Thursday rain doesn’t soften drought
While this week’s drought update from the National Weather Service office in St. Louis shows no dramatic change in precipitation patterns in the immediate future, there is good news with lower temperatures and less humidity in the forecast.
Mid-Thursday storms delivered 1.3 inches of rain in the Jefferson City area, but National Weather Service Hydrologist Mark Fuchs said it would take several days of that type of rain to bring the area to normal rainfall amounts for this time of the year.
“The worst of the drought has occurred in the last few weeks, starting around the beginning of June,” Fuchs said.
For the year, we’re at 15.3 inches of rain, which is down 8.3 inches from the average of 23.7 inches.” The long-term forecast is not offering much hope for significant rains, Fuchs said.
“Almost always the culprit is a big high pressure system in the southern part of the country pushing north into the Midwest, and that’s what we’ve seen,” he said.
“When you get to the 100-degree mark, like we’ve seen for much of the past couple of weeks, that causes evaporation; and this part of the country has extraordinarily high rates,” he said.
Another positive for Mid-Missouri counties along the Missouri River is river levels are where water access will not be a problem for the immediate future.
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There are at least three public water supplies in northern Missouri where much of the area is listed in “extreme” drought.
The governor’s action included a drought alert for 47 Missouri counties experiencing severe or extreme drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As drought gets worse, homeowners and property managers get educated
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO/KJCT) — It’s no secret that it’s been dry around the Grand Valley and beyond for some time.
Right now, our entire area is in at least extreme drought, the 2nd highest level.
Western Montrose County is in the highest level, exceptional drought.
It’s why emergency management teams are warning about the dangers of the drought.
Homeowner Association board members, property managers, and homeowners were all gathering at Ute Water Thursday to learn about the drought, the dangers, and what resources are available.
The main message was to know the facts, to help prevent a catastrophe.
"A lot of water usage is used outdoors so we are encouraging people, especially with the higher temperatures, to avoid watering mid-day," said Andrea Lopez of Ute Water Conservancy District.
Ute Water also warns you to check your toilet and faucets to make sure you don’t have any leaks.
"If you look at your home and the area around your home, we are asking you to help avoid a fire reaching your home," said Dirk Clingman of Grand Junction Fire Department.
"Dead vegetation, leaves that got blown against your house, cut back bushes that need pruning, keep them nice and hydrated."
UK water firm asks for more water from Lake District to fight drought
A water company has asked for permission to take more water from some of the Lake District’s most famous lakes, as the UK experiences its driest summer for decades.
United Utilities, which supplies water to north-west England, has submitted three drought applications to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to extract water from Ullswater, Windermere and Ennerdale Water.
Drought applications can be made when there is an exceptional shortage of rainfall and public water supplies are at risk.
This week United Utilities announced it would be introducing the first hosepipe ban in England since 2012, after the UK’s longest heatwave in more than 40 years.
Martin Padley, United Utilities’ water services director, said: “The reducing raw water reservoir levels are not surprising given the ongoing lack of rainfall.
“Applying for drought permits is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we are working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that water supplies are protected for both customers and the environment.” Jim Ratcliffe, the drought manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We are currently checking whether we have all the information we need to begin to determine these applications.
The water resources situation could also improve if demand for water reduces or if enough rain returns to replenish supplies.
“The Environment Agency will always balance the needs of the public, businesses, industry, farmers and the environment.” After a slight dip in temperatures and rain in some places, the UK is expected to have another heatwave next week, with temperatures reaching the low 30s.
The UK has had its driest start to a summer since 1961, with an average daily maximum temperature from 1 June to 16 July of 20.9C.
The highest daily maximum average for an entire summer (June, July and August) was 21C in 1976.
Much of NH in moderate drought, report shows
The latest drought report shows that nearly two-thirds of New Hampshire is in moderate drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report includes data collected through 8 a.m. Tuesday, so it doesn’t show the affects of the heavy rains earlier this week.
Still, the hot, dry weather experienced over much of the summer has meant largely dry conditions.
The report shows that 62 percent of the Granite State, including parts of southern New Hampshire, is in a moderate drought.
"If conditions continue to be very hot and we’re not receiving any rain, that could get us up to a level two or in severe drought," said Stacey Herbold of the Department of Environmental Services.
"Drought tends to develop over multiple weeks, maybe months, and by the time you see the impacts, it can be too late," state climatologist Mary Stampone said.
Officials said the center of the state — primarily Belknap, Merrimack and Rockingham counties — is of most concern.
Experts said residents should take precautions, but they’re optimistic the state isn’t approaching extreme levels of drought such as the last two summers.
"This year, we had a pretty normal spring and a pretty normal snow melt, so I’d say we’re better off now than we were then," Herbold said.
"There are lots of gardens and agriculture across the state, and as these conditions intensify or persist, they can have other impacts, like impacting stream flow or lake levels and ground water," Stampone said.
State Officials Urge Water Conservation Amid Growing Drought
This one began in May and may spread to the whole state by fall.
The state’s last drought management working group meeting was in 2016, when drought came on more slowly than this year’s, but ended up lasting longer and being more severe.
In the 2016 drought, state water well program manager Abby Fopiano says dozens of private wells ran dry.
Still, officials want people to try to conserve water.
They say it’s affecting some farmers’ summer growing season and fall planting schedule, forcing some hydroelectric dams to shut down, and causing record low flows in some streams.
Whole towns and cities could follow suit.
At Thursday’s meeting, officials from cities like Portsmouth, Manchester and Concord said they’re seeing very high water demand this year, but recent rains have put their water supplies in good shape for now State water conservation manager Stacey Herbold says years of repeated drought may feel routine, but that’s no reason to be wasteful.
“People are hearing the message more often, and the hope is that people will be more careful about how much they’re using,” Herbold says.
State scientists say overall, climate change should make the Northeast wetter, not drier.
But they say the region’s patchy groundwater supplies are more at risk from a short-term lack of rain than larger, deeper aquifers in the West.
Northeast Michigan is now under a moderate drought; Much-needed rain coming late Friday-Saturday
The United States Drought Monitor has updated the status in our area to a moderate drought.
Fortunately, some much-needed rainfall will move in tomorrow.
A low pressure system over Minnesota is on the way in, bringing much-needed rainfall beginning late tomorrow.
Tomorrow should start dry in the morning with temperatures in the mid-60s and mostly cloudy skies.
High temperatures will climb into the lower 80s as scattered showers begin to move in during the afternoon.
The chance of rain will increase tomorrow afternoon through the evening as showers move in.
The highest chance of rain will occur on Saturday in addition to a risk of thunderstorms.
Across Northeast Michigan, most areas can expect ½-1 inch of rain late Friday-Saturday, except north of Alpena where rainfall amounts will likely be closer to ¼ inch.
Tomorrow will be another mild day as high temperatures warm into the lower 80s, then rain will move in during the late-afternoon or early-evening.
Sunday is expected to be a dry day with clearing skies in the afternoon and evening.
There is a ‘real threat’ of water shortages as drought continues, officials say
With no end to the drought in sight, the country’s water boards say there is now the real threat of a water shortage over most of the country.
The demand for water will remain ‘very high’ in the coming days and pumps are being used to keep water levels up to scratch.
Salt levels in some western parts have now risen so much that extra sweet water is being brought in.
This, water board officials say, is necessary to protect both farmers and vulnerable parts of the countryside.
The main cause, according to the transport ministry’s water department, is falling water levels in the river Rhine, which is used to keep Dutch water supplies topped up.
Although the drop has not yet had an impact on inland shipping, this could be an issue if the drought continues, the ministry said.
Weather forecasters say there is very little chance of any rain falling over the next two weeks.
The Dutch dunes are a source of drinking water
Drought threatens Colorado River, Utah plans to divert more water to wasteful county
(KUTV) – As a drought threatens water supplies in the Colorado River Basin, Utah plans to build the Lake Powell Pipeline that will divert extra water its most wasteful county.
Per capita, upstream states like Utah, Colorado and Wyoming increased residential water use by 7 percent between 2010 and 2015.
But, water use has declined by 14 percent in California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico over the same period.
"As lower basin cities make plans to walk away from their water, Utah is aiming to make things worse by diverting additional water they don’t need," Taylor-Graham, Water and Environmental Journalist at the Utah Rivers Council, said in a news release.
The Lake Powell Pipeline is 140-feet-long.
It will divert 86,000 acre-feet of water annually uphill to Washington County.
According to the pipeline’s federal project application, residents in the county use 325 gallons per capita a day.
"Utah’s failure to reduce water waste while planning new, destructive diversions flies in the face of the collective progress made in the Colorado River Basin," Graham said in a news release.
Sweden: Wildfires, heatwave and drought
Weeks of high temperatures and virtually no rain have left much of Scandinavia dangerously dry.
Wildfires are raging and Sweden has called on other European countries to help fight them.
The largest fire in Fagelsjo-Lillasen in Jamtland covers more than 2,500 hectares.
More than 20,000 hectares of forest is on fire in the Nordic country.
In a normal year, Sweden would expect wildfires to affect about 2,000 hectares in total, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency said on its website.
So far, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries.
Starving livestock It is Sweden’s worst drought since 1944 and after a very cold winter, pasture has failed to grow to provide enough grazing for livestock.
Despite emergency imports of fodder, cattle and sheep are having to be slaughtered to avoid death by starvation.
Norway, Finland and western Russia have all experienced unusually hot-and-dry conditions.
Thunderstorms will occur throughout the weekend, but the hot weather will persist.
Western Cape agriculture adds up the cost of the continuing drought
Job losses totaling 30‚000‚ an economic loss of R5.9bn, and a drop in exports of up to 20% were reported on Wednesday by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) at an agricultural producers’ event in Robertson.
"Many hectares of productive fruit trees and vineyards have been removed ahead of the normal replanting schedule due to the lack of available water, as well as to prevent disease and pests from spreading‚" said WWF.
With 270‚000ha under irrigation‚ agriculture used 43% of the water in the Western Cape‚ but WWF said farms in the province were the most efficient in the country.
They used 5‚874m³ of water per irrigated hectare‚ compared with 9‚913m³ in Mpumalanga.
On average‚ farms in the province had been forced to cut water use by 60% since 2017.
"Water restrictions varied from 50% in the Breede Valley and 60% in the Berg River and Riviersonderend region, to 87% in the Lower Olifants River Valley [Clanwilliam‚ Klawer and Vredendal] towards the end of the past irrigation season over the dry summer months‚" WWF said.
"As a result‚ there has been a significant decline in overall output as farmers prioritise crops with higher profit margins‚ such as fruit‚ and choose to abandon vegetables and other crops.
A multi-year crisis like this one can also put pressure on future production seasons.
Hence farmers will have to continue to find ways to reduce use and innovate."
Some of these innovations were already working‚ WWF said.