Drought

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

Charleston homeowners have seen more insects indoors this summer as the pests seek food and water. WSAZ-TV NBC 3 (Huntington, W.V.), Aug 13, 2024

Residents in the vicinity of Newton were asked to be very careful with outdoor burning, due to the low humidity and dry conditions. There was not a burn ban in effect yet. KJAS.com (Jasper, Texas), Aug 12, 2024

Fire activity was rising in southwest Mississippi as the fire season neared and the weather stayed hot and dry. Since August 1, the Mississippi Forestry Commission has responded to 37 wildfires that burned 695 acres. The MFC began wildfire detection flights due to the intense heat and dry conditions, stated the MFC fire chief. Wildfire activity usually begins to increase in August through November. Normally, Mississippi’s fire season is from October to April. The Daily Leader (Brookhaven, Miss.), Aug 12, 2024

A Level 1-Mild Drought was declared for the Western Region of Massachusetts by the Energy and Environmental Affairs secretary. According to the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan, a Level 1-Mild Drought indicates the onset of a drought and requires detailed monitoring of drought conditions, close coordination among state and federal agencies, and technical outreach and assistance to the affected municipalities. Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, July 15, 2024 After several weeks of rainfall, Energy and Environmental Affairs secretary declared the Western Region to be downgraded from Level 1-Mild Drought to Level 0-Normal conditions. Mass.gov Energy and Environmental Affairs (Boston), Aug 13, 2024

A burn ban was requested for Adams County due to the dry weather and the spate of grass fires. Work crews have been clear cutting Pelahatchie Shore Park, removing the dead pine trees that were killed by pine beetles amid drought in 2023. The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District has already spent more than $300,000 clearing the dead trees. The downed trees offer plenty of fuel to burn, but it is hoped that the public will be cautious and avoid additional fires. WAPT Channel 16 Online (Jackson, Miss.), Aug 12, 2024

Some blackberries and tomatoes on a Gaston County farm shriveled amid drought and intense heat, despite being irrigated. The Charlotte Observer (N.C.), Aug 12, 2024

The fishing closure in Shenandoah National Park was lifted on August 12 after Hurricane Debby brought 4 to 8 inches of rain to the park. WJLA (Arlington, Va.), Aug 12, 2024 All rivers and streams in Shenandoah National Park were closed to fishing due to low flows and high water temperatures. Some sections of rivers were completely dry. The closure will end when stream conditions improve. WJLA (Arlington, Va.), June 28, 2024

Green County corn was too far gone to benefit from any rain. The corn in Yadkin County was not even shoulder high and did not produce ears, for the most part. The ears that did appear did not have any kernels. The county field crops extension agent thought that the yield may be less than half of normal. The Robesonian (Lumberton, N.C.), Aug 9, 2024

Ninety-eight water users on the Methow River have not been able to draw water from the river to irrigate their fields since July 22 because the Methow River has been below minimum flows. Those junior water users have to call a hotline before watering, and conditions were not likely to change until October, according to the state Department of Ecology’s watermaster for Okanogan, Chelan and Douglas counties. State law gives priority to the river over irrigation rights established after 1976, when the instream rule was set. Methow Valley News (Twisp, Wash.), Aug 9, 2024

A Pickaway County farmer expects that his corn yield will be about half of normal for lack of rain. The soybeans were stunted. Since the start of June, parts of Pickaway County have received a little more than three inches of rain, which is more than six inches below average. WCMH-TV NBC 4 Columbus (Ohio), Aug 5, 2024

Pumpkins in Randolph County were either growing too quickly and were about a month and a half ahead of schedule or were slow growing. The early pumpkins were smaller than usual. WBOY-TV Clarksburg (W.V.), Aug 8, 2024

Many farmers in the Harrisonburg area were expecting about half of a normal harvest, due to the lack of rain. WHSV (Harrisonburg, Va.), Aug 9, 2024