Large wildfire in eastern Arizona

2 months ago
A wildfire in eastern Arizona has burned more than 19,000 acres since it began on Tuesday, May 13. The blaze was uncontained on Sunday as drought and strong winds made firefighting difficult. KOAT 7 Action News (Albuquerque, N.M.), May 18, 2025

Stage 3 water restrictions in Kyle, Texas

2 months ago
Kyle has stage 3 water restrictions in effect, which limit outdoor watering to once every other week and prohibit new landscape installations and some outdoor water uses. The City of Kyle has embarked upon a new incentive program to help the public conserve water and lower their utility bills. The "Native Landscaping Pilot Rebate Program" promotes the replacement of traditional turf lawns with native, drought-resistant plants. Kyle water customers can receive a $1 rebate for every square foot of irrigated turf they replace with approved native landscaping, up to 250 square feet. The maximum rebate per household is $250. KVUE (Austin, Texas), May 16, 2025

Dry wells in Jefferson County, Ohio

2 months ago
Rural businesses in the Adena and Mt. Pleasant area were dealing with dry wells due to prolonged drought. Although drought conditions ended months ago, wells continued to run dry. Steubenville Herald-Star (Ohio), May 16, 2025

Low regional water wells in southwest Iowa

2 months ago
Avoca was under a boil order, and residents were urged to restrict their water use as drought has left regional water wells low. A local grocery store was expecting another shipment of water soon in an effort to keep up with residents’ demand for bottled water. The boil water order was expected to last about ten days until water can be pumped to Avoca from Council Bluffs. KMTV 3 News Now (Omaha, Neb.), May 15, 2025

Searching for groundwater near Auburn, Nebraska

2 months ago
The Auburn Board of Public Works has drilled 174 test holes in search of groundwater but has not found any good sites. Auburn, like its neighbor, Peru, remained in a stage 3 water emergency. News Channel Nebraska (Grand Island, Neb.), May 15, 2025

Some drought stress evident in northern Kansas wheat

2 months ago
The wheat crop was fairly variable from Manhattan to the north and westward. Some good yield potential was evident, amounting to 50 to 80 bushels per acre. All fields had some wheat streak mosaic virus. Crop conditions declined to the west. Crops leaves in Smith County were nearly rolling up. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), May 13, 2025

Drought-stressed wheat in western, southern Kansas

2 months ago
Some areas of western and southern Kansas have not received moisture since November, leaving the wheat in those areas in significant drought stress. March and April were also dry for some of the same areas. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), May 14, 2025

Pond nearly dry in Lee County, Florida

2 months ago
A pond on a Lee County farm has dried up, killing nearly 50 fish. The family worried that the well would go dry, too, like many other area wells have already done. The livestock and family both rely on the well for water, so the family rationed water and wasted as little as possible. They used bottled water indoors to reduce demand on the well. WFTX (Cape Coral, Fla.), May 10, 2025

High beef prices led to lower quarterly sales for Tyson Foods

2 months ago
Tyson Foods reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales and stood by its annual revenue forecast amid weaker demand for beef, sending shares down 9% and overshadowing better-than-anticipated profits. There were also concerns that tariff disagreements could increase prices for a variety of consumer goods and continue to lower demand for expensive meat products. Beef prices have already risen after U.S. ranchers slashed their cattle herds due to a years-long drought that dried up pasture lands used for grazing. Tyson’s beef business reported an adjusted operating loss of $181 million for the six months ending in March 2025. Reuters (New York), May 5, 2025

Watering heavily in Mesa County, Colorado amid drought

2 months ago
The owner of a winery in Palisade said that they have been using flood irrigation to replenish soil moisture down to 25 feet. Twice as much water as usual was being used to compensate for the absence of soil moisture. The vintner was not concerned about the drought because he has senior water rights, but he anticipates that those with junior water rights may not have enough water. The lower water table was also causing problems for an orchard in Palisade as debris backs up irrigation systems and needs to be cleaned away, requiring more labor and more money to be spent on filters. KKCO-TV NBC 11 (Grand Junction, Colo.), May 12, 2025

Kansas governor updated drought status of counties

2 months ago
The Kansas Water Office asked Gov. Kelly to continue the emergency declaration for Sedgwick, Reno, and Butler counties, which she did on May 12. Thirty-nine counties were in a drought warning and 63 were in a drought watch. KSN-TV (Wichita, Kan.), May 13, 2025

Trio of large uncontained wildfires in St. Louis County, Minnesota

2 months ago
Three large uncontained wildfires in St. Louis County destroyed dozens of homes and cabins and charred more than 20,000 acres. The Camp House Fire, which ignited Sunday, burned roughly 12,000 acres after spreading rapidly to the north and northeast. Bring Me the News (Edina, Minn.), May 13, 2025

Fire restriction extended for western, central Nebraska

2 months ago
Gov. Pillen extended a burn ban for central and western Nebraska for another ten days ending at midnight on May 20. The new executive order renewed a previous mandate prohibiting permitted burns in western and central Nebraska that was scheduled to end at midnight on May 10. Burns have been prohibited in the affected areas since April 23. A subsequent executive order, on April 29, lifted the ban for eastern Nebraska. Nebraska Examiner (Lincoln, Neb.), May 9, 2025

Drought declaration for Grant County, New Mexico

2 months ago
The Grant County Commission renewed a declaration of extreme or severe drought conditions for the third month straight, an action which also extended fireworks restrictions in the county. Commissioners also approved a mutual aid agreement between Grant and Luna counties for fire services, allowing either county to request the other’s fire departments for assistance. Silver City Daily Press (N.M.), May 13, 2025

Fire emergency in Cass County, North Dakota

2 months ago
The Cass County Board of Commissioners declared a fire emergency and adopted fire restrictions through May 19 due to the persistent hot, dry and windy conditions. WDAY-FM (Fargo, N.D.), May 13, 2025

Roughly one-third of normal water supply in southwest Colorado

2 months ago
Water users in the Dolores Water Conservancy District can expect to receive 30% to 35% of their full allotment as the snowpack was below normal. The district provides water for farmers, the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, a nearby fishery and communities like Cortez and Dove Creek. The Colorado Sun (Denver), May 6, 2025

Numerous fires in North Dakota

2 months ago
At least 16 wildfires have burned across North Dakota, including several large fires in wooded areas and grasslands on the Turtle Mountain Reservation near the Canadian border. Dry and breezy conditions before the spring green-up haven’t helped as much of the state was at some level of drought. Three fires blackened about 6.5 square miles in the Turtle Mountain area. On the Fort Berthold Reservation, blazes charred at least 3.1 square miles. The Associated Press, May 6, 2025
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