A photo released by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is clearly showing the major impact of the ongoing California drought.
The photo shows two satellite pictures taken one year apart on January 13th. The first photo shows significant snow covering parts of the state and the second barely shows any snow covering.
The NOAA report with the photo says that the amount of snow cover in some areas is between 78 and 96 percent below normal.
The drought is so significant that the state’s Department of Water Resources says that summer water deliveries for farmers and cities under contract with the California State Water Project will receive less than 5% of their contracted amount.
The impact could devastate the farms of the state that account for 15 percent of the entire nation’s crop totals. In addition to the obvious issues of watering crops, the drier conditions allow for more frequent brush and wildfires that destroy large acres of vegetation.
The governor has the state under a state of emergency because of the drought.
Drought conditions are fueling a late fall forest fire raging in the Big Sur region of California.
Fire officials say the slow-moving blaze in Los Padres National Forest had burned around 770 acres by late Tuesday night and destroyed at least 14 homes. The fire was reported to be 20 percent contained.
Up to 650 firefighters are on site fighting the blaze and the weather has been favorable for stopping the fire’s spread. However, officials say a weather front moving in Wednesday could tip the scales in favor of the fire.
“It could possibly help us,” Los Padres National Forest spokesman Lynn Olson said. “It could possibly hurt us.”
The popular tourist area has been hit by wildfires in the past. A summer 2008 blaze forced the evacuation of the area and burned 250 square miles before it was contained including the destruction of a dozen homes.
Among the homes destroyed since Monday was the home of the Big Sur Fire Chief, Martha Karstens. She had lived in her home for 23 years when it was destroyed Monday night. Karstens said she was focusing on fighting the fire and functioning as a chief without thinking about her now destroyed home.
The government of Panama has ordered the closing of all schools in an attempt to help the country in the midst of a major power crisis connected to a national drought.
Nearly 60% of Panama’s power is generated through hydroelectric plants . The drought is causing significant problems for the plants as demand is far outpacing their ability to produce. The government has declared a drought emergency for over 1/3 of the country. Continue reading →
The entire north island of New Zealand has been hit with a drought the government is calling the worst in 30 years.
The capital, Wellington, is reported to have only 18 days of water supply left. The south island is feared to start feeling the effects of the drought very soon. Continue reading →
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 47 Arkansas counties, including Logan County, as disaster areas, making farmers and ranchers eligible for financial aid to recover from last summer’s drought, members of the state’s congressional delegation announced last Thursday. Continue reading →
Over the last year, residents of the Midwest have been reporting weather conditions that remind historians of the “Dust Bowl.”
Close to 62% of the United States remain in drought conditions and scientists are reporting that parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico are in “exceptional drought conditions.” Continue reading →
“We are entering a new era of rising food prices and spreading hunger. Food supplies are tightening everywhere and land is becoming the most sought-after commodity as the world shifts from an age of food abundance to one of scarcity. The geopolitics of food is fast overshadowing the geopolitics of oil.”
Those chilling words from Lester Brown of the Earth policy research center in Washington come as the United Nations is reporting that grain reserves worldwide have reached such a critical point that extreme weather in the United States or other major food exporting nations next year could cause a major hunger crisis. Continue reading →
The summer of unusually wet weather has created a large impact on British crops that is going to lead to heavy increases in food prices.
The National Farmers Union announced that wheat yields in the country are down almost 15% lower than the country’s five-year average. The British Retail Consortium said that food prices, already high due to the drought in the U.S. and a heatwave in Russia, which lowered corn and wheat production. Continue reading →
World food prices rose an average of 1.4% during September according to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization. The senior economist at the FAO stated that food prices are likely to remain high.
The fear of food shortages due to drought hitting grain crops in the US, Europe and Asia continued after the FAO stated they predict a 2.6% decrease in cereal production. The decrease is smaller than expected due to higher amounts of wheat and rice offsetting the loss of corn crops. Continue reading →
