Drought

An apple orchard in Marietta uses irrigation water from a small pond, but drought and irrigation demands have shrunk the pond. The orchard owner has never seen the pond that low. WTAP (Parkersburg, W.V.), Aug 18, 2024

Drought advisories were lifted for much of Virginia after Tropical Storm Debby brought plenty of rain to the state. Charlottesville Daily Progress (Va.), Aug. 17, 2024 The drought warning advisory in Virginia has been expanded and includes 60 counties and cities, with 15 counties and cities no longer under a drought watch advisory, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. A drought warning advisory was in effect for the following regions: Big Sandy, Middle James, New River, Northern Piedmont, Northern Virginia, Roanoke River, Shenandoah and Upper James. A drought watch advisory was in effect for Eastern Shore, Middle James, Northern Coastal Plain and York-James. The drought watch advisory was lifted for Chowan and Southeast Virginia. WRIC-TV (Richmond, Va.), July 19, 2024

Thanks to ample rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby, the South Carolina Department of Resources downgraded 38 counties to normal status. Eight counties remained in incipient drought status. WIS 10 (Columbia, S.C.), Aug 14, 2024 The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recognized counties in the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee River region as being in severe drought. Crops and livestock were affected by the dry weather. Streamflows were rapidly declining, and wildfires were occurring more frequently than usual. Early planted corn has died. Since June 1, the S.C. Forestry Commission responded to more than 200 wildfires that burned more than 1,200 acres. This is 77% higher than the 10-year average. The drastic shift from normal conditions to severe for the Grand Strand and the Pee Dee was unprecedented as June weather suddenly turned very dry and hot. Both the Pee Dee and Black River were nearing critically low levels WMBF-TV NBC (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), July 9, 2024

The Centennial Water and Sanitation District urged Highland Ranch and Mirabelle residents to be mindful of their water usage. Highlands Ranch Herald (Englewood, Colo.), Aug 16, 2024

Water levels were low across the Pittsburg district. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburg has seen low pools and low uncontrolled river flows, so the reservoirs were being used to boost river flows. Recreational impacts were evident at the Youghiogheny River Lake. Boat ramps were out of the water and people were unable to access other recreational components. KDKA News (Pittsburg, Pa.), Aug 15, 2024

Hoot-owl restrictions were issued for the Yellowstone River from the Highway 89 Bridge Fishing Access Site east of Livingston to the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel because water temperatures were high and flows were low. The restrictions took effect on July 27 and prohibit all fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight daily. KTVQ-TV Q2 (Billings, Mont.), July 26, 2024

Dry weather this summer in Kentucky has left hay growers with almost no regrowth. Cattle producers were worried about maintaining their livestock through the coming winter. Morning Ag Clips (Greenwich, N.Y.), Aug 15, 2024

Some maple tree leaves were beginning to wilt and turn brown, which normally would not happen for a couple of months yet. At Youghiogheny River Lake, a lot of creeks and rivers were rather dry. Water wasn’t flowing over the waterfalls. WWCP-TV FOX 8 (Johnstown, Pa.), Aug 2, 2024

The Homer City Borough and Central Indiana County Water Authority urged all water users to voluntarily conserve starting July 16. Indiana Gazette (Pa.), Aug 4, 2024

The Blairsville Municipal Authority issued a voluntary water conservation notice on July 22, asking customers to curb non-essential water use. Indiana Gazette (Pa.), Aug 4, 2024

Unity and Derry townships issued burn bans, which will remain in effect until further notice. Recreational fires and open burning were not allowed. KDKA (Pittsburgh, Pa.), July 31, 2024

Summer rainfall ended extreme drought for Belle Plaine. The water table rose six feet, but remained four feet below normal. Water restrictions remained in effect for the community. Southeast Iowa Union (Iowa), Aug 14, 2024

Early planted corn produced a crop, but late planted corn did not germinate and did not produce due to the lack of moisture. Soybean yield was down significantly, and a second cutting of hay has not happened. With more rain, farmers could get more hay. WV MetroNews (Charleston, W.V.), Aug 12, 2024

Plenty of hay has been transported into western South Dakota from North Dakota. One rancher stated that he began hauling hay on June 1 because grazing was limited, and he didn’t want to overgraze his pastures. To manage costs, he intended to reduce the number of cattle that he will keep through the winter and wean his calves earlier. KELOLAND (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Aug 13, 2024

Caudill Seed has decided to close its plant in Crescent, north of Oklahoma City, due to the continuing drought in the region. Business Wire (San Francisco, Calif.), Aug 14, 2024

Harrisonburg City Council unanimously adopted a resolution declaring a drought warning for the city on Aug. 13. The return of college students to the community, in combination with already high water demand in recent weeks, may increase water demand beyond the city’s water supply capacity. Harrisonburg’s department of public utilities was considering restricting water use for lawn watering to reduce water use. Harrisonburg Daily News-Record (Va.), Aug 13, 2024

The Louisa County Water Authority enacted mandatory water restrictions to prevent water shortages. Reservoir and well levels continued to fall after months of dry conditions with little rainfall. WRIC-TV (Richmond, Va.), July 11, 2024

The Poweshiek Water Association issued a mandatory water conservation order for Tama and Amana Systems. PWA stated that that affected customers will receive a letter with more information. Three new wells are expected to be operational by June 1. The need for the conservation order will be reassessed when the new wells have become operational. PWA issued a voluntary water conservation order in June 2023 due to the dry conditions the previous month. KCRG (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), March 15, 2024

The pool elevation at Hartwell and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes dropped, activating the first drought trigger level on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District reduced water releases at Thurmond in subsequent days. The pool elevations on Aug. 13 were 656.0 feet above mean sea level (ft-msl) at Hartwell Lake and Dam, and 326 ft-msl at J. Strom Thurmond Lake and Dam. Under the current drought plan, the District limits outflow from Thurmond Dam to a daily average of 4,200 cubic feet per second, when in Drought Trigger Level 1. Reduced outflow conserves water but also means less hydropower generation. WNEG Radio (Toccoa, Ga.), Aug 13, 2024

Pastures were dry in the Mercedes area, so beef cattle producers were buying additional hay, feed and supplements for their animals. Sorghum production was extremely low for the cattle farmer, but he got enough hay to feed the cattle for a while. ValleyCentral.com (Brownsville, Texas), Aug 13, 2024