Drought

The Montgomery Board of County Commissioners declared a state of emergency for Caney. Truckloads of water were being transported from Coffeyville to Caney to supplement the water supply. FOX23 News (Tulsa, Okla.), Oct 23, 2023

Drought has been beneficial for a tree service in Potosi as dead trees need to be removed or have dead sections removed. MyLeaderPaper (Festus, Mo.), Oct 25, 2023

The Keowee-Toxaway River Basin activated its low inflow protocol. UpstateToday.com (Seneca, S.C.), Oct 25, 2023

Residents of Franklin were urged to conserve water as rainfall has been below normal in the past few months, according to the Franklin Water Management Department. WSMV (Nashville, Tenn.), Oct 25, 2023

The low level of the Mississippi River at Vicksburg had ships running aground. To keep the channel usable, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had its dredge ship “Jadwin” moving silt to keep the mouth of the Yazoo Diversion Canal open in Vicksburg. Some locations have required dredging multiple times this season as sandbars were forming in places that were usually passable for big ships. WAPT Channel 16 Online (Jackson, Miss.), Oct 25, 2023

Plenty of trees died in the Austin area with drought stress and disease shortening their lifespan. Pecan trees usually live around 200 years, but drought stress and disease ended the trees’ lives prematurely. KUT News (Austin, Texas), Oct 25, 2023

A burn ban took effect for Rutherford County and Murfreesboro on Oct. 25 until further notice, due to drought. All open burning was prohibited. WGNS 1450-AM & 101.9 100.5-FM (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Oct 25, 2023

Dry conditions in Limestone County were good for harvesting cotton, which turned out well since rain hasn’t fallen on it. The cotton was loose in the bur and picked well. Some cattle farmers, however, need the fall grazing and would like to plant ryegrass, so rain would be beneficial for them. The area south of Birmingham needed rain and hasn’t really had much since the Fourth of July. WHNT 19 News (Huntsville, Ala.), Oct 24, 2023

Ongoing drought conditions in the Kansas River basin will lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flows from the reservoirs Milford, Tuttle Creek and Perry, resulting in lower flows at De Soto and Topeka, starting November 1, 2023. Tuttle Creek Reservoir fell below its target elevation of 1,070 feet on Oct. 18 and will remain there, apart from significant rainfall. Flow targets will be met to maintain water quality on the Kansas River. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, Oct 25, 2023

The Congaree River has been running about 2.7 feet, which is slightly above last week’s levels when the river was at its lowest in more than a decade. Some stretches of the river were more affected than others, with rocks being exposed, according to the Congaree Riverkeeper. Low water levels have also provided a great opportunity to pick up trash in areas that would normally be underwater. WLTX-TV Columbia 19 (S.C.), Oct 24, 2023

Alabama wildland firefighters have responded to 111 wildfires that charred more than 1,881 acres of forestland in the past week, leading to the reissuing of the statewide Fire Alert. AL.com (Birmingham, Ala.), Oct 24, 2023

The Alabama Forestry Commission reissued a Fire Alert for all 67 counties in the state. In the 32 counties mostly north of Interstate 20, burn permits will not be issued. In the 35 counties mostly south of Interstate 20, certified prescribed burn managers may get a one-day burn permit. In the past week, wildland firefighters have responded to 111 wildfires that charred more than 1,881 acres of forestland. AL.com (Birmingham, Ala.), Oct 24, 2023

A farm in New Orleans that grows lettuce, arugula and other leafy greens lost thousands of dollars’ worth of lettuce, but still managed to provide customers with leafy greens. Farm operators watered 22 hours a day, but were going to pull that back to 15 or 16 hours a day. One urban farm spent $1,500 during two weeks in September to increase their irrigation capacity. Another urban farm has delayed communicating about this season’s subscription service due to uncertainty of intense heat and drought. Drought will also determine how much local farms can help with food insecurity in New Orleans. The growing season was getting started in the Greater New Orleans area. Local farmers were already enduring crop loss from drought. Verite News (New Orleans, La.), Oct 11, 2023

Farmers were working to get their crops out of the field, but with a second year of drought slowing navigation on the Mississippi River, grain storage was in short supply. One Arkansas farmer was using grain bags, which are long plastic bags that can be used to contain cereals for a while. The volume of grain shipped on the Mississippi has fallen by half from the average of the past three years, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Yahoo! News/AFP, Oct 23, 2023

The statewide modified burn ban remained in effect, but some parishes have chosen to allow burning again. However, the National Weather Service predicted that ongoing drought and low relative humidity would cause widespread fires across Louisiana. NOLA.com (New Orleans, La.), Oct 22, 2023 The statewide burn ban in Louisiana has been extended by at least a week as fires continued to burn. Outdoor burning was prohibited, but outdoor cooking was permitted. During August, 551 wildfires consumed more than 53,000 acres, although the average acreage burned during the month is 295 acres. Shreveport Times Online (La.), Sept 7, 2023 Louisiana’s previous statewide burn ban, issued Aug. 7, has been replaced with an extended burn ban that prohibited all agricultural burning. The order will remain in effect until rescinded. All private burning was also prohibited also. Attorney General Jeff Landry urged Louisianans to join him in prayer for rain. Lafayette Daily Advertiser (La.), Aug 29, 2023 The State of Louisiana issued a statewide burn ban due to continued heat and drought. The ban will remain in effect until it is rescinded by state officials. WWL-TV (New Orleans, La.), Aug 7, 2023

Fall is the time of year when thousands of migrating birds stop at Cheyenne Bottoms, but there were fewer birds than in previous years because drought has dried up the pools. KWCH 12 (Wichita, Kan.), Oct 23, 2023

Continuing drought and the heightened fire risk led the Cowley County Commission to approve a state of local disaster emergency on Oct. 17. The declaration will remain in effect for seven days, unless terminated or renewed before that time. Cowley Courier Traveler (Arkansas City, Kan.), Oct 21, 2023

Students in Caney, Kansas were being offered hand sanitizer instead of hand washing, and trailered restrooms rather than showers as water supplies were expected to be exhausted at the end of 2023. Water fountains were shut off, and students were given bottled water. Porta potties will be brought in for athletic events. Caney schools will be moving to a four-day school week starting Oct. 30 as the area struggles to cope with severely depleted water supplies. FOX23 News (Tulsa, Okla.), Oct 20, 2023

Pumpkins did not grow well on a Brookshire farm this year. They often supplement their supply with additional pumpkins from the Floydada area. The 8-acre corn maze was about 3 to 4 feet in height after drought prevented the corn from growing around 7 feet tall as it usually does. KHOU Online (Houston, Texas), Oct 23, 2023

A ban on all outdoor burning took effect for the City of Dickson on the morning of Oct. 23. The fire marshal announced the burn ban after an assessment of ongoing drought conditions, dry vegetation and low humidity determined that the risk to life and property was in the critical stage. DicksonPost (Tenn.), Oct 23, 2023