Drought

The very dry September in tandem with the usual seasonal decline in water levels were bringing Great Lakes' water levels down to lowest level in several years. Precipitation during September was less than half the normal amount for most of the Great Lakes' drainage basins. The level of Lake Superior plummeted over the last few months. MLive (Detroit, Mich.), Oct 16, 2024

Sugarbush Resort would have opened in November, but did not have enough snow. On Dec. 3, a blog post noted that the snowmaking ponds were low, leading to reduced snowmaking , which delayed the opening of the ski area. Snowmaking operations ceased on Dec. 6 as pond levels went below operating levels. The resort eventually opened on Wednesday, December 4 and had 22 trails open and one lift working. Sugarbush operators were praying for rain. Unofficial Networks (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Dec 9, 2024

Drought left the Brattleboro Ski Hill snowmaking pond with too little water to make snow. It was hoped that more rain would fall to refill the pond. Unofficial Networks (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Nov 5, 2024

All South Carolina counties were in incipient drought after a record-dry October, according to the S.C. Drought Response Committee on Nov. 6. The Sumter Item (S.C.), Nov 6, 2024

Drought in the U.S. slowed ranchers plans to rebuild their cattle herds, which led to higher cattle prices and caused financial losses for meat processors. In the latter part of 2024, Cargill opted to cut its labor force by 5%. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close a beef and pork plant in Emporia, Kansas and two plants in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters (New York), Dec 2 and 4, 2024; Philly Voice (Philadelphia, Pa.), Dec 4, 2024

The Delaware River Basin Commission passed resolutions declaring a "water supply emergency" and issued two special permits to coordinate the operation of regional reservoirs, out-of-Basin water diversions and Delaware River flow objectives should "Basinwide drought" conditions be reached. Delaware River Basin Commission (Trenton, N.J.), Dec 5, 2024

With precipitation at an historic low over the last four months, the Cape Cod and Islands regions were categorized as being in a Level 1-Mild Drought. A Level 3-Critical Drought declaration remained in the Western, Connecticut River Valley, Southeast, Central and Northeast regions. Mass.gov (Boston), Dec 6, 2024 After extremely low precipitation over the past three months, most of Massachusetts entered Level 3 – Critical Drought on November 19. Only the Cape Cod and Islands Regions were in Level 0 – Normal condition. Over the past 30 days, less than an inch of rain has fallen, putting the deficit at 3 to 4.5 inches below average. Brooks and streambeds have gone dry, and groundwater levels were dropping rapidly in all regions. Two hundred cities and towns have temporarily restricted outdoor burning as fire activity has risen. Thirty-seven wildfires were actively burning in the state. Hundreds of blazes have sparked since Oct. 1 and burned more land than typically burns in an entire year. MassLive.com (Springfield, Mass.), Nov 19, 2024

The Dorena-Hickman Ferry closed on December 6 due to the low level of the Mississippi River. According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Dorena-Hickman Ferry is the only direct route between Missouri and Kentucky because the two states are not directly connected by a road or bridge. KFVS12 (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), Dec 6, 2024

Although Pennsylvania game officials thought that the drought would not affect hunting, a Westmoreland County processor has noticed a difference in the size and quality of antlers and the amount of quality meat that has been returned to archery hunters. Does have not had as much body fat. “They’re just not really yielding meat they would have in the past,” she said, blaming the dry weather for limited food supplies. A board member with the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League agreed that the deer were thinner than usual. TRIBLive (Tarentum, Pa.), Nov 30, 2024

A Level 6 drought alert was issued for Danvers after the town’s water supply fell very low. All outdoor water use was prohibited. An extreme drought alert was announced for the entire Ipswich River basin. The Salem News (Danvers, Mass.), Dec 4, 2024

Trout stocking has been delayed in Oklahoma due to drought and warm water temperatures. Trout fishing areas include Robbers Cave, Sunset Lake, Medicine Creek, Lake Watonga, Turtle Pond, and Blue River. KOKH FOX 25 (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Dec 4, 2024

Gov. Dan McKee issued a drought advisory for all of Rhode Island on Dec. 4. The state’s Drought Steering Committee recommended the advisory, which is the first of four progressive drought declarations, followed by watch, warning, and emergency. WLNE-TV ABC 6 (Providence, R.I.), Dec 4, 2024

Drought may prevent the two reenactments of Washington and the Continental Army crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 due to the low level of the river. The first reenactment was scheduled for Sunday, December 8, and the second on Christmas Day. The Coast Guard will determine whether the event can take place. The Durham boat could get stuck in the mud, and the water must be high enough for dock installation. PhillyBurbs.com (Philadelphia, Pa.), Dec 3, 2024

A Christmas tree grower in Derby changed how he waters his trees by filling a bucket with tiny holes to direct the water to the trees’ roots and reduce evaporation. KSN.com (Wichita, Kan.), Dec 2, 2024

A livestock producer in Lincoln County began feeding hay one month early, which is costly. WAFF TV (Huntsville, Ala.), Dec 2, 2024

Christmas trees grown in Owasso did not grow in the latter part of the season as they typically do, due to drought. KJRH-TV Tulsa 2 (Okla.), Dec 2, 2024

Latrobe water customers were dealing with discolored water due to elevated sediment content in the water as the area experienced drought. The yellowish or brownish water was safe to drink, according to the Latrobe Municipal Authority chairperson. The problem was that last week’s rainstorm stirred up sediment in the reservoir, which was very low due to drought. TribLIVE (Philadelphia, Pa.), Nov 25, 2024

Pasture conditions in east central Ohio remained poor or very poor, and the hay crop was just a small percentage of a normal second cutting. A third cutting of hay was nonexistent across the area. Morning Ag Clips (Greenwich, N.Y.), Nov 25, 2024

The fall drought left a cattle producer in the Pine Belt feeding his cattle since there wasn’t the usual rye grass for them. A soybean grower appreciated the dry conditions during the harvest. WDAM TV 7 (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Nov 21, 2024

Quality forages were lacking for South Carolina's grazing animals. Cool-season forages could not be planted, according to the agricultural outreach director for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. He noted that produced would be forced to sell livestock due to the lack of available forages for the winter season.