Drought

Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile Virus have not been a big threat to the Pioneer Valley in western Massachusetts this year as drought left few pools of water for mosquitoes laying eggs. Statewide, there have been four cases of West Nile Virus this year, compared to 11 human cases last year. The Recorder (Greenfield, Mass.), Sept. 9, 2022

Corn along the Platte River in northeast Nebraska will likely be ready for harvest in late September to early October after just a half of an inch of rain since June. The farmer expected dryland corn yields around a third of normal, due to drought, while irrigated corn might yield nearly 50 bushels less than usual. KETV Newswatch 7 (Omaha, Neb.), Sept. 9, 2022

Below-normal rainfall on the Big Island began to degrade pastures along the windward slopes, which are normally wetter. Water levels in stock ponds in the Hamakua area were dropping. The Leilani brushfire was brought under control in mid-August after consuming nearly 20,000 acres. Pasture conditions were very poor along the lower slopes of the Kau District, and satellite-based vegetation health data showed degraded conditions across most of the South Kohala District and in the North Kona District to the north of the Hualalai volcano. Big Island Video News (Hilo, Hawaii), Sept. 8, 2022

Montana wheat and barley production remained below the five-year average, as drought, pests and market conditions created challenges for grain growers. Last year's production was nearly halved by drought. More farmers expected their profitability to decline this year, compared to last, and more farmers felt that their operation was worse off financially than last year. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Mont.), Sept. 6, 2022

Connecticut Water reminds its customers to conserve water as the drought persists. CT Insider (Norwalk, Conn.), Sept. 10, 2022 Connecticut Water customers are asked to voluntarily conserve water as drought persists and worsens in the eastern part of the state. It is recommended that people stop lawn watering, cover swimming pools and check for leaks, among other things. Hartford Courant (Ct.), Aug 27, 2022

Residents of Portsmouth, Rhode Island have noticed a change in the water's taste and odor. The water quality may have changed due to conservation amid drought, more contaminants after rain, more treatment chemicals, more algal growth or other factors. The Newport Daily News (R.I.), Sept. 8, 2022

August runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa fell to 0.9 million acre-feet, which is 62% of average, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Runoff for all of 2022 is predicted to be 20.2 million acre-feet, or 78% of average. Runoff into South Dakota’s Oahe Reservoir was just 10% of average in August. Fort Peck Dam is expected to lower its releases to 4,000 cubic feet per second by mid-September, down from 7,800 cfs. Winter releases from Gavins Point Dam on the South Dakota border with Nebraska will be 12,000 cfs to conserve water. Power generation is projected to be 7.3 billion kilowatt hours in 2022, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kilowatt hours. Billings Gazette (Mont.), Sept 7, 2022

Flash drought gripped southern Missouri earlier this summer with record heat contributing to the meager hay crop, which is of poor quality or costly. Growing fall fescue would offset the need for hay and be cheaper than hay. Farm Progress (St. Charles, Ill.), Sept 7, 2022

The lack of rain in central and northeast Nebraska was apparent in the brown color of the most dryland crops and pastures. Albion News (Neb.) Sept 6, 2022

Drought and heat ravaged many row crops, fruits and vegetables this summer. Some of the especially hard-hit crops were corn, hard red winter wheat, cotton, rice, and grain sorghum, not to mention the many crops grown in California that were cut back for lack of water. The Washington Post (D.C.), Sept. 5, 2022

Drought has caused the leaves on New England’s trees to turn color early. Leaf color may be muted this year. WBUR-FM Boston Public Radio (Boston, Mass.), Sept 6, 2022

The grapes were smaller at a vineyard north of Lincoln, and the volume was certainly down, but the flavors were expected to be better. The co-owner and vintner hoped that the wine will turn out to be incredible.

Many of Boston's homes and landmarks were built on wood pilings driven deep into the ground, a European method of construction. The pilings can fail to support buildings when they dry out and decay as is occurring amid this drought. The pilings remain strong as long as they are submerged, but many of the city’s 813 monitoring wells indicated drops in water levels, with 31 at their lowest level on record. A short period of decay should not cause immediate damage to a building, according to experts. But significant problems can begin to occur in as little as three years when rotted pilings allow a building to settle and crack. The Boston Globe (Mass.), Sept. 3, 2022

Water restrictions in Massachusetts mean that many sports fields were not being watered, leaving them harder, drier and less safe. Worn, dry grass fields can also be damaged from use. CBS Boston (Mass.), Sept 2, 2022

Rockland County extended its stage II water emergency, which originally took effect on Aug. 18. Among the water restrictions, restaurant patrons must ask for water. NBC New York, Sept. 3, 2022

The Suffolk County Water Authority announced on Sept. 2 that it had extended its water emergency order to all of its 1.2 million customers, due to severe drought. The Stage 1 Water Emergency reaches from the Nassau/Suffolk border to Montauk, according to the SCWA. Only its East End customers had been affected by the original declaration issued in early August. Now all SCWA customers are urged to stop non-essential water uses and to avoid lawn watering between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m., which is the time the water system is usually most stressed. NBC New York, Sept. 3, 2022

The town of Strasburg declared a drought watch and urged residents to conserve water voluntarily. The low river flow caused the town to observe the drought response plan as outlined by the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Water Supply and the Virginia Water Protection withdrawal permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality. The River 95.3 WZRV (Front Royal, Va.), Sept. 3, 2022

Above normal rainfall led the S.C. Drought Response Committee to ease the drought status for 10 counties on the coastal plain of South Carolina. Fourteen counties are still in incipient drought. Lancaster was upgraded to incipient and three counties -- Chester, Union and York -- were upgraded to moderate. As designated by the South Carolina Drought Response Act, incipient is the first level of drought followed by moderate, severe and extreme. The decision to upgrade York, Chester and Union counties was primarily based on very low rainfall totals over the past 60 days. Cotton from these counties will not be harvested. Orangeburg Times and Democrat (S.C.), Sept 1, 2022

Minnesota oak trees stressed by recent drought have shown signs of infestation by two lined chestnut borer. Oak tree deaths are expected to continue for years. Drought recovery for trees can also take years, but watering your trees can make them more resilient. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (St. Paul, Minn.), Sept 1, 2022

Lower flows and forecasted warmer water temperatures prompted a full fishing closure on the entire Beaverhead River from its confluence with the Big Hole River to Clark Canyon Dam south of Dillon. The closure took effect just after midnight on Sept. 1 and will remain in effect until water temperatures cool, and officials find that the fish are less stressed. Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Mont.), Aug 31, 2022