Drought

The Coastal Bend continued to experience hot and dry conditions but received much-needed rainfall late last week. The rain came with some storms, which produced hail damage to the west end of the district. There was some stress showing in row crops. Corn and grain sorghum were maturing rapidly and rice was beginning to head out. Stinkbugs continued to be a problem in some cotton fields, and while hot, dry conditions were beginning to impact cotton plants, most cotton still fared well. Hay harvest continued, but current production still fell short of normal levels with herbicide applications continuing in pastures. Livestock fared well, but supplementation was beginning due to declining forage conditions. Producers faced tough management decisions regarding livestock. Cattle remained in good condition with strong prices. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), June 4, 2024 The Coastal Bend reported rainfall amounts ranged from zero to 3 inches. A possible tornado knocked down trees and some limbs Thursday evening in one area. High winds also caused severe lodging in corn and grain sorghum in the northernmost and southernmost parts of the region. Corn and sorghum crops were progressing well but still needed significant rainfall to improve bushel weight. Cotton looked good but was starting to show signs of stress due to dry conditions and flea hoppers, which continued to be a problem for producers. Some fungicides were sprayed on corn and sorghum. Some rice fields were starting to go under flood. The warm season perennial hay harvest was in full swing for the first cutting, with yields varying from fair to good. In some areas, harvest was halted due to frequent rain. Range and pasture conditions were fair to good in most areas but beginning to deteriorate quickly in others. Livestock remained in good condition, but early market sales were occurring due to diminishing forage supplies. Ranchers may face tough management decisions soon without significant rain. Cattle prices remained near historic highs. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), May 21, 2024

Scattered showers and thunderstorms with hail were reported in parts of the Texas Panhandle. Some hail damage was reported, including heavy losses in a few cotton fields and injury to recently emerged corn. Wheat harvest was happening quickly with 90% of fields being chopped for silage. Overall, soil moisture ranged from short to adequate with pasture and range conditions varying from poor to fair. Overall crops were in poor to good condition. Pastures looked decent, but some areas may need a reduction in cattle numbers without precipitation. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), June 4, 2024 The Panhandle received widespread showers last week, and corn and cotton plantings continued at a rapid pace with favorable conditions. Silage harvesting was complete, and harvest continued on small grain fields. There was grain fill and maturity reported in the remaining wheat, oats or triticale. Pasture and range conditions were poor to fair. Overall soil moisture was short to adequate, and overall crop conditions were poor. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), May 21, 2024

The city of Cape Coral enacted a temporary burn ban on June 5 to limit fire hazards within the city and protect residents. The ban will remain in effect until the local drought index has been below 600 for 7 consecutive days. WBBH-TV NBC 2 Fort Myers (Fla.), June 5, 2024

A burn ban took effect in Flagler County on June 5, as did a local state of emergency. The ban will last seven days and includes Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach. Flagler Live (Palm Coast, Fla.), June 5, 2024

In Osteen, Florida, the forest service and multiple fire departments battled a fire in Volusia County that threatened homes. A wet winter allowed vegetation to grow thickly, and then subsequent drought dried out the plants and turned them into fuel. The Associated Press, June 3, 2024

The City of Las Cruces unanimously approved a ban on some fireworks as the Fourth of July holiday approached. The ban is intended to reduce the risk of fires as hot, dry conditions loom and will be in effect from June 7 through July 6. The types of fireworks that were banned included missile-type rockets, helicopters, aerial spinners, stick-type rockets and ground audible devices such as chasers and firecrackers. Doña Ana County already enacted a similar ban for the unincorporated part of the county. The Las Cruces Bulletin (N.M.), June 3, 2024

Growers in the Roza Irrigation District in the Yakima River Basin were anticipating 46% to 54% of normal water supplies this year as the year’s snowpack was well below normal. The district drained its irrigation canal for 10 days in late May, effectively leaving them dry for that length of time to reserve water for the hot, dry summer months. One farmer had to choose which crops to leave without water and opted to pull out some wine grapes and to stop watering other grapes. He is losing about 15% to 20% in production acreage and will likely see an increase of roughly 15% in labor costs. He acknowledged that the situation was stressful. The district's emergency fund of $4.1 million for drought years has already been exhausted, so they tapped next year’s operating budget, but still need more money. The Roza district is looking to Washington’s Department of Ecology for assistance. The Seattle Times (Wash.), June 3, 2024

The Lower Colorado River Authority announced the return to Stage 1 from Stage 2 of its drought plan after recent rain raised lake levels. The combined storage of lakes Buchanan and Travis has increased to more than 1.11 million acre-feet, or about 56% of capacity after recent rainfall. This is a considerable jump from the storage on May 1, when the lakes held 846,000 acre-feet. KXAN (Austin, Texas), June 3, 2024

Bonneville Power Administration, supplying power throughout the Northwest, projected a $280 million net loss this year due to drought and extreme weather. BPA's projection was roughly $375 million below its target for revenue, according to a recent public statement. Dry weather has also affected power generation, and Washington officials declared a drought emergency for the state. Yakima Herald-Republic (Wash.), May 30, 2024

Belle Plaine municipal water was discolored because there wasn’t enough water to flush the distribution system, according to a city administrator. The water remained safe to consume. Des Moines Register (Iowa), Nov 30, 2023

Hot, dry weather continued in South Texas, causing the water level at Amistad Reservoir to drop quickly. On Sunday, May 26, the mayor of Laredo implemented stage 3 water restrictions as Amistad Reservoir fell to 20% of capacity. Outdoor watering was allowed just once per week. KGNS TV 8 (Laredo, Texas), May 27, 2024

Laredo remained in Stage 2 drought restrictions, which began in August 2023. City officials continued to remind the public to conserve water as Amistad Reservoir was at 27% of capacity. KGNS TV 8 (Laredo, Texas), May 9, 2024 A move to Stage 2 of its Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan was approved by the Laredo city council on Monday, Aug. 21 as water levels continued to fall at the Amistad Reservoir. Water levels rose in May and late June from 33.9% to 39.3%, but had dropped to 34.8% on Monday, Aug. 21. Laredo Morning Times (Texas), Aug 23, 2023

The low level of the Rio Grande River at Zapata exposes green, grassy river banks, rocks, tires and other debris that would normally be underwater. Having enough water is a concern for Zapata as the town only has a day and a half worth of emergency water supplies. Drought, heat and the lack of water payments from Mexico have dropped the water level very low. Border Report (McAllen, Texas), May 24, 2024

Kansas’ winter wheat remained the worst rated in the country for the sixth straight week. The condition of the wheat improved slightly from last week. The winter wheat crop in northwest Kansas did not receive moisture until December. The state got some snow at the start of winter, but the end of the season into early spring was again dry, which stymied the wheat. May brought some moisture for the wheat, but it was too late for some of the wheat. Some farmers were already abandoning their wheat as rainfall has been spotty. There has also been some freeze damage. SF | Successful Farming (Des Moines, Iowa), May 21, 2024

Boaters at Canyon Lake were warned to go slowly, determine the water depth and be safe on the water. Many boat ramps were no longer useable, leaving motorboats on dry land and making more room for paddlers. Hoodline San Antonio (Texas), May 23, 2024

Yakima residents were encouraged to conserve water due to drought conditions. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was also prorationing water supplies for junior water rights holders in the Yakima River Basin due to drought, with prorationing set at 54%. FOX11 (Kennewick, Wash.), May 23, 2024

A countywide burn ban took effect in Polk County on Tuesday, May 28 due to ongoing dry, hot weather. More than half of Polk County was averaging higher than 500 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index. Lakeland Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), May 23, 2024

The Highlands County Board of County Commissioners approved a burn ban on May 22 due to drought conditions. The ban will be in effect through June 20. WTSP 10 Tampa Bay (Fla.), May 22, 2024

The 2024 crawfish harvest in Louisiana has been down 50% to 90% across the state after heat, drought and a January freeze killed many of the mudbugs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved emergency financial relief for crawfish farmers and fishermen. Some producers didn’t have enough water to flood their fields, or the water was too salty to use. Next year’s crawfish harvest will also be affected by the hardships of this year. The Ag center estimated the potential losses to be about $140 million to the state's $230 million a year crawfish industry. The crawfish add $500 million to Louisiana's economy and employ about 7,000 people. FOX Weather (New York), May 22, 2024 Average crawfish production in Louisiana has been about 10% of normal, according to the southwest area agent for Louisiana State University Extension, who spoke with many farmers and buyers. That figure includes the ponds where no crawfish were caught to ponds with a harvest of 20% to 25% of normal. Even in Southwest Louisiana, the heart of the crawfish producing area, the average was only 10% to 15% of normal. In a normal year, Louisiana has about 374,000 acres on which crawfish are farmed. Roughly 50,000 acres were not able to be flooded for lack of water in canals and saltwater intrusion into the coastal parishes. On top of that, another 50,000 to 80,000 acres were not yielding enough crawfish to make it worth the cost of trying to catch them. Crawfish prices typically decrease in the spring as catches increase in size, but this year, crawfish availability has not increased. Crawfish sales prices have simply followed the usual trend. Farm Progress (St. Charles, Ill.), March 22, 2024

An Outdoor Burning Ban has been enacted within the city limits of North Port, due to extreme drought conditions and the wildfire threat. The burn ban prohibits all outdoor fires, such as campfires, land clearing burning, and pile burns. The Sarasota County area has received just 8% of its average rainfall for this month with 9 days remaining in May and is 30% below the year-to-date average for rainfall. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index was 610. My Sun Coast (Sarasota, Fla.), May 21, 2024