Posted on 03/16/2002 9:02:56 AM PST by survivalforum.com
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A severe drought on the U.S. East Coast and in the West will worsen during the coming months because light winter snowfall and early spring rains will not be enough to replenish water supplies, U.S. government weather forecasters said on Thursday...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said spring rain will be close to normal in the East and portions of the West. But much more is needed to alleviate a drought that has lasted as long as four years in some areas, hitting crop production and increasing the possibility of damaging wildfires and some higher electricity prices.
Spring officially begins on Wednesday.
"The drought in some areas will worsen as we move into the warmer months when demand for water is greatest," NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said at a briefing to unveil the agency's spring weather outlook. "We don't see the water levels returning to normal any time soon."
Government data shows the United States is about to end the 14th driest winter since record keeping began more than a century ago. In February, severe to extreme drought conditions existed in about 20 percent of the contiguous United States...
GLOOM AND DOOM
The season was the driest on record for New Jersey, Maryland and South Dakota. Precipitation levels also were "significantly" below in 27 other states along the coast from Maine to Florida.
New York City's water reservoir storage is 50 percent below normal. And Washington, D.C., has a 13-inch rainfall deficit for the September-to-February period. Several states along the Eastern Seaboard have recently declared emergencies and urged residents to conserve water.
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