Drought
An unseasonably warm winter in the Southwest desert has accelerated a destructive whitefly virus outbreak, cutting yields by up to 40% and forcing major shippers into a temporary, near-total two-week supply blackout before northern crops recover.
A fast-developing El Niño could bring much-needed rain to the Plains, but timing and coverage remain uncertain. Brian Bledsoe explains what a strong event could mean for drought relief.
Brian Bledsoe of Brian Bledsoe Weather explains what’s driving the record heat, how long it may last and why it’s not a repeat of 2012.
NOAA and CPC issue an official El Niño watch with a 62% chance of forming by late summer. Meteorologist Drew Lerner explains why it’s coming sooner than expected, but warns the extreme forecasts may be overstated. What it could mean for global crops this year.
After a dry, unusually warm January, key Western river basins are in severe snow drought. With irrigation allocations at 0%, one Colorado producer warns tough planting decisions could reshape this year’s crop mix.
How quickly will La Niña exit this year, and when will El Niño enter the picture? Not all meteorologists agree with NOAA or one another, but the timing could have a major impact on weather this spring and summer.
USDA Under Secretary Richard Fordyce says USDA’s new phase of the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program expands eligibility, requires in-person enrollment and targets losses from the 2023 and 2024 weather disasters.
Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe says a strong ridge is keeping much of the U.S. warm and dry through mid-November, extending drought across key farm regions, but a pattern shift may bring some relief, and possibly even snow.
The Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 71% chance of La Niña conditions developing from October through December, while also issuing a La Niña Watch. However, one meteorologist expects La Niña to make a quick exit.
In the heart of California’s Central Valley, generations of farm families are facing a new kind of crisis: what farmers argue is a man-made drought. It’s mounting water regulations that could determine whether the most fertile farmland in the nation survives.
Fruit tree growers in Washington have several strategies for dealing with drought and being water resilient, but there are costs associated with all of them.
The third round of disaster aid payments through the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program is the largest amount appropriated by Congress. USDA Deputy Undersecretary Brooke Appleton says those payments are being prepared now.
The start of June could bring high heat and drier weather, which is a stark contrast from the forecast for the last week of May.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says climate models have consistently shown a ridge across western North America that could lead to drought development, drought continuation or even drought expansion across portions of the Plains and West.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, fielding questions on everything from USDA’s bold budget cuts and frozen funding to the fate of the nearly $21 billion in disaster aid.
Drew Lerner, founder of World Weather, Inc., says the summer of 1968 had some strong patterns, including a wetter bias in the western and north-central U.S., but drier in most of the Atlantic Coast states and parts of the eastern and southern Midwest.
ENSO-neutral means conditions could be close to average, but Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, says that doesn’t mean the weather will be normal this spring and summer with growing concerns about drought.
CHRISTOPHER DOERING, Gannett Washington BureauWASHINGTON -- Farmers and ranchers suffering through the worst drought to hit the United States in more than 50 years will receive additional help from the government, but Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned on Monday the department does not have the necessary tools to adequately help producers.USDA’s latest assistance package will allow for haying and grazing to occur on Wetlands Reserve and Conservation Reserve land that have been impacted by the drought, including acres that are abnormally dry or suffering from moderate drought conditions. Until now only areas deemed to be in severe to extreme drought were eligible.
Only the individual dairy farmer – after much discussion with family members and input from lenders and other key advisers – can make the decision to exit.
Federal and state water projects say they will provide little to no irrigation water to many agricultural customers, so farmers must calculate how much food they can grow with their limited supplies.
Some parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska saw precipitation this past week, but dry weather prevails in many areas.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows from North Dakota to Texas, all the way west to California, the most severe levels of drought didn’t ease across the U.S. this past week.
Federal officials announced this week mandatory water cuts to the Colorado River, marking the first federal water cuts, and it’s the first-ever water shortage for a river that serves 40 million people in the West.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.
As drought conditions in the West are continuing to expand, hotter temperatures aren’t helping things. Heat that started building over the weekend is not good news for areas already dealing with that drought.
As weather continues to be a factor for farmers and producers, growers across Western U.S. see the impacts of drought first-hand. Now, access to electricity could also be challenged as hydroelectric power dries up.
Record-breaking heat. Unprecedented flooding. Hail that proved to be devastating to corn fields in Nebraska. The extreme weather can all be attributed to a ridge of high pressure parked over the country.