Livestock, wildlife getting supplemental feed, rain needed in South Texas

3 years 10 months ago
Soil moisture conditions were very short to short in most areas. Forages were browning due to heat and lack of moisture. Pasture and rangeland conditions were declining. Ranchers were storing hay and many reported three cuttings this season. Feed prices continued to increase. Supplemental feeding was increasing as well. Stock tanks needed replenishing in some areas but were full in others. Summer conditions were good for deer and quail, but drier conditions were pushing deer to browse along roadways. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Sept 8, 2021 South Texas ranchers were providing supplemental feed to livestock and wildlife. Feed prices were rising. Stock tanks and pastures needed rain. Soil moisture was very short to short in the northern part of the district. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Aug 24, 2021

Water turned off on parts of Mt. Diablo in California

3 years 10 months ago
Water was turned off to various parts of Mt. Diablo, due to drought. Water springs on Mt. Diablo were at a trickle, and water storage tanks were nearly empty. The higher one is on the mountain, the less likely there is running water. Bring plenty of bottled water if you visit. KRON4 (San Francisco, Calif.), Sept 1, 2021

Low inflows at Garrison Dam in North Dakota ending boating season early

3 years 10 months ago
Runoff has been below normal at the Garrison Dam, due to drought. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requests that all owners of boats, watercraft or docks to remove their property from the Missouri River as the releases decrease from 21,000 cubic feet per second to 13,500 cfs by mid-September. Shallow waters meant danger from hitting barely submerged objects. Devils Lake was also low. KX News (Bismarck, N.D.), Sept 2, 2021

Drought watches, warnings for most Kansas counties

3 years 10 months ago
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 (Wildfire)

3 years 10 months ago
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 Sep 27, 2021 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

3 years 10 months ago
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

Eastern North Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook

3 years 10 months ago

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
NHC Webmaster

Ranchers selling cattle, Carson River running dry in western Nevada

3 years 10 months ago
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

Irrigation adds to the cost of growing alfalfa in Utah County, Utah

3 years 10 months ago
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 wheat slightly in Michigan

3 years 10 months ago
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

Grasshoppers damaging crop, pastures in northeast Montana

3 years 10 months ago
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

Three Utah towns without water

3 years 10 months ago
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

Lake Mendocino fell below target level more than a month early

3 years 10 months ago
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 continued to drop, causing subsidence in Madera County, California

3 years 10 months ago
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