Worst US drought since 1956 hits residents and crops

[Gob]

Worst US drought since 1956 hits residents and crops

The US is currently suffering its widest drought since 1956, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

On Monday, NOAA reported that by the end of June 55% of the continental US was in a moderate to extreme drought.

Crops including corn and soybeans have been hit by the dry conditions, and several states have seen wildfires.

High temperatures across much of the country in June contributed to the spread of the drought.

As much as 80% of the US is abnormally dry, the report said, noting that the drought expanded in the West, Great Plains and Midwest areas.

June was the 14th warmest and 10th driest since records began, NOAA said.

Agriculture officials estimated that 30% of the corn crops planted in the 18 high-production states were in poor or very poor condition by last week.

"Topsoil has dried out and crops, pastures and rangeland have deteriorated at a rate rarely seen in the last 18 years," the report said.

Over 1,000 counties in 26 states have been declared disaster areas because of drought, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Earlier, NOAA said that the last year in the continental US has been the country's hottest since modern record-keeping began in 1895.

[dales]

God is angry at US?

[Gob]

Never thought you'd join this lot Dales.

Meanwhile in the UK...

[Econoline]

God is angry at US?

Nah, just at the cimate change deniers...

[Gob]

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has warned the worst drought in decades will result in higher crop prices.

Mr Vilsack met President Barack Obama on Wednesday to discuss the US response to drought concerns, with little rain forecast to ease the crisis.

By the end of June, 55% of the continental US was in a moderate to extreme drought, officials reported.

Crops including corn and soybeans have been hit by the dry conditions, and several states have seen wildfires.

Mr Vilsack announced in a press conference on Wednesday that the US Department of Agriculture had added 39 counties in eight states as "natural disaster areas", making farmers in those counties eligible for low-cost emergency loans.

Price-gouging fears

Almost 1,300 counties across 29 states have received the designation this year.

Temperatures are expected to hit around 100F (37C) across much of the affected area, including Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, southern Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Some rain is expected in parts of Ohio, Kentucky and eastern Indiana later in the week.

On Monday, the National Climatic Data Center reported that this year's drought is the most widespread since 1956.

In a press conference, Mr Vilsack said that while crop prices would likely rise, consumers would not see the effect immediately. He cautioned about potential price gouging in the coming months.

The intensity of the drought was not as great as one in 1988, he said, but much larger areas of the country are now affected.

"Part of the problem we're facing is that weather conditions were so good at the beginning of the season that farmers got in the field early," he said.

"As a result, this drought comes at a very difficult and painful time in terms of their ability to have their crops have good yields."

"If I had a rain prayer or a rain dance I could do, I would do it," he added.

On Monday, a weekly US report said that just 31% of the corn crop and 34% of the soybean crop were in good to excellent shape.

The World Bank said that while it was "too early to be overly concerned" over the drought's impact on corn and soybeans, it was "monitoring the situation closely for potential impact on our clients".

[Gob]

July was the hottest month the continental US has seen since records began, federal scientists have said.

Last month, the average temperature was 77.6F (25.3C), hotter than the old record from July 1936, during a period of severe drought known in the US as the Dust Bowl.

The last 12 months were the warmest since modern records began in 1895.

It was also more than 3F warmer than the average temperature in July during the 20th Century.

Climate scientist Jake Crouch, from the National Climatic Data Center in North Carolina, attributed the phenomenon to both localised heat and drought, as well as global warming, according to the Associated Press.

"It's a pretty significant increase over the last record," Mr Crouch said. The current heat "is out and beyond those Dust Bowl years. We're rivalling and beating them consistently from month to month."

He added that the high night-time temperatures seen in 2012 set this year's heat apart from the Dust Bowl era.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has noted that its index for measuring extreme weather - and not simply heat - has surpassed its old record, set in 2011.

The US Extreme Climate Index, which reflects how much of the nation is experiencing extreme weather, is at 37% - above an average of 20%.

For the first seven months of the year the index was at 46%, trumping the old record set in 1934.

Meanwhile, the NOAA's drought monitor suggested that 63% of the lower 48 states was affected by drought, and would lead to the smallest corn yield in the last six years.

President Barack Obama has called on Congress to pass a farm bill that would provide assistance to livestock farmers who require disaster assistance, but currently have access to less insurance than crop farmers.

The US is the world's largest grower and exporter of corn and soybeans, and the heat and drought has prompted global concern over increasing food prices.

[rubato]

Republicans have passed laws in N. Carolina 'proving' that global warming isn't real and cannot cause sea-level rise.

LJ says that a church with a mixed-race congregation which has no black marriages in 44 years is not an anomaly.

Coincidence?

Stupid people vote team Repuglican.



yrs,
rubato