Drought

Wisconsin’s dry winter has allowed fires to burn earlier than usual. Already, 75 fires have blackened nearly 200 acres since the start of the year. Agri-View (Madison, Wis.), March 8, 2024

The Boyer Chute north of Omaha was dry, but usually has at least a few inches of water. Drought and water management practices by the US Army Corps of Engineers was the reason for the absence of water. WOWT TV 6 (Omaha, Neb.), March 7, 2024

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly updated the state’s drought emergency map that was issued during the 2023 summer. Most counties were in a drought watch, while 16 counties were in a drought warning. The counties in the southwestern part of the state were in normal condition. KVOE (Emporia, Kan.), March 7, 2024

The Kennewick Irrigation District will ask its customers to follow a voluntary watering schedule this summer as it monitors how much water it will have to distribute. At present, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects about 72% of its water allotment being available from the Yakima River. Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.), March 7, 2024

Lafayette Utilities System was still trying to catch up with the backlog of broken water lines and other issues brought on by last summer’s drought and the winter freezes. As of the morning of March 1, LUS had a backlog of 1,265 work orders, including a few hundred water leaks, according to the LUS director. Water in the pipes freezes, expands and breaks the pipe. When the pipe thaws, it leaks. Drought causes the soil to shift as it dries, changing the support for the old pipes, some of which were 50 to 70 years old. The Acadiana Advocate (La.), March 7, 2024 More water leaks than normal have been occurring in Lafayette. "We have a number of leaks across the system," said the water system director. "The drought, the soil shrinking, we had pipes moving, breaking, joints coming loose. So we have a lot more leaks than usual." KATC (Lafayette, La.), Oct 3, 2023

The remaining eight Pennsylvania counties of Adams, Cameron, Clinton, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Westmoreland, and York have returned to normal status, thanks to precipitation in recent months. WHTM-TV ABC 27 (Harrisburg, Pa.), March 6, 2024 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection lifted the drought watch for eight counties. The counties that returned to normal status are Bucks, Dauphin, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Northampton and Perry. Adams, Cameron, Cumberland, Fulton and Westmoreland Counties remain in drought watch. York County was in a drought warning, but has been improved to drought watch. Clinton and Franklin counties remained in a drought warning. Lebanon Daily News (Pa.), Jan 26, 2024 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force that a drought watch will continue for 13 counties and a drought warning will continue for Clinton and York Counties. Franklin County was elevated from a drought watch to drought warning. The 13 counties in the drought watch were Adams, Bucks, Cameron, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, and Westmoreland. FOX 43 (York, Pa.), Dec 22, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that a drought watch continued for more than a dozen counties while York County remained in a drought warning. Clinton County was put in the drought warning category. The counties in a drought watch included Adams, Bucks, Cameron, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry and Westmoreland counties. WHTM-TV 27 (Harrisburg, Pa.), Dec 2, 2023 Drought watch status continued for 19 Pennsylvania counties, and York County was moved to drought warning status, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Those in a drought warning are asked to reduce their individual water use by 10 to 15%, or a reduction of six to nine gallons of water per day. FOX 43 (Harrisburg, Pa.), Sept 22, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that the drought watch had been lifted for 47 counties, but remained in effect for 20 counties mainly in the southeast part of the state. Those in a drought watch are asked to curb their water use by 5% to 10%. KDKA Online (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Aug 24, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection maintained a statewide drought watch. Residents and non-farm businesses were urged to voluntarily conserve water by reducing nonessential water use. Groundwater levels remain low in parts of the state. Twenty-one public water suppliers requested or required water conservation in their communities. The Bradford Era (Pa.), July 28, 2023 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection declared a statewide drought watch after a winter of low snowfall and relatively dry spring. Stream flows and groundwater levels were low. Residents and businesses were urged to curb their nonessential water use by 5% to 10%. Eighteen public water suppliers were asking for voluntary water conservation. WGAL Online (Lancaster, Pa.), June 15, 2023

As crawfish producers struggled to provide many of the crustaceans after a hot, dry summer, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued a disaster declaration for the industry and stated that the shortage affected the state’s economy and also “our way of life.” The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential loss to the state’s crawfish industry to be nearly $140 million. One year ago, a pound of boiled crawfish cost between $3 to $5, but restaurants were presently charging $10 to $12 per pound, as reported by The Advocate. The Associated Press, March 6, 2024

Most of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s agricultural customers in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties will not receive water from the Highland Lake system again this year, due to the lakes being depleted by drought. These customers have not received water from the Highland Lakes since 2022. Lakes Buchanan and Travis were about 42% full, holding 845,086 acre-feet. KVUE News (Austin, Texas), March 3, 2024

The small amount of snow meant that pastures near Wheeler in northwest Wisconsin had very little moisture to start the growing season. The sheep and beef producer has already been culling less productive animals for the past two years, leaving him few options available. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), Feb 27, 2024

A burn ban took effect in Cass County on Feb. 27 as the current drought conditions brought a higher risk of rapid fire spread. Western Iowa Today (Atlantic, Iowa), Feb 27, 2024

Drought in the summer of 2022 led ranchers in East Texas to sell livestock. Now, in March 2024, fewer animals were being sold at auction because herds have already been downsized. Consequently, auction prices have risen to record levels. KETK (Tyler, Texas), March 1, 2024

While the average snow depth for Duluth at the end of February is a little more than 15 inches, this year, the total snowfall since the start of the season was just 18.7 inches. This has been one of the least snowy winters on record, according to a NWS Duluth meteorologist. The snow water equivalent was presently the lowest on record. Given the dry conditions and warm weather, the spring fire season began in mid-February statewide, although it typically begins in late March or early April. Over the last week and a half, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources responded to 45 wildfires that burned 545 acres. WDIO News (Duluth, Minn.), Feb 29, 2024

Extreme drought conditions in Mississippi killed approximately 12.5 million trees, and over 80,000 acres were affected across the state, according to a preliminary survey on pine mortality by the Mississippi Forestry Commission. Drought stressed the trees, and beetles, such as the Southern Pine beetle and Ips beetle, likely attacked the stressed trees and killed them. The Daily Leader (Brookhaven, Miss.), Feb 13, 2024 Timber, Mississippi’s third largest commodity, was harshly affected by drought. Pine beetles preyed on the drought-stressed trees. Timber farmers in the southwest part of the state may have lost a significant portion of their investment. WLBT Online (Jackson, Miss.), Feb 27, 2024

The Louisiana State Fire Marshal pleaded with the public not to burn materials outdoors in open areas amid dry, windy conditions. KPEL 96.5 (Lafayette, La.), Feb 28, 2024

St. Martin Parish fire officials responded to almost two dozen unattended fires over the weekend that required assistance to control as the flames threatened neighboring property. Fire departments from all across St. Martin Parish dealt with the 23 incidents. KPEL 96.5 (Lafayette, La.), Feb 28, 2024

Brownsville was in a stage 2 drought warning as Amistad and Falcon reservoirs on the Rio Grande River were very low. ValleyCentral.com (Brownsville, Texas), Feb 28, 2024

Stage 1 drought restrictions took effect for Pflugerville on March 1, allowing outdoor watering only once per week. The aim was to reduce average daily water use by 10% as storage in the Highland Lakes, the city’s main water source, was below 1,200,000 acre-feet. Community Impact (Austin, Texas), Feb 27, 2024

Drought severely stressed and killed many of Mississippi's magnolia trees. Some magnolias may be able to recover and survive, but others were obviously dead. Mississippi Clarion Ledger (Jackson), Feb 26, 2024

The Southwest Florida Water Management District approved a request from Tampa Bay Water to temporarily increase its permitted withdrawals from the Alafia River from 10% to 19% above baseline flow to store more water in the reservoir before the driest part of the dry season, which is typically in April. Tampa Bay Times (Fla.), Feb 27, 2024

There have been more fires in the Shoals area the past few weeks, despite the recent rainfall. An Alabama Forestry Commission forestry specialist, who was also chief of the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department, advised the public to be careful with outdoor burning and to always keep a close watch on the fire as private burns were escaping and turning into larger blazes. Last week, Colbert and Lauderdale volunteer fire departments responded to 14 grass or woods fires in a 72-hour period. TimesDaily.com (Florence, Ala.), Feb 26, 2024