Posted on 03/10/2021 9:44:35 AM PST by blam
Fears Of A ”Return Of The 1930s Dust Bowl” Rise As Record Drought Sizzles Southwest
The United States Drought Monitor publishes weekly data that shows the Western U.S. is in a historic drought.
The latest Drought Monitor map shows for Mar. 4, “Dry conditions dominated much of the West and especially the Southwest and into the Plains.”
Extreme to exceptional drought conditions are seen across 57% and 90% of the land in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, and diminishing snowpack could jeopardize drinking water for tens of millions of people from Denver to Los Angeles.
The drought developed last summer following a dry spring. Since then, conditions have deteriorated and continue to worsen to “the most severe on record in the Southwest,” according to WSJ.
Utah and Nevada recorded their driest years in more than 126 years in 2020, while Arizona and Colorado had their second driest and New Mexico its fourth. The Southwest, plagued with “severe,” “extreme,” and “exceptional” drought conditions, suggests similarities to the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl of the 1930s (read: “Return Of The Dust Bowl? The “Megadrought” In The Southwest Is Really Starting To Escalate”)(Posted to FR august 2020 by FReeper Roman__War_Criminal).
“Nearly a quarter of the area was in the worst drought category, an event with a probability frequency of once every 50 to 100 years,” according to WaPo.
Gary Esslinger, treasurer-manager of the district in Las Cruces, New Mexico, told WSJ that his area’s conditions are absolutely “horrific.” He said at least 33% of the 6,500 farmers in his region had taken offline 90,640 irrigable acres out of production from previous drought years.
New Mexico State Engineer John D’Antonio Jr. has requested farmers not to plant this year due to dangerously low levels at the state’s reservoirs.
Meteorologists at private weather forecaster BAWMX show no sign of relief for the Southwest in terms of precipitation for the next two weeks.
(snip)
John F’n Kerry is getting a little chub in his pants. He loves “climate emergencies”.
Won’t happen. Something they never talk about is the dust bowl was created by the government subsidizing the price of wheat/grain and encouraging the planting of every available acre and then failing to buy that grain when the war ended.
There are actually fewer acres planted now than then and the practices are superior to then.
That ain’t exactly farm land.
Except no one is moving to California this time...
Droughts do happen. The Sahara has had a drought for 7000 years.
Yes, as you just said, with the benefit of hindsight, very stupid agricultural practices that made perfect sense according to the conventional wisdom of the day caused the dust bowl.
Of course now, 90 years later, despicable people gotta fear monger.
So,from the map, the weather is dry in the Mohave Desert, the Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert. I can see why everyone would be shocked. I expect to see tropical rain forests in the desert. Because I’m a global warming expert. Now, where is my federal grant?
California should be fine as soon as they finish tearing down all the Dams and Hydro Electric
My guess things stay dry till the aug monsoon via sea of Cortez. Meanwhile in the ebb and flow of things we seem way above usual in rain in the east. Just the normal flow of climate. Wake me when I can swim the Sahara.
Isn’t most of the area they have highlighted desert?
OMG - extreme weather is occurring somewhere!
Oops. I missed that the dry area extends into the Great Salt Lake desert, as well. If the deserts are dry, that’s proof of global warming.
OMIGAWD! OMIGAWD! OMIGAWD!
The remake of The Grapes of Wrath will feature Mexicans fleeing drought instead of Okies.
Women and lizards hit hardest...
There was similar drought back around 2003; eventually the rain came back.
Odds are it will this time, too.
The map is cut off, which makes me curious why they stopped there. In terms of the bright red....if you drive through (I’ve done a dozen trips through this region over the years), is NOT an area that I’d waste time or effort on farming.
The lighter red? Slightly different story. A lot of this area in Col and Montana would be cattle range area. I might be concerned over that trend.
That yellow area over eastern Washington/Oregon? I’d be concerned to some degree if the trend continues on.
The last US megadrought was in th 16th century, or about 500 years ago. We have been very lucky since America was founded. We have had excellent living conditions in all ways, despite the occassional hurricane, tornado, or earthquake.
If we get a 40-year long drought today, it is going to devestate us. We can’t build de-salination plants and bring them online that quickly. There would be severe widespread pain.
The migration is to Florida and Texas now....
Even “Silicon Valley” is considering relocation from California. Nobody knows the way to San Jose any more.
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