Parts of Virginia now in severe drought.
RICHMOND, Va. — While precipitation in January of this year was about an inch above normal, the period since then has been fairly dry.
Rainfall deficits have been a bit worse across northern Virginia.
These parts of the state did not end 2016 with a large surplus of precipitation.
Areas well northwest of Richmond have been placed into the moderate drought category, and locations near Washington, D.C. are now in a severe drought status.
Here are the current deficits:
-0.78″ March -1.58″ This Year -2.05″ February
-0.67″ March -2.67″ This Year -1.94″ February -8.05″ Last Year It does appear that we will see a more active pattern over the next week, and this should provide some opportunities for rain and snow.
The heavy rainfall in California has eliminated a large portion of their drought.
That state spent a long period of time in the exceptional drought category.

Drought levels on the increase in Colorado, report shows, especially on the Eastern Plains.
The entire eastern half of Colorado is either abnormally dry or under drought conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor said in a report Thursday, as warm, arid weather continues to take its toll.
The report classifies about 52 percent of the state as abnormally dry with another 37 percent of Colorado under moderate drought.
The dry weather has been blamed for contributing to wildfires across the eastern half of Colorado, including a 32,000-acre blaze in Logan and Phillips counties that burned several homes and killed about 200 cattle.
As of Tuesday, the snowpack was 135 percent of normal.
“They’re still hanging around about 100 percent of normal.
“On the plains, we’ve been extremely dry,” he said.
All of the fuels out there, they are still brown and dead and haven’t started their spring green up.
With the warm temperatures and the dry conditions, it may be slow to green up this year.” February, for instance, recorded several days of record-breaking heat in Denver.
“It doesn’t look like there is going to be much relief,” Mozley said.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As of this week, 100% of the state is drought free!
According to the US Drought Monitor, it’s the first time since October 2011 the entire state has been drought free.
Just 5 months ago (in early October), 100% of the state was “abnormally dry” with 50% of the state in moderate drought.
Since October 1st (the start of the water year) PDX has picked up 35.67” of rain.
Portland’s average rainfall for the ENTIRE water year is 36.03”!
By the beginning of next week, we’ll have seen more rain than we typically get in an entire water year (and we have almost 7 months to go on the water year)!
PDX has only had 15 completely dry days since January 1st.
Only 3 dry days since February 1st!
Every part of the state has above average snow pack.
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California and National Drought Summary for March 7, 2017 Summary March 9, 2017 – Active weather across the Midwest during the beginning and end of the current period brought rain and severe storms over the region.
The driest areas of the Southeast did pick up some precipitation, but most areas were normal to slightly below normal for the week.
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic The impact of the recent precipitation over the last several weeks allowed for the extreme drought conditions to be removed from Connecticut this week.
Long-term conditions are still very dry, but the region has seen a response from the impact of melting snow and rain, which allowed for the improvements to be made.
Over northern Alabama, severe drought conditions were improved to moderate drought as 2-3 inches of rain centered over Morgan County at the end of the week allowed for improvements.
With the recent rains, abnormally dry conditions were removed over much of Indiana and portions of eastern Illinois and northern Kentucky.
South Rains over southern Texas allowed for improvements to moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions.
West Cooler than normal conditions dominated the West, with precipitation over the coastal regions and into the Southwest.
Several improvements were made this week in response to not only recent precipitation but also precipitation over the last several months.
Author(s): Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center Dryness Categories D0 … Abnormally Dry … used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought.

Finally, Severe Drought Gets the Boot From All of LA, Ventura, Santa Barbara Counties.
California’s History of Dry Spells in Photos California Department of Water Resources Conditions have improved in a small swath of Southern California that was one of the last areas of severe drought still standing during a wet winter for the record books.
Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties are no longer under severe drought, according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor report.
Recent rainfall improved the outlook for groundwater in the region, accouting for the improvement, the Monitor report said.
Only 1 percent of California, a small portion in the extreme southeast corner of Imperial County, remains in severe drought this week.
This season’s record rainfall has knocked out drought in 92 percent of California.
In early March 2016, 97 percent of the state was in some type of drought.
California is in the middle of one of its wettest winters in decades, but remains under a drought emergency.
Gov.
Jerry Brown is expected to review the drought declaration sometime after the rain ends.

With dry start to 2017, Douglas County listed in moderate drought.
Advertisement Douglas County and northeast Kansas are in a moderate drought with no indication that will soon change, despite the expected return of more seasonal temperatures.
Kyle Poage, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Topeka, said Lawrence has received 1.01 inches of rain so far this year, which is 1.85 inches below normal.
Surrounding readings suggest only a trace of rain fell Monday in Lawrence, although one station a mile south of Eudora reported 1.21 inches from a locally strong storm Monday, Poage said.
The dry start to the year follows a dry 2016.
Poage said Lawrence ended last year with 32.74 inches of rain, or 5.81 inches below normal.
“It’s not going to end the drought, but at least it’s something,” he said.
Although Douglas County hasn’t experienced the devastating and deadly wildfires of central or western Kansas, rural fire departments have battled numerous grass fires the last month fed by the dry late-winter vegetation and blustery winds.
Controlled burns are prohibited on those days when the index is listed as very high, extreme or red flag, she said.
Rural residents are required to notify Douglas County Emergency Communications at 785-843-0250 if they plan to burn so that rural fire departments don’t respond to those reporting controlled burns, Smith said.

Recent rains led to the March 2 announcement by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) that outdoor water use requirements have been eased in Fayette and more than half of Georgia’s counties.
Improving drought conditions have resulted in Fayette and 30 other counties being upgraded from a Level 2 Drought Response to a Level 1 Drought Response, EPD said.
A total of 55 counties have been removed from the Levels 1 and 2 Drought Response in place since last November and designated non-drought.
Among those is Coweta County.
During a Level 2 Drought Response, outdoor landscape watering is only allowed two days a week determined by odd and even-numbered addresses.
Even-numbered addresses and properties without numbered addresses may water on Wednesday and Saturday before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Odd-numbered addresses may water Thursday and Sunday before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. EPD said the activities allowed under both Level 1 and Level 2 Drought Responses include: Irrigation of new and replanted plant, seed, or turf may be done at any time of day for 30 days after installation.
Irrigation of personal food gardens may be done at any time of day.
Drip irrigation or irrigation using soaker hoses may be done at any time of day and hand-watering with a hose with automatic cutoff or handheld container may be done at any time of day.
General landscape watering may be done after 4 p.m. and before 10 a.m. on the designated days.
“Winter rains have brought needed relief to much of the state, but Lake Lanier, the Chattahoochee River and smaller streams in the region have been slow to recover,” said EPD Director Richard Dunn.

Drought Angels provide much needed supplies to drought stricken farmers.
Tash Johnston and Nicki Blackwell, also known as the Drought Angels, provide food, toiletries, toys and hay to drought affected farmers and their surrounding communities throughout Queensland and other parts of Australia.
The pair’s generosity was first on show three years ago when they wanted to make more people aware of the tough situation some farmers were in and run a few fundraisers to support them.
But there was so much need for their services that they moved away from their jobs as a chef and cleaner to pursue Drought Angels fulltime.
Welcome winter rain to much of Queensland last year meant demand for the Angels’ supplies eased up until Christmas but with almost 85 per cent of the state now drought declared the need for support has never been bigger.
“Since January and with no summer rain and extreme heat, it’s just been going absolutely crazy.” The pair are planning a hay run to the Auburn area on April 1 and are hoping to organise a similar event for the south west Surat area following that.
“Where we are heading up at Auburn it’s the driest it has been up that way for 50 plus years for this time of year,” she said.
“A couple of inches certainly doesn’t break a drought.” The Drought Angels became a registered charity in September last year and have been using social media to spread the word about their plight.
“A little goes a very long way and everyone’s little bit adds up,” she said.
To make a donation or find out how you can help the Drought Angels visit http://droughtangels.org.au/

Scientist hopes that by putting resurrection plants’ survival skills into crops, the world’s population could be better fed CAPE TOWN, March 7 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Could harnessing the power of "resurrection plants" – with the ability to survive severe water shortages for years – hold the secret to feeding a hungry planet?
Jill Farrant, a biology professor at Cape Town University, hopes that by putting resurrection plants’ survival skills into crops, making them drought-tolerant, the world’s population could be better fed.
"Give (the plants) water, and they are fully active within 24 to 48 hours," Farrant told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at her office.
In Southern Africa, more than 21 million people need emergency assistance due to a food crisis after the region’s worst drought in 35 years and an infestation of the crop-damaging fall armyworm.
"Since all crops produce dry seeds, this implies that the genetic mechanisms for desiccation tolerance exist in crops," said Farrant.
By modifying the existing gene composition, Farrant and her team could potentially produce drought-tolerant crops.
Chikelu Mba of the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Rome was hesitant to evaluate the potential of such technologies before seeing evidence-based testing and the impact of modified crops on the environment.
Small farmers growing maize – a crop that can produce bumper harvests but is susceptible to poor rainfall – may also be persuaded to switch to unmodified crops that are simply better able to resist drought, like beans, the FAO has said.
"Five years, and I’ll give you a resurrection plant that can provide crops," she said, adding that testing the drought-resistant crops might take a further five years.
"Then it is food on your plate, but it might be too long – people need food now."

Last Tuesday, the country’s government declared the current drought a national disaster.
Right now, the UN estimates nearly 3 million people in Somalia are in need of emergency assistance.
A drought turns into a famine when there is no safety net, and Somalia, battered by decades of war and drought, has none.
Last month, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a consortium of climate scientists and humanitarian groups, warned that if rain doesn’t come famine is expected.
“It’s a chronically food insecure region, so it doesn’t take much of a push for the climate to have a big impact,” says Bradfield Lyon, an associate professor at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.
Chris Funk, research director for UC Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Group, says the recent increase in drought regularity in the region is “unprecedented” in his 20 years of work.
In November, he issued a forecast warning that the rainy season in Somalia would be grim.
Famine is officially declared when the United Nations determines that 20 percent of households can’t cope with food shortage, acute malnutrition exceeds 30 percent, and the death toll rises beyond two people per every 10,000.
“It’s caused when people can’t afford to buy food.” This latest drought is showing parallels in food prices and climate conditions.
Funk hopes that improved early tracking systems and humanitarian response will offset this.