “abnormally dry”) in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and South Dakota.

Current U.S. Drought Monitor. Click image to enlarge.

• USA. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared 913 U.S. counties as disaster areas, since January.
• “There is no question the United States has been hit with a number of unique and rather significant disasters over the last several months,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a press conference on August 8. “Historic wildfires in the Southwest, historic numbers of tornadoes in the South and Southeast, extraordinary drought, and flooding conditions in the Midwest have really challenged us.”
• “Just this year, 913 counties have been declared disaster areas.”
• “We’ve begun to pay indemnities on crop insurance. We anticipate the numbers will grow significantly but, as of today, (the Risk Management Agency) has already paid out $693 million.” Vilsack added.

Related Links

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

U.S. Drought Outlook

2011: The Year of Extremes

Click image to enlarge. Source: NWS/NOAA

Latest Seasonal Assessment – Drought continued to slowly expand and locally intensify in a broad area across the southern and southeastern states, the lower Mississippi Valley, and the lower Ohio Valley northward through Indiana and southern Michigan. Based on the Seasonal Outlook for December 2010 – January 2011, which relies primarily on climate anomalies typically observed during La Niña episodes, drought persistence and broad expansion is expected from central and southern Texas eastward along and near the Gulf Coast through the southern Atlantic Seaboard. Chances for drought improvement increase away from the coastal plains, with some improvement forecast across the upper South, and broad-scale improvement expected from southern portions of the middle Mississippi Valley through the lower Ohio Valley and points north. As in areas farther east, the drought region in northeastern Arizona is forecast to persist and expand, covering large sections of the southern Four Corners region by the end of February. The recently-expanded drought across the central High Plains is also expected to persist through this period, which is their driest time of year climatologically. Farther west, limited drought improvement is expected across central Nevada, but more substantial improvement seems likely in western Wyoming and across the drought region in northeast California, southern Oregon, and adjacent areas. In Hawaii, the seasonal increase in rainfall and a modest tilt of the odds toward a wetter than normal winter season should bring limited improvement to the areas affected by drought, but the large, long-term precipitation shortages recorded in these areas will likely preclude any widespread, substantial improvement by the end of the period.  Source of Forecast: NWS/ CPC

Related Links:

• Disaster Forecast: The United States
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011

• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• Energy Dinosaurs

California: Biggest Desert in N America

CALIF DESERTIFICATION: NOT IF, BUT WHEN

Desertification of California in the Near Future Is Almost a Certainty

Drought often have significant environmental, economic and social impacts:

• Shortages of water for agricultural, industrial, municipal and personal uses.
• Death of livestock.
• Crop failure, reduced crop yields.
• Wildfires are more common during periods of drought.
• Dust storms created by drought-enhanced land erosion and by desertification.
• Malnutrition, dehydration and related diseases.
• Famine due to lack of water for irrigation.
• Social unrest.
• Mass migration, resulting in internal displacement and international refugees.
• War over natural resources, including water and food.
• Reduced electricity production due to insufficient available coolant for power stations and reduced water flow through hydroelectric dams.
• Snakes have been known to emerge and snakebites become more common.
• Creates windblown dust bowls which erodes the landscape, damages terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat. (Source)

US Drought Monitor

Objective Long Term Drought Indicator Blend Percentiles

Objective Short Term Drought Indicator Blend Percentiles
To view regional drought conditions, go to US Drought Monitor and click on the map. State maps can be accessed from regional maps.

Drought in California’s Central Valley

[Image acquired July 12 – 27, 2009 by EO – Posted Aug 16, 2009]

By the end of July 2009, California was well into its third dry year in a row. The image was made from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite between July 12 and July 27, 2009. The sensor records the amount of light that photosynthesizing plants absorb and reflect as they grow. The image shows how vegetation fared in 2009 compared to the average based on observations between 2000 and 2008. In places where plants were growing more than average, the image is green. Cream is used to denote average growth, and brown points to less plant growth than average. In this image, dark squares of brown are scattered across much of the Westlands and Tulare Lake water districts. These brown squares are fields that would ordinarily support irrigated crops, but in 2009 the crops were not growing well or the fields lay fallow.

References

• Drought Operations Center. (2009, July 31). California’s Drought Update. State of California Natural Resources Agency. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Gorn, D. (2009, April 11). What’s killing California’s Salmon? National Public Radio. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• McChesney, J. (2009, May 11). Drought, politics trouble farmers in California. National Public Radio. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Meehl, G.A., T.F. Stocker, W.D. Collins, P. Friedlingstein, A.T. Gaye, J.M. Gregory, A. Kitoh, R. Knutti, J.M. Murphy, A. Noda, S.C.B. Raper, I.G. Watterson, A.J.
• Weaver and Z.-C. Zhao. (2007). Global Climate Projections. In Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth
• Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S.,D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Riebeek, H. (2007, May 11).Potential Effects of Global Warming. In Global Warming, NASA’s Earth Observatory. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Sullivan, C. (2009, May 12). California water agency changes course on delta smelt. New York Times. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Westlands Water District. Accessed August 14, 2009.
• Woolf, S. (2009, June 15). California water districts sue to force federal fish agencies to obey environmental laws. Westlands Water District. Accessed August 14, 2009.

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef, Global Agricultural Monitoring Project. Caption by Holli Riebeek and Rebecca Lindsey. [Edited by FEWW]

Related Links:

• Warning: California Is Being Mojavefied!
• Can’t have your water and eat the fish, too!
• Alaska: One Fire Away From Exporting Charcoal
• Calif Drought: Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency
• Images of the Day: California Drought & Folsom Lake

• Desertification
• California ‘Mojavefied’ by 2011?
• Land degradation threatens 1.5 billion people
• Topsoil
• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

• Schwarzenegger Proclaims Water Emergency in Nine Counties
• Drought
• A Few Extreme Events Away
• Image of the Day: Southern Spain
• Schwarzenegger Proclaims Water Emergency in Nine Counties