Drought

All fireworks were banned in Bend due to extreme heat and drought. The Oregonian (Bend), June 28, 2021

All fireworks were banned in unincorporated parts of Asotin County on June 28 due to extreme heat, drought and an early burn ban enacted on June 14. Lewiston Tribune (Idaho), June 29, 2021

Commercial and sports salmon fishermen in northern California will get fewer days for fishing in 2022 than in previous years. The Bay Area commercial season will start two months later than usual to protect fish stocks in Northern California, particularly Klamath River fall-run chinook salmon. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will announce the final dates of the sports and commercial fishing seasons on April 14. San Francisco Chronicle (Calif.), March 14, 2022

Drought has damaged the softball field in Madras consisting of rocky dirt and yellow grass. The players complain of getting hurt because the surface is so hard. Central Oregon Daily (Bend, Ore.), March 14, 2022

Many counties along the Oklahoma-Texas border have adopted burn bans due to the extreme fire danger. In Oklahoma, Love and Marshall counties have two week burn bans. In Cooke County, Texas the burn ban is for 90 days. Neighboring Grayson County also banned open burning. KTEN (Denison, Texas), March 7, 2022

Residents of Monrovia must reduce their water use by 10% or pay fines averaging $10 per month or more for excessive water use. The city council voted on this plan in December after California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged a voluntary 15% reduction amid the drought. The city decided on a 10% reduction for all residents, feeling that the dire drought justified such aggressive action. CBS Los Angeles (Calif.), March 14, 2022

Emergency services in Woodbury County were notified of about 13 fires in the county on March 13 amid a drought and with a burn ban in effect. Sioux City Journal (Iowa), March 14, 2022

The New Braunfels Fire Department responded to three grass fires along Interstate 35 – two on March 9 and another on March 11. New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung (Texas), March 11, 2022

The Lincoln County Board of Supervisors enacted a burn ban on March 10 due to persistent dry conditions. The Brookhaven Daily Leader (Miss.), March 11, 2022

Intensifying drought in the Southern Plains threatens winter wheat from Kansas to Texas as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also lowers global supplies. Southwest Kansas has not received much measurable precipitation since October. More than half of Kansas is in severe drought or worse. Oklahoma and Texas, both big wheat growers, are also mostly in severe or worse drought. A smaller crop could further fuel food inflation. Agriculture.com (Des Moines, Iowa), March 14, 2022 Drought coverage in the continental U.S. increased by 1.65% over the last week and encompasses nearly 60% of the country, rivaling the 2012 drought, according to Drovers. Drought covered 65.5% of the U.S. in September 2012. Winter wheat from Kansas to Texas needs more moisture. The dryland crop has not even sprouted yet and is running out of time for growth. Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), March 3, 2022 The Feb. 28 crop report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that winter wheat conditions in most of Texas were rated very poor to poor as about 80% of the state was in drought. The wheat crop in the southern parts of the state is challenged by a lack of moisture. Wheat fields in the Coastal Bend are hanging on, but rain is needed soon to help the crop. In Far West Texas, wheat fields are nearly non-existent except for the irrigated fields that have not failed. However, the irrigated wheat is still in poor condition due to limited water supplies. Texas Farm Bureau (Waco, Texas), March 2, 2022

Burn bans are also in effect for Ida and Cherokee counties. Sioux City Journal (Iowa), March 14, 2022 Open burning is banned in Plymouth, Woodbury, Monona, Crawford, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Mills, Warren and Clarke counties, per the State Fire Marshal’s office. Radio Iowa (Des Moines), March 2, 2022

Stage 1 water restrictions took effect in Cleburne when Lake Pat Cleburne fell to 75% of its conservation storage capacity. The restrictions include a mandatory weekly watering schedule. Cleburne Times-Review (Texas), March 10, 2022

Low water levels on the Missouri River will make water access difficult at the many boat ramps in North Dakota this summer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forecasts runoff to be well below normal for the upper Missouri River basin. Runoff was less than expected in February, and the trend is expected to continue. The dozens of boat ramps on the river system in North Dakota may be challenging or unusable. As of Feb. 27, mountain snowpack in the upper basin was 80% of average, while mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison area was 82% of average. Plains snowpack in the upper basin is very light to nonexistent. The accumulated snow and the very low soil moisture led to the reduction in the anticipated runoff for the 2022 water year. The 2022 runoff forecast above Sioux City, Iowa, has decreased from 21.7 million acre feet to 20.4 million acre feet, which would be 21% below normal. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), March 11, 2022

Fire activity has increased in southeast Alabama as the region becomes drier. WTVY-TV CBS 4 Dothan (Ala.), March 4, 2022

The Rio Grande River in Texas is very low, allowing more wildlife to cross the river from Mexico into Texas. South Texas ranchers fear that continuing drought and more deer crossing the river could lead to more cattle fever ticks infesting Texas cattle and killing them. Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), March 7, 2022

The Cottonwood Complex Fire burned 12,000 acres in Reno County, consumed 35 homes, 92 outbuildings and 110 vehicles. One man lost his life in the flames. The blaze was 70% contained on the morning of Monday, March 7. WIBW-TV 13 (Topeka, Kan.), March 7, 2022

Lingering and historic drought conditions across Central Oregon brought the wildfire risk earlier than usual this year. Officials urge people to be extra cautious. KLCC-FM 89.7 (Eugene, Ore.), March 5, 2022

Dry, breezy weather with low humidity in Mississippi has combined to make a very high wildfire threat. The Mississippi Forestry Commission strongly encouraged the public to postpone burning activities. Ten counties have burn bans. In the past day, MFC contained 86 wildfires that charred over 3,000 acres. Forty-nine of those fires burned over 2,000 acres in the South Region of Mississippi. WLOX-TV ABC 13 (Biloxi, Miss.), March 5, 2022

Campfires are banned in the Los Padres National Forest due to rising fire danger and potential hazard to communities. The prohibition on campfires will remain in effect until Feb. 24, 2024, according to the U.S. Forest Service. San Mateo Daily Journal (Calif.), March 9, 2022

Sacramento officials request that water users voluntarily conserve 15% since measurable rain last fell on Jan. 7, over two months ago. The city also offers rebates of up to $1,500 for homeowners who replace their grass. KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento (Calif.), March 10, 2022