The Seven States Running Out Of Water

24/7 Wall Street ^ | 3/21/13

[EBH]

The United States is in the midst of one of the biggest droughts in recent memory. At last count, over half of the lower 48 states had abnormally dry conditions and are suffering from at least moderate drought....

...U.S. Department of Agriculture meteorologist and Drought Monitor team member, Brad Rippey, explained that when the drought began in 2012, the worst of the conditions were much farther east, in states like Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan — the corn belt states. Based on pre-drought estimates, corn used for grain lost slightly more than a quarter of its potential. By the Summer of 2012, 59% of U.S. rangeland and pastureland was rated by the USDA as being in poor or very poor condition. The growing drought decimated national hay production, causing feed shortages, which in turn drove up prices in livestock.

By the fall of 2012, drought conditions continued to expand westward to its current epicenter — states like Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma. Rippey explained that most worrying is the drought’s effects on the winter wheat crop, which is one of the biggest crops grown in the U.S., and which is grown almost entirely in the states in severe drought. While the region has had some precipitation recently, “winter wheat crop will need ideal conditions heading through the next few weeks just to break even. Rippey said....

In addition to severe drought conditions, relatively large areas in the worst-off states are in “exceptional” drought, which the USDA identifies as “exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses, shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies.” More than 70% of Nebraska is currently classified as being in a state of “exceptional drought,” which includes Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies....

[EBH]

Drought...then famine>>>>?

Drought as bad or worse then the 1950's....

[Bubba_Leroy]

I don’t think they are counting the droughts in the 1950s or 1930s as “recent memory.”

[EBH]

Did you bother to click through and read the article...? The last time the U.S. saw a drought close to this level of severity was in the 1980s, Rippey explained. But even compared to that drought, the current conditions may be worse. “You really need to go back to the 1950s to find a drought that lasted and occupied at least as much territory,” Rippey said.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Here’s a suggestion: stop using water to grow food for fuel. You’ll save water, money, food, and energy.

[Sequoyah101]

The farm is in Eastern Oklahoma and it is horrible. I’d hate to see worse. SE Texas is worse than people may think. Shocked to not see Texas listed.

People tried drilling in winter forage but it was like trying to scratch rock. Pasture drills went way up last fall. I suspect there will be a lot on the market soon. Ditto for farms and even more cows. Not just a forage problem but now a drinking water problem. Ponds are drying up completely in lots of places. No runoff.

I was around in the 50’s and I’d say this is worse. It just seems to drag on and on and on. I think in 57-58 the floods finally came.

[okie01]

I don’t think they are counting the droughts in the 1950s or 1930s as “recent memory.”

Probably not. But both were worse.

Clue: The Great Plains experience a dry period every 20 years-or-so -- see 1930s, 1950s, 1990s and 2010s. In the 1970s, it was a relatively mild droughts, but we were consumed by the "New Ice Age".

There is a cyclical pattern in there somewhere...

And it generally conforms to the 22-yr sunspot cycle...

[Tijeras_Slim]

It just seems to drag on and on and on.

There's a lot of that feeling to go around these days.

[EBH]

I am in North East Ohio...big lake out there ya’ know...

So feeling the water pinch is really just a matter of how much your want to pay. Folks who grow backyard plots here will be OK, but the bigger farms it is gonna hurt.

Hopefully a few more FReepers will weigh in on their conditons.

It does though make me chuckle to think the sewar district now charges us for water run-off. Well...what run-off?

[SparkyBass]

Living in San Diego for 18 years I would hear about “persistent drought conditions” over and over. I had to wonder when does it cease being a drought and finally become “normal weather conditions”? :)

Now I’m in AZ and the silliness persists. “Drought!” It’s a desert, fercryinoutloud!

[familyop]

Much of the winter wheat crop is further north of those states, and that’s only winter wheat. Besides, the drought is easing up some in Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Tourism is what the folks sucking on debt are really worried about.

Here’s a map of the drought forecast (link below). See Colorado, for example.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html

See fire bans, no campfires, no charcoal grills, no recreational firearms discharges, reservoirs drained, new gun control laws like those in the northeastern states, legalization of marijuana, more revenues from arrests, regulations prohibiting private property rights, environmentalism, homosexual “marriage,” animal worship, etc.

Add the bone dry landscape, more smoke in the air from forest fires (mostly touched off by lightning without rain), and sand storms. Add the trend toward much colder weather. Ever wonder if many people actually pray for more drought in some areas? If not, see some residents robbed of all that they have with the recent outlawing of so many healthy, productive activities.

[SgtHooper]

“Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan — the corn belt states.”

Are you freakin kidding me? Missing just a few of the big producers like Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I was around in the 50’s and I’d say this is worse. It just seems to drag on and on and on. I think in 57-58 the floods finally came.

Thanks for the personal perspective. Always valuable.

[SVTCobra03]

2013 Long-Range Weather Forecast for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

http://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/OK/Oklahoma%20City

[SgtHooper]

Live up-ere, too. You prolly heard that the electric company is upping is prices because too many people are conserving power by way of green tech and just plain using less. Stupid ba$tard$ hafta pay their salaries and retirement bennies.

[cripplecreek]

We had the worst drought I’ve seen last year here in southern Michigan but we aren’t exactly turning into a desert.

I just read that we’re about an inch and a half below normal precip for the first 3 months of the year.

[MachIV]

And to significantly aggravate the problem, you have significant numbers of people moving to Texas from other parts of the country(and south of the border) with all the extra water needs.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Not a problem.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Did you bother to click through and read the article...?

Yes, I read the article. Did you bother to read my post?

The article began with the line, "The United States is in the midst of one of the biggest droughts in recent memory."

You then posted, Drought as bad or worse then [sic] the 1950's....

I responded by pointing out, I don’t think they are counting the droughts in the 1950s or 1930s [which they did not mention in the article] as “recent memory.” What about my response are you disputing?

Basically, the article buried the lede. The fact is that most of the U.S. has experienced a comparable drought every 20 to 30 years throughout recorded history. Before the droughts of the 1950s and 1930s, there were major droughts in the 1890s, the 1870s and the 1850s.

[Jay Redhawk]

I hope that forecast is correct because OKC will likely be in a world of hurt if it does not rain this spring. The backup water source, Canton Lake, has nearly been drained, and without rain all OKC will have left is the treatment plant discharge from Ft. Supply and Woodward to drink from. Unless of course that dries up before it can get down there.