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Drought has all sorts of wildlife turning up in the East Bay area—turkeys, wild pigs, mountain lions and even bears—as the animals search for food and water. CBS San Francisco (Calif.), Sept 2, 2021

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly approved 87 of the state’s 105 counties being in warning or watch status. Fourteen counties were placed in a warning status, while 73 entered a watch status. Drought Watch: Atchison, Brown, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Leavenworth, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Ness, Norton, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wyandotte. Drought Warning: Barber, Barton, Cheyenne, Ellsworth, Harper, Lincoln, McPherson, Mitchell, Osborne, Rawlins, Rice, Russell, Sherman, Thomas. KSN-TV (Wichita, Kan.), Sept 2, 2021

Emigrant Fire Story The Emigrant fire started as tractor-trailer fire on the northbound Vista Del Lago exit on Interstate 5 near Pyramid Lake. The first report into the Angeles National Forest was at 1:34 p.m. on September 17, 2021.   The first firefighters on-scene reported that the fire had quickly spread to the vegetation adjacent to the interstate highway and ran up the slope. With the hot, dry weather and wind, the fire quickly spread in a northerly direction, burning uphill in steep terrain with gullies and drop-offs.  The US Forest Service along with Los Angeles County Fire Department sent considerable ground and aerial firefighters to the scene and battled the fire. Initially a total of twelve aircraft responded to the fire, including retardant dropping airtankers, super scoopers and helicopters providing much needed assistance to ground based firefighters. On the ground, fire engines, hand crews, fire dozers and water tenders attacked the flanks of the fire, eventually...

SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0804 AM CDT Mon Sep 27 2021 Valid 271300Z - 281200Z ...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND PA... ...SUMMARY... Isolated severe thunderstorms may generate hail across portions of the Ohio Valley and Pennsylvania late tonight. ...Synopsis... In mid/upper levels, a progressive and highly amplified northern stream will persist, with troughs crossing the northwestern CONUS/ southwestern Canada region and southeastern Canada/northeastern U.S. mainland. A shortwave trough -- evident in moisture-channel imagery over parts of southwestern MN, western IA and eastern NE, is forecast to move through the broader cyclonic-flow field toward the eastern trough. By 12Z tomorrow, the shortwave trough should reach parts of PA, WV and OH. Farther west, synoptic-scale ridging will shift eastward out of the central Rockies and northern High Plains, reaching the lower/mid Missouri Valley and MB by the end of the period. A strong upstream trough -- now positioned over the Pacific south of a cyclone now west of Vancouver Island -- will move inland across northern CA/OR/WA between 00-06Z. This trough should reach the northern Great Basin and ID by 12Z. As associated height falls spread eastward toward the northern/central Rockies, a cut-off low now over western NM near the AZ border will move slowly northeastward. Its cyclonic-flow field will spread across the CO/NM Rockies and central/southern High Plains. A convectively augmented shortwave perturbation -- apparent over the TX Trans-Pecos/Big Bend region -- may pivot northward then northwestward around the broader gyre today into this evening, and become the primary 500-mb low overnight over the San Juans near the CO/NM line. At the surface, 11Z analysis showed a cold front from western QC across Lake Huron, southern WI, and southern NE. This front should reach Lake Ontario, southern Lower MI, and southern IA by 00Z, becoming quasistationary westward across the southern NE/ northeastern CO region. By 12Z, the front should reach central New England, northwestern PA and central IL. Substantial surface moisture (dew points mid 60s and upward) remains confined to the Gulf, southern FL and southern AZ. ...OH Valley/PA overnight... Isolated to scattered, elevated thunderstorms are expected tonight -- primarily after 06Z and ahead of the surface cold front. Marginally sever hail is possible from the most intense cores relatively early in the local convective cycle, with relatively discrete cells, before modes become more clustered/messy. Large-scale ascent -- both as warm advection and DCVA preceding the shortwave trough -- will contribute to steepening mid/upper-level lapse rates across this area. Low-level moisture advection and transport above the boundary layer will increase buoyancy and reduce MUCINH, as increasingly buoyant parcels lift to an LFC with time. Forecast soundings suggest around 800-1200 J/kg MUCAPE, a substantial fraction of which will be in hail-growth zones in mid/upper levels. However, usable vertical shear will be modest with nearly unidirectional flow through the cloud-bearing or effective layer. Forecast soundings indicate 25-35 kt effective- shear magnitudes, which will be somewhat greater with westward extent. However, convective coverage may be larger and more certain eastward, contributing to uncertainty on severe potential. ...Southwest TX... Widely scattered to scattered thunderstorms are possible this afternoon into early evening from the Permian Basin to near the lowest Pecos River, in a zone of weak but sufficient low-level convergence. Lift will be aided (and MLCINH minimized) by diabatic heating in the area behind the ejecting Trans-Pecos trough, whose backside DCVA field should be well north of the area by mid/late afternoon. A well-mixed boundary layer may support strong gusts or small hail. However, weak low/middle-level flow, and related lack of shear (effective-shear magnitudes 20-30 kt) indicate poor organization. At this time any severe potential appears too uncertain and conditional for a categorical outlook. ..Edwards/Jewell.. 09/27/2021 Read more

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Mon Sep 27 13:12:02 UTC 2021.

No watches are valid as of Mon Sep 27 13:12:02 UTC 2021.

000
ABPZ20 KNHC 271107
TWOEP

Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
500 AM PDT Mon Sep 27 2021

For the eastern North Pacific...east of 140 degrees west longitude:

An area of low pressure is expected to form several hundred miles
offshore the southwestern coast of Mexico by midweek. Environmental
conditions could be conducive for some gradual development of this
system during the latter parts of the week while it moves slowly
northwestward or northward, remaining well offshore the southwestern
coast of Mexico.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent.

$$
Forecaster Latto

With the Carson River running dry, there are fewer suckerfish and minnow. Area ranchers have sold livestock as pastureland goes dry, too. Ranchers were also moving cattle off of federal grazing areas, due to poor conditions, stated an environmental scientist for the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Hay was a pricey $300 per ton, contributing to the livestock sales. Carson River flows were very low like during droughts in 1977 and 2015. Reno Gazette (Nev.), Sept 3, 2021

Drought cost a farmer near Springville thousands of dollars in revenue due to the irrigation demands of moving pipe and pumping water. The farmer’s main crop is alfalfa and the first two cuttings of four were much lighter than normal. Ranchers in central and southern Utah have to sell livestock early at a loss, according to the president of the Utah Farm Bureau. He also noted that most farmers lost irrigation water early. KSTU-FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Sept 1, 2021

Drought affected the wheat crop slightly in the Thumb of Michigan. The Farm Bureau anticipates a below average crop yield for the Thumb area and an earlier harvest due to the stress the crops have been under this season. Huron Daily Tribune (Mich.), Sept 2, 2021

Farmers across the area have taken a blow this year; a combination of the devastating drought and a sky-rocketing population of grasshoppers has caused significant losses for producers. "I believe that a majority of our farmers and ranchers are dealing with some level of damage from the grasshoppers, ranging from light damage to some pretty severe crop and/or grass loss. Of course, the damage was exacerbated by the drought so it's hard to determine exactly just how much damage was grasshoppers and how much was drought," said Tim Fine, MSU Richland County Extension Agent. This year was a superb year for grasshoppers because dry weather increases the survival of nymphs and adults, and warm autumns allow the pests more time to feed and lay eggs. Grasshopper outbreaks are usually followed by several years of hot, dry summers and warm falls; these conditions allow grasshopper populations to increase slowly. Weather is found to be the main factor affecting grasshopper population levels. Area farmers have seen a stark increase in the number of grasshoppers this growing season. Grasshoppers have plagued several areas of cropland and rangeland. Grasshopper damage to wheat cereal crops can be seen on the areas between the crop and the field boundary. Individual plants will show leaf stripping, head clipping, and kernels that have been fed on or destroyed. Grasshoppers also compete heavily with grazing livestock for forage; they feed on the desirable forage, leaving the less desirable plants behind. Their feeding, if coupled with drought conditions, is prone to causing long-term deterioration of the forage plants/rangeland. The pests can reduce the quality of rangeland in the same way as cattle overgrazing. Ranchers can help deter grasshopper damage by properly managing their range through proper stocking rates and using insecticides suitable for their operation. Cropland takes a heavy hit when grasshopper populations are dense and food plants are scarce. The pests migrate and consume almost any plant they come upon. According to http://www.ndsu.edu, row crop producers should be aware of the potential for grasshoppers to move into row crops after small grains have started to dry down. The best thing producers can do is to consider spraying to keep the populations down. Both low and high-labeled rates of all insecticides provide control of grasshoppers and prevent economic yield loss. Fine explained that getting some moisture will help tremendously and will allow crops and grasses to overcome some of the damage for the coming year. He said, "Grasshoppers seem to come and go in waves, some years we have lots of them and some years not many at all. Spring weather can greatly affect grasshopper population so there is no way to predict now what the future will hold." The Roundup (Sidney, Mont.), Sept 1, 2021

Scofield ran out of water after its well failed and its springs went dry, but the well is operating again. Echo ran out of water, so Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is trucking water to the town. Hyde Park is relying on other communities for water. More secondary water providers were ending the season weeks early. KSL-TV NBC 5 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Aug 27, 2021

The Sonoma County Water Agency recommended a minimum storage goal of 20,000 acre-feet for Lake Mendocino by Oct. 1, 2021 to provide adequate carry-over water supply at the start of the 2021-22 fall-winter rainy season, but the reservoir already dropped below the target on Aug. 26. The low water storage clearly indicates that the historic drought in the Russian River watershed was worsening. Petaluma, CA Patch (CA), Aug 28, 2021

Groundwater was dropping to historical depths in Madera County amid ongoing drought, causing subsidence. Lots of wells were running dry, and drillers were scheduled out for months as the county’s water demand far exceeds supplies and recharge. The towns of Parksdale, the Madera Ranchos and Riverstone have had well failures, and more than 200 families are using water tanks because their wells went dry. The Madera County groundwater table never recovered from the previous drought, and over the past decade, more than 80,000 acres of permanent crops, like almonds and pistachios, were planted, creating a continuous demand because those trees cannot be fallowed. The Fresno Bee (Calif.), Aug 29, 2021

Red Road Fire: 26 September 2021Red Road Fire, is located on Red Road and HWY 59. TAMFS resources are assisting local responders. Burkburnett Task Force are constructing fire line, Mineral Well Task Force arrived on scene to assist.  The fire is estimated around 450 acres with 0% containment. There are 4 structures threaten at this time.TAMFS have established unified command with Jacksboro

Superior NF Facebook  |  Superior NF WebpageOn the afternoon of August 18th, the John Ek and Whelp Fires were discovered by an aerial detection flight within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Both fires are lightning caused.  The John Ek Fire is 2.5 miles south of Little Saganaga Lake and extends from John Ek Lake to the SE corner of Elton Lake. The Whelp fire is five miles northwest of Sawbill Lake. The fires are currently being managed by the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3.  For Superior National Forest Closures visit:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/superior/alerts-notices For Superior National Forest Fire Restrictions visit:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/superior/alerts-notices/?aid=67256For MN DNR Fire Restrictions visit:   https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/fire/index.html 

The Cold Fire was discovered on 8.14.2021 and is one of several fires burning in Yosemite National Park. This lightning-caused fire is being managed with a confine and contain strategy based on its location, potential impacts, and other key factors. This fire is burning in high elevation wilderness areas, ranging from 7,000 to 9,700 feet.The Cold Fire located three miles north of Glen Aulin, in Cold Canyon East of Cold Mountain along the Pacific Crest Trail. Air Quality Conditions for Yosemite National Park can be found at: www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/aqmonitoringThis fire may be visible from numerous vantage points throughout the park, including Tuolumne Meadows, Tioga Road, Glacier Point, and other high-country viewpoints.Yosemite National Park is a fire-adapted ecosystem. The strategy for all fires is to provide for the safety of employees and the public and protect natural and cultural resources. Currently, there are no threats to infrastructure or

Steelhead fishing was closed in the lower Umatilla and areas of the Deschutes and John Day rivers starting Sept. 1, due to extremely low returns of the Columbia Basin upriver summer steelhead. Passage counts of summer steelhead at Bonneville Dam from July 1 through Aug. 26 were the lowest since counts started in 1938. Returns for many populations have been low for years. Ontario Argus Observer (Ore.), Aug 31, 2021