| Topic: |
Science > Prophecies-Of-Nostradamus |
| User: |
"Definitely a sick minority..." |
| Date: |
16 Mar 2006 07:18:16 PM |
| Object: |
***** AMERICA: Drought may worsen in U.S. Southwest, Plains--NOAA |
Drought may worsen in U.S. Southwest, Plains--NOAA
16 Mar 2006 19:37:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
Background TIPSHEET: Aid experts debunk post-disaster myths
MORE
(adds NOAA quotes, La Nina in paragraphs 3-8)
By Christopher Doering
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Drought that has shriveled crops and
sparked fires in bone-dry forests will persist and could even worsen
across the Southwest and central and southern Plains through at least
June, U.S. government forecasters said Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its spring
weather forecast that these regions, which have already seen thousands
of acres go up in flames, should brace for a "significant" wildfire
season in 2006 as conditions become more severe.
"We need to monitor this drought situation very closely," said David
Johnson, director of NOAA's National Weather Service division.
The return of La Nina, an unusual cooling of Pacific Ocean surface
temperatures which is the flip side of El Nino, could make the Atlantic
tropical storm season especially dangerous.
Indeed, some forecasters have already warned that the number of storms
may top the record set just last year.
La Nina developed during the winter and has contributed to the dryness
plaguing much of the southern United States.
"It's showing no signs of declining...and the odds that it's going to
last into late summer have gone up," said Ed O'Lenic, meteorologist
with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
He said La Nina tends to enhance weather "favorable to the development
of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic."
Last year was the busiest Atlantic hurricane season on record, with 27
named storms and 15 hurricanes. NOAA previously warned that the
hurricane season -- which typically peaks between Aug. 1 and late
October -- could be active again in 2006.
SEVERE DROUGHT TO LINGER
Severe drought is blanketing the Southwest into the southern Plains and
northward into Kansas. Heavy rains have eased dryness for now in
Illinois, Iowa and extending south to Arkansas.
But weather forecasters said "ongoing drought concerns may linger."
A scarcity of rain since last fall has parched hard red winter wheat
and dried up stock ponds and pastures in the southern Plains. A storm
expected to drop up to 2.5 inches of rain this weekend in the Great
Plains could be too late to save the winter wheat crop, government
forecasters said.
"It kind of remains to be seen how much recovery there will be in
wheat. Some of that wheat is getting to...frankly the point of no
return" said Brad Rippey, a USDA meteorologist.
"But for just about everything else including pre-planting moisture for
summer crops, pasture revival, wildfire control, the rain is nothing
but good," he added.
Improved soil moisture will bode well for U.S. soft red winter areas
while providing much-needed relief for corn and soybean crops later
this spring.
Spring also will bring above normal temperatures for the Southwest
eastward into the Southeast with cooler-than-normal conditions for the
northern Plains and northern Rockies.
Below-normal precipitation is expected for much of the central and
southern Plains, as well as the Southeast and Gulf Coast. Above normal
precipitation is favored across the northern Plains and Great Lakes
region.
.
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
