Drought

Drought ruined the sunflowers and the pumpkins at a pumpkin farm near Albany, so the farm will not offer the usual fall festivities this year. The precipitation was adequate through May, but the weather turned very dry. The sunflowers were planted three times, but only weeds grew. The corn didn’t grow either, so there was no corn maze. Some Egyptian grasses and some sorghum-type products that mature quickly were planted at considerable cost with the hope of making a maze from them, but they didn’t grow either. They say this year’s drought is worse than the 1988 drought. A cattle producer thought that the drought had set his livestock operation back four to five years. A well that normally supplies the cattle with cold fresh water has run dry. WOUB Digital (Athens, Ohio), Sept 16, 2024

The level of the Mississippi River is unusually low for a third straight year, forcing barge companies to limit the amount of cargo able to be transported. Just two months ago, much of the Mississippi River was above flood stage north of St. Louis. The river level has dropped steadily in subsequent months. For the week ending August 31, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Transportation Report showed that 480,750 tons of grain was shipped by barge, a drop of 17% from the previous week. Freight rates were up dramatically. Freight rates from St. Louis were 8% higher than the same time last year and were up 57% compared to the three-year average. Freight rates from Memphis were 10% higher than last year, and 63% higher than the three-year average. The Associated Press, Sept 11, 2024 Barge rates have increased 17-19% at stations along the Mississippi River between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Saint Louis due to low water levels. Barge companies have begun to draw limits on draft and how many vessels can be towed. Bloomberg (New York NY), Sept. 6, 2024.

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin began drought monitoring on September 11 as the river fell below 2,000 cubic feet per second at Point of Rocks, Maryland, which is upriver of Potomac intakes for the Washington Aqueduct, WSSC Water and Fairfax Water. WTOP News (Washington, D.C.), Sept 13, 2024

The Keowee-Toxaway River Basin entered a Stage 1 drought on September 3. The area includes Lake Keowee and Lake Jocassee, both of which are below their normal levels, according to Duke’s data. People along the lakes who draw water for irrigation were asked to limit their withdrawals to certain days and to take no more water than is needed. The Keowee-Toxaway Drought Management Advisory Group, a partnership led by Duke Energy, encouraged water conservation across the basin. Greenville News (S.C.), Sept 6, 2024

The S.C. Drought Response Committee changed the drought status for seven counties from incipient to moderate drought, while leaving two counties in incipient drought. Abbeville, Anderson, Edgefield, McCormick, Oconee and Pickens were in moderate drought. Laurens and Greenwood stayed at the incipient drought level and Aiken went from normal status to incipient drought. The Laurens County Advertiser (S.C.), Sept 4, 2024

Residents of Bellbrook were asked to conserve water as drought has caused the water table to drop swiftly in recent weeks. WHIO-TV Dayton (Ohio), Sept 12, 2024

Apples in a Monroeville orchard were smaller than they ought to be so crews were watering the trees. Pastures near Salem were becoming browner and drier from the lack of rain and need rain for additional grass growth. Farmers are praying for rain. KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia (Pa.), Sept 12, 2024

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in Lake County as hot, dry conditions were expected to affect farmers, raise the fire danger and reduce water supplies. "Drought is likely to have a significant economic impact on the agricultural, livestock and natural resources sectors, as well as an impact on fish and wildlife," according to the release from the governor’s office. KDRV-TV ABC 12 (Medford, Ore.), Sept 12, 2024

A pumpkin grower in Madison County put in a lot of extra work irrigating to get a crop of small pumpkins. The corn field has turned brown like it would normally look in November and will be harvested early. The ears were stunted and had fewer kernels than usual. The soybeans will likely yield tiny beans. WCMH-TV NBC 4 (Columbus, Ohio), Sept 12, 2024

The City of Portland issued a water shortage alert on Sept. 6, citing low city lake levels and a lack of rainfall in the area. Portland's raw water supply was nearing emergency status, as of Friday, September 6, according to a Facebook post. The Tennessean (Nashville), Sept 10, 2024

Drought has contributed to an unusually high number of fires with 164 forest and grassland fires in West Virginia since July 1. In the Kanawha County area, there have been 52 fires over the same time. WSAZ-TV NBC 3 (Huntington, W.V.), Sept 3, 2024 July and August are typically the off season for wildfires, but Region 5, which is comprised of Kanawha, Cabell and Putnam counties has had 49 fires since July 1. If the pre-fall fire season is busy, given the drought, then the fall fire season, which begins on October 1, could be extremely active. Across West Virginia, there have been 155 blazes since July 1 with most of them occurring in parts of the state that were particularly dry. The ground is so parched that the fire was burning into the soil. Staffing was an issue for firefighting also. There are about 65 field staff members in all of West Virginia, so volunteer firefighters step in to help, but those local fire departments are also shorthanded. WCHS-TV ABC 8 (Charleston, W.V.), Aug 29, 2024

Clyde, Texas missed a bond payment on Aug. 1 as drought led to a reduction in water sales after customers were asked to conserve water. The community’s bond insurers made the payment. Clyde was dealing with increased costs related to operations and maintenance of its waterworks and wastewater system. The bond rating and the city’s credit rating both were downgraded. Bloomberg, Aug 19, 2024

Drought in Ohio has led to the early harvest of withered crops was wiping out hay and feed reserves intended to be fed to livestock through the winter. Hundreds of worried farmers have contacted the Ohio Farm Bureau about keeping their animals fed through the winter. Because some springs have gone dry, some farmers were hauling water for their livestock. Precipitation was ample in April, but has been below normal since then, making it a challenge to grow crops. Corn that would normally be harvested at the end of September was already being harvested. The past four dry months have stressed crops to the extent that they stopped growing and instead developed their seed so the plant could germinate in the spring. An early harvest means that yields will be lower than desired. Zanesville Times Recorder (Ohio), Sept 10, 2024

The toe of the saltwater wedge in the Mississippi River was anticipated to reach River Mile 80 above Head of Passes within the next 28 days, which triggers the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin building the underwater sill that will slow the movement of saltwater upstream. The sill will be located near Myrtle Grove, Louisiana. The Corps built a similar underwater sill in 1988, 1999, 2012, 2022 and 2023. US Army Corps of Engineers (Baltimore, Md.), Aug 29, 2024

The lack of rain has allowed water levels on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to fall, which affects businesses that transport products via the rivers. Fishermen have found some spots inaccessible along the Ohio River. Boats can also become stuck and may be difficult to free. Lower water levels on the Ohio River may mean fewer boats visiting the Golcanda Marina. WSIL- TV ABC 3 (Carterville, Ill.), Sept 4, 2024

The corn maze at a ranch in Hondo was ruined by drought as the rancher’s wells did not contain enough water to support the underground drip irrigation system. Other fall festivities will still be held at the ranch from September 14 through November 23. KSAT 12 (San Antonio, Texas), Sept 9, 2024

Ohioans were urged by the Division of State Fire Marshal, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry and the Wayne National Forest to take special precautions with fire outdoors, due to the dry weather, whether they were in a county impacted by the ban on open burning or not. Times Reporter (New Philadelphia, Ohio), Sept 9, 2024

Drought can be very stressful for farmers who must manage their farms differently, working harder to make sure livestock are cared for adequately and crops are irrigated. Sometimes farmers must make difficult decisions about selling livestock. The challenges of managing a farm during drought can cause an increase in stress and anxiety, so a Hillsboro farmer is reaching out to others to spread awareness about mental health. WSYX-TV (Columbus, Ohio), Sept 5, 2024

Canyon Lake has been closed to all watercraft so the water can be used against the First Thunder Fire. Houses in the area are under watch for evacuation. KFYR TV (Bismarck, North Dakota), Sept. 3, 2024.

Nonessential water use has been banned between 9am and 5pm in the town of Northampton, Massachusetts. Outdoor water use is not restricted between 5pm and 9am.