Drought

The Mississippi River south of Illinois was again extremely low in spots just as it was last fall during an intense episode of drought. Barge capacity was being voluntarily reduced on stretches of the Mississippi River, per a senior vice president for American Waterways Operators. Many communities along the Mississippi River were anxious, hoping to avoid additional stressors like they experienced last fall when drought cost river towns billions of dollars in losses due to higher energy and water purification costs, lost tourism revenue, commodity losses and other shocks. The Associated Press (St. Louis, Mo.), June 29, 2023

The 2023 drought in the Midwest was being compared to the drought years of 2012 and 1988 when crops were devastated by the lack of rain. Just half of the U.S. corn crop is rated good or excellent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for the lowest percentage since 1988. Corn near Peoria, Illinois was barely waist high when it ought to be 10 feet tall. The leaves were yellow, and it wasn’t clear whether ears of corn were developing. The Associated Press (St. Louis, Mo.), June 29, 2023

The Pettis County, Missouri, Board of County Commissioners on June 29 issued a state of emergency in the county as the county’s drought depiction turned extreme this week on the U.S. Drought Monitor. The emergency declaration also puts the county in a burn ban. KSHB 41 (Kansas City, Mo.), June 29, 2023

Drought kept Lake Superior from rising by nearly 3 inches in June as it usually does. The water level remained unchanged. Lake Superior usually increases from April to September, then falls during the winter. Duluth News Tribune (Minn.), June 29, 2023

Nineteen water systems in Pennsylvania have contacted customers, asking them to conserve water. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has also asked people to reduce water use, including reducing outdoor watering, taking shorter showers, and turning off the water while brushing their teeth and doing dishes. KDKA Online (Pittsburgh, Pa.), June 26, 2023

The city of Winfield enacted stage one of its municipal water conservation plan as extended drought reduced the amount of water in the upper Timber Creek area that flows into Winfield City Lake. The lake elevation was 60.5 inches below its normal seasonal level on Monday, June 26. Spring rains usually refill the lake, but not this year. Courier Traveler (Winfield, Kan.), Jan 29, 2023

The burn ban in Battle Creek remained in effect until further notice. Michiganders were urged not to burn any yard waste or have campfires. Burn permits were not being issued during the ban. WWMT-TV Kalamazoo 3 (Mich.), June 28, 2023

Corn near Hampstead was shorter than it ought to be as the lack of rain and cold weather hindered the growth. The farmer irrigated after planting to get the seeds to germinate, but usually irrigation was not needed to get the seeds to grow. The first cutting of hay was good, but the yield was 30% to 50% lower than in other years. A Westminster livestock producer was concerned about having enough hay to sustain his cattle through the coming winter because the slow grass growth has forced him to begin feeding this livestock hay. As far as the recent rain goes, it has been too little, too late. Baltimore Sun (Md.), June 28, 2023

The Lower Colorado River Authority urged the public to be mindful of their water use as drought persisted and LCRA remained in Stage 1 of its drought contingency plan. Firm water customers were asked to reduce their water use by 5%. In July 2022, LCRA determined that the duration and intensity of the drought meant that agricultural operations in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties would not get water from Highland Lakes or the second growing season in 2022. Ongoing drought prompted the LCRA to extend the water curtailment through 2023. As of June 29, lakes Buchanan and Travis were at a combined storage of 52%, or about 1.013 million acre-feet. Without additional inflows, the lakes could fall to a combined storage of 900,000 acre-feet, which would trigger the next stage of the drought contingency plan, requiring conservation of 10% to 20%. FOX 7 Austin (Texas), June 29, 2023 The Lower Colorado River Authority remains in Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan for Firm Water Customers, which began in July 2022. The combined storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis was 1.2 million acre-feet, below the trigger of 1.4 million acre-feet, and interruptible supplies were curtailed. LCRA requested its firm customers voluntarily reduce their water use by 5% in July 2022. KXAN-TV NBC 36 (Austin, Texas), March 2, 2023

Laredo is in Stage of its Drought Contingency Plan, but asks residents to conserve as though they were in Stage 2. Amistad reservoir dropped from 39.3% last week to just over 30% at present. Stage 2 restrictions begin when storage falls to 25%. Laredo Morning Times (Texas), June 28, 2023

Gov. Tina Kotek declared a drought emergency in Jackson County on June 27, due to low stream flows and a near-record warm May. The above average snowpack was helpful, but stream flows quickly went back down to below average and were trending lower. KDRV-TV ABC 12 (Medford, Ore.), June 27, 2023

The City of Rosebud rescheduled its Fourth of July firework show to Sept. 2 on account of safety concerns due to drought. ABC 17 News (Columbia, Mo.), June 27, 2023

A burn advisory was issued in Chariton County on June 26. The public was discouraged from having any type of bonfire, campfire or controlled burn. The Rolla Police Department issued a similar burn advisory. ABC 17 News (Columbia, Mo.), June 27, 2023

The Fulton Fire Department enacted a burn ban as drought persisted. ABC 17 News (Columbia, Mo.), June 27, 2023

Monroe County issued a burn ban as drought increased the fire risk. ABC 17 News (Columbia, Mo.), June 27, 2023

A Fourth of July cookout for ten will cost $67.73, based on the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation marketbasket survey. The $67.73 grocery bill is 3% lower than in 2022, but still approximately 14% higher than just two years ago. The price of ground beef has risen 4% as drought drove up feed prices and lowered the number of available cattle. American Farm Bureau Federation (Washington, D.C.), June 27, 2023

A fish kill occurred on the Grand Glaize arm of the lake at Lake of the Ozarks and was a natural event, per the Missouri Department of Conservation. A backwater upstream likely ran out of water and dissolved oxygen, leading to the deaths of the fish. KTTS-FM 94.7 (Springfield, Mo.), June 27, 2023

Farmers ran out of produce to sell at the Appleton farmers’ market as drought slowed plant growth. Farmers would typically have more to sell and a greater variety. The high temperatures have killed crops, forcing one grower to replant two or three times already. WBAY TV (Green Bay, Wis.), June 24, 2023

Two paddlerwheeler boats were scheduled to dock at the Cape Girardeau Riverfront Park, despite drought and lower water levels on the Mississippi River. Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), June 27, 2023

Drought halved Oklahoma’s wheat crop this year. Many farmers did not anticipate a crop worth harvesting, so they baled it for hay for livestock. Oklahoma’s wheat harvest was expected to be 53 million bushels, or half of that produced in 2022. KOCO 5 News Online (Oklahoma City, Okla.), June 26, 2023