Report: Global warming not a big factor in 2012 drought

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Natural climate variability the biggest player, scientists say

drought

Drought conditions persist across the central part of the country.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Last summer’s crippling Great Plains drought can’t definitively be linked with global warming, according to a team of federal scientists from various agencies. In a new report issued this week, the researchers said the drought was probably caused by a confluence of natural climate variations that might only come together in a similar constellation once a century.

Cyclical variations in ocean temperatures — especially the combination of a cooler-than-average Pacific Ocean and a warm phase of the North Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation may have nudged the region toward drought conditions, but those factors tend to be more of a factor in suppressing winter precipitation. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Drought, El Niño, global warming, La Niña, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Climate: Feds step up drought relief

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

New policies to help hard-hit agricultural areas

Heartland drought persists across the U.S.

By Summit Voice

The federal government has stepped up aid for drought-stricken parts of the country to help farmers and ranchers recover from the worst dry spell since the Dust Bowl of the1 930s.

The relief includes availability of about $16 million for financial and technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to immediately help crop and livestock producers, as well as making 1,000 credit unions eligible for a low-income designation, which permits unlimited lending to small-business owners including farmers.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture transfer of $14 million in unobligated program funds into the Emergency Conservation Program will assist in moving water to livestock in need, providing emergency forage for livestock, and rehabilitating lands severely impacted by the drought. (more…)

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Colorado: Denver records hottest-ever July

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

More warm temps ahead, according to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

New all-time high temperature average beats Dust Bowl reading by 1.1 degrees

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Temperature records continue to fall in Colorado, as July ended up being the hottest ever for Denver, breaking the previous record by 1.1 degrees, based on statistics going back to 1872.

The average temperature for the months was 78.9 degrees, topping the Dust Bowl-era record of 77.8 degrees set in 1934. (more…)

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Climate: U.S. drought reaching historic proportions

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Only Dust Bowl and 1950s saw worse conditions

Drought conditions, June, 2012.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY —With more than a third of the U.S. experiencing historically dry conditions during June, severe to extreme drought spread across a huge slice of the country, from Nevada through Utah and Colorado eastward all the way to Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Across the country, June was the third-driest in the 118-year record, and the month ranked among the top-10 driest for 11 states, including Wyoming, which reported its driest June ever.

Nationally, more of the U.S. is experiencing drought conditions than at any time in the last half century, and by some measures, the drought is approaching Dust Bowl proportions.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, 55 percent of the U.S. is in some stage of drought, “the largest percentage since December 1956, when 58 percent … was in moderate to extreme drought,” according to the NCDC’s monthly drought update. (more…)

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