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Jun 29, 2012

'Extreme' drought grows

Jeff Caldwell
06/28/2012 @ 10:20am

Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine.

Drought conditions have gone from "severe" to "extreme" in several key areas in the last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the latest version of which was released Thursday morning.

The most noticeable expansion of the drought in the last week came in northern Indiana, southern Indiana and Illinois, Arkansas and western Kansas, all of which saw the "extreme" droughted areas expand. Parts of southern Illinois and Indiana and the Missouri Bootheel have some spots where the drought's reached the "exceptional" stage, the most severe level on the Drought Monitor's intensity scale.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/archive/20120626/pics/conus_dm_120626.jpg - full size

See more from the U.S. Drought Monitor
More weather notes: Scorching temps expand
Marketing Talk: Weather proverbs
Share your crop photos
More of the latest: Hot, hot, hot!

Though some minor improvements could change the color scheme of the Drought Monitor map next week, don't look for huge change, says Donald Keeney, senior ag meteorologist with MDA EarthSat Weather.

"The forecast for this week shows that some minor improvements will be possible across the north-central Midwest, mainly in Iowa, far northern Illinois, far northern Indiana, southern Wisconsin, and southern Michigan," Keeney says. "However, very warm and dry conditions will persist across the central and southwestern Midwest, central and southern Plains, and Delta through the next 10 days, and drought conditions will continue to intensify in these areas. Some slight improvement will be possible in the Southeast next week."

How hot is it around the country?

Temperature records are being blown out of the water by triple-digit readings from the Rocky Mountains to the mid-South. Readings of 100 degrees or more have been common in many points in the middle 1/3 of the U.S. Here are just a few of the sweltering records, according to MDA EarthSat Weather Travis Hartman:

High temperatures in Denver, Colorado, have exceeded 100 degrees in the last 5 days, setting a record for the number of consecutive days over the century mark.

In St. Louis, Missouri, an expected high temperature of 107 degrees later this week would break that city's all-time high temperature for June.

Chicago, Illinois, hasn't seen 100 degrees in 24 years, but that mark's expected to be surpassed this week.

The temperature hasn't surged past 100 degrees in Atlanta, Georgia, for nearly 6 decades, but temperatures up to 103 are expected for later this week. The last time the mercury climbed that high in Atlanta was in June 1886.

The temperature is expected to surge to 104 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee, over the weekend, tying that city's all-time record high.

Permaculture Design Techniques Can Help Minimize Impact Where Implemented...
See some examples -->  http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/06/beforeafter-examples-of-permaculture.html 

No human caused climate change... !!! give me a break deniers... (-: Monte Hines


Related Links:
http://www.permies.com/t/15670/meaningless-drivel/Extreme-drought-grows-Permaculture-Design#138581 
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

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