Drought

Established trees in Cedar Rapids were suffering after a summer of drought, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and insects. Some trees, such as hackberry and black cherry trees, were showing fall colors early, due to drought. Some century-old white oak trees have withered and died within a few weeks. The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Sept 20, 2023

The low level of the Mississippi River has made Tower Rock accessible again, but work on a pipeline was preventing road access to the formation located in Perry County, south of St. Louis and about 25 miles north of Cape Girardeau. Sightseers could also walk to the formation in October 2022. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), Sept 21, 2023

Barge companies have to lighten loads on the Mississippi River due to hot, dry weather, making it more costly to transport grain and other goods on the river. The cargo rate from St. Louis downriver was up 77% above the three-year average. The shipping lane is also narrower, meaning fewer barges can be lashed together. The Associated Press (Des Moines, Iowa), Sept 17, 2023 Barges on the Mississippi River already must lighten their loads to reduce their draft as the level of the Mississippi River has been declining since June. The Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois fell nearly 10 feet in the last two weeks of August and was expected to continue to drop. Low levels on the Mississippi River will probably affect industry and navigation, per NIDIS. Seventeen dredges were working to maintain the navigation channel. USA Today (McLean, Va.), Sept 10, 2023

A Christmas tree farm in Grant has not received rain in at least four months and endured intense heat exceeding 100 degrees over the summer. Eight hundred or more trees were lost due to the harsh weather this summer. Although some tree farms have closed, the tree farm in Grant has irrigation. The crop maze has not done well, and flowers were not yet blooming, but should be. KPLC (Lake Charles, La.), Sept 21, 2023

Drought and less water flowing in the Mississippi River meant less fresh water in the river to keep saltwater from pushing its way upriver. A huge tree nursery near Belle Chasse needs about 100,000 gallons of fresh water daily to irrigate the half a million trees, but the wedge of saltwater has gotten dangerously close. The week of Sept. 25, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will expand an underwater barrier that was originally constructed in July to slow the movement of the saltwater. The expansion should take about two weeks and will result in a sill 60 feet high and about 2,200 feet across the river. A notch will be left in the sill 620 wide and 55 feet deep to allow oceangoing vessels to pass through. The Mississippi’s lowest recorded flow occurred in 1988 when it was just 120,000 cubic feet per second. Saltwater reached upriver to Kenner, La. on the outskirts of New Orleans. This year, it is forecast to fall to 130,000 cubic feet per second. The Washington Post (D.C.), Sept 21, 2023

Extreme weather, including hard freezes, intense heat and drought, have hurt trees on Christmas tree farms in southern Mississippi. The co-owner of a tree farm in Moselle reported that trees were drying, including ones that were recently planted. A Marion County Christmas tree farm lost about 30 mature trees and 900 seedlings. There will be enough trees for the holiday season this year, but the deaths of younger trees may leave a dearth of trees in coming years. WHLT-TV (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Sept 21, 2023

The City of Kyle used 89% of its water for the entire year by the end of August and needed to purchase more water to supply the city through the remainder of 2023. San Marcos City Council voted to sell water to Kyle just as it did in 2022. San Marcos has been in stage 4 water restrictions since late August. KUT News (Austin, Texas), Sept 20, 2023

The Maryland Department of the Environment put some northern counties in a drought warning rather than a drought watch. Counties in a drought warning include Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard and Montgomery counties, except those areas served by Baltimore City or Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission public water systems. The shift to drought warning status was due to lower-than-normal stream flows and groundwater levels for this time of year. Washington, Allegany and Garret counties remained in a drought watch. The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, Md.), Sept 20, 2023

The Mississippi River has dropped so low that American Cruise Lines notified Vicksburg that its ships will not dock nearby and will dock downriver instead and bus passengers to Vicksburg. Low river levels deprive Vicksburg of tourism. Water levels have fallen to near record levels a full month ahead of last year’s low water stages, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Mississippi River has fallen 15 feet in a month. WAPT Channel 16 Online (Jackson, Miss.), Sept 20, 2023

Residents and business owners of Tampa were encouraged to use water wisely as the area endured ongoing drought, an abnormal rainy season and a significant increase in water use. Water demand within city limits has been about 4 million gallons more daily than at this time of year in the past. Tampa was buying additional water from Tampa Bay Water, the city’s wholesale water provider. WTSP 10 Tampa Bay (Fla.), Sept 20, 2023

Large cracks and holes on the fields at Ramon Lucio ballpark in San Marcos were blamed on the drought. Fields were not safe to use, so the Parks and Recreation department opted to delay play on Monday, Sept. 18. The rest of the park was still open. FOX 7 Austin (Texas), Sept 19, 2023

The cranberry harvest in Wisconsin may be tricky for growers because little rain has fallen, leaving pond levels down. WAOW-ABC 9-Wausau (Wis.), Sept 19, 2023

A burn ban was issued for York County and will be in effect from Sept. 21 through Oct. 5. The county also had burn bans in April and June. York Dispatch (Pa.), Sept. 19, 2023

Allamakee County was the 18th county in Iowa and the 11th county in the northeast part of the state to adopt a burn ban. Allamakee County’s ban took effect on Sept. 12. Waukon Standard (Iowa), Sept 20, 2023 Burn bans were in effect for 16 Iowa counties as drought and continuing dry conditions affected the region. Open burning was prohibited. KGAN-TV CBS 2 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Sept. 8, 2023

Texas pumpkin growers have had vines damaged by heat and drought. some vines died early, and yield was lower than usual. The lack of rainfall led some farmers to replant their crops and irrigate. About 5,000 to 8,000 acres are planted annually in Texas, with 90% in the west Texas region. Midland Reporter-Telegram (Texas), Sept 15, 2023

The lack of rainfall made farming difficult for a farmer near Daphne. Cotton and peanuts are hardest to harvest when rain is scarce. The farmer fears that the grades on peanuts and cotton will be down. WKRG Online (Mobile, Ala.), Sept 18, 2023

The record heat and lack of rain in Louisiana this summer has dried the clay soil and cracked burrows housing crawfish which are dormant during the intense summer heat. Farmers have had to pump more water than usual onto their rice fields to try to keep the burrows moist, but it is unclear how successful they have been in keeping the crawfish alive. Farmers usually begin flooding their fields for crawfish later in September and throughout October. It will be apparent then how many crawfish survived. Excessive pumping and drought can also lead to saltwater intrusion and backflow of saltwater in irrigation canals. The Acadiana Advocate (Lafayette, La.), Sept 17, 2023 Drought was affecting crawfish production in southern Louisiana. The ground is very dry, allowing burrows to crack open, threatening their survival. The dearth of rain has increased the salinity of water sources that producers use to flood their ponds. There were also concerns about whether the crawfish will have enough food this winter as drought dries up rice, grasses and other forages. LSU AgCenter (Baton Rouge, La.), Aug 29, 2023

A popular wildflower farm in Hancock County will remain closed through September after drought kept flowers from growing. By Sept. 1, stalks are usually waist-high, but were just knee-high at most. The farm typically has fields of sunflowers, zinnias, poppies and daisies. Recent showers dampened the ground, so there is hope that surviving seeds might sprout and the farm could open in October. The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Sept 1, 2023

The Hawaii State Drought Council met on Aug. 30 and discussed drought impacts and mitigation actions. Hawaii News Now (Honolulu, Hawaii), Sept 15, 2023

Dry vegetation on Oahu contributed to a large brush fire near Wahiawa on Aug. 17 and a brush fire near Maili. Hawaii News Now (Honolulu, Hawaii), Sept 15, 2023