Drought

Ellis County authorities issued a 90-day burn ban to prevent wildfires and protect scarce resources. The ban took effect on Aug. 20. Hoodline Dallas (Texas), Aug 22, 2024

Wichita’s stage 2 water restrictions began on Aug. 5. Outdoor watering may be done just once weekly. Since late July, the reduction in water use has been 34%. The city has issued 165 warnings but no fines. KFDI-FM 101.3 Wichita (Kan.), Aug 22, 2024

Heat and drought have slowed grass growth in Vienna, leaving some lawns needing to be mowed every other week or even less frequently. WTAP (Parkersburg, W.V.), Aug 21, 2024

Drought in the Big Country was causing the soil to contract and shift, cracking some water lines in Trent in Taylor County. KTXS-TV 12 Abilene (Texas), Aug 21, 2024

Fall foliage in western Pennsylvania was expected to be less vibrant this fall after an extremely hot, dry summer. Some trees in Gilpin, Leechburg and Lower Burrell have already turned color and dropped their leaves. TribLive (Tarentum, Pa.), Aug 22, 2024

Cotton growers in the Lone Star state expect better yields and quality than in the past two dry years. Cotton fields in the Rio Grande Valley were drier than those of the Coastal Bend. Cotton acreage in the Rio Grande Valley was down quite a bit due to an extremely limited supply of irrigation water this year. The dryland fields looked poor in June, and many fields were too far gone to benefit from the rain of Hurricane Beryl in July. The irrigated cotton in Central Texas did not get enough water because fall rains failed to recharge groundwater, and the area ran out of water in July. Blooms and early bolls in the Panhandle were dropping in water-limited fields. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Aug 20, 2024

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board is offering free water conservation kits for customers. The city was under Stage 2 drought restrictions due to extremely low water levels at Falcon and Amistad reservoirs. My RGV News (McAllen, Texas), Aug 21, 2024

The Henderson County Fire Department has warned of heightened wildfire risks in West Tennessee and shared a video of a fire in Decatur County that occurred on Aug. 20. Officials asked people to be mindful of the dry conditions before burning. 39 News (Jackson, Tenn.), Aug 21, 2024

On August 20, outdoor burning was banned in unincorporated Tarrant County without the approval of the Tarrant County Fire Marshal’s Office for the next 90 days. Culturemap Fort Worth (Texas), Aug 20, 2024

A pumpkin grower in Circleville stated that the summer has been dry, so he did not have a water reserve for his crops. He was working hard to keep his pumpkins watered. Watering was also an added expense for producing pumpkins for fall, which is their most profitable time of year. Spectrum News 1 (Columbus, Ohio), Aug 20, 2024

The Travis County Fire Marshal's Office issued a burn ban for unincorporated areas of Travis County for the next 14 days. The wildfire risk will be high with intense heat and low humidity. Outdoor barbecuing and grilling were discouraged. KVUE News Online (Austin, Texas), Aug 20, 2024

Morris County’s burn ban will be in place for seven days. KLTV-TV ABC 7 (Tyler, Texas), Aug 20, 2024

A burn ban was in effect for Henderson County for 14 days and was adopted at the request of the fire marshal. KLTV-TV ABC 7 (Tyler, Texas), Aug 20, 2024

Residents of Celina were urged to be mindful of their water use. Authorities chose to shift the city to Stage 2 of the Drought Contingency Plan on Friday, August 23, due to the high water demand. Celina Record (Texas), Aug 20, 2024

Some of the soybeans on a Coffee County farm were healthy, while others were brown and underdeveloped. Newschannel 5 Nashville (Tenn.), Aug 16, 2024

Heat and drought ruined the corn crop in Pitt County. Tropical Storm Debby brought 10 to 12 inches of rain, but it was too late to salvage the crop. The field crop agent with the NC Cooperative Extension Pitt County stated that 45% to 55% of the corn crop was lost statewide, and losses were even higher in Pitt County. WITN-TV NBC 7 (Greenville, N.C.), Aug 16, 2024

Drought affected Grand Strand golf course conditions and maintenance. Some courses have had to ration water, leaving some brown, burned-out areas. Only greens were watered at the golf courses where water was rationed. Arcadian Shores even cut their green fees. Courses in the city of Myrtle Beach and along the 501 corridor were driest, while courses on the north and south ends of the Grand Strand have largely received enough rain. On the Green Magazine (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina), July 13, 2024

Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will continue to receive less in 2025 from the Colorado River after the U.S. government announced water cuts that guard the status quo. Based on the water level of Lake Mead, Arizona will again go without 18% of its total Colorado River allocation, while Mexico loses 5%. The reduction for Nevada — which receives far less water than Arizona, California or Mexico — will remain at 7%. The cuts were in the same “Tier 1” category that were in effect in 2024 and in 2022, when the first federal cutbacks on the Colorado River began. Even deeper cuts followed in 2023. Farmers in Arizona were most affected by those cuts. The Associated Press (New York), Aug. 15, 2024

Residents and businesses in Harrisonburg were asked to voluntarily conserve water after the city council declared a drought warning on Aug. 13. WHSV (Harrisonburg, Va.), Aug 19, 2024

Drought continued to damage and kill homeowners’ plants and lawns in Nitro. A gardener noted that tomato production has suffered. WOWK-TV CBS 13 (Huntington, W.V.), Aug 19, 2024