Even the mighty Mississippi River is feeling low amid what the National Climatic Data Center reported Monday is the largest drought since the 1950s.
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The center said about 55% of the country was in at least moderate short-term drought in June for the first time since December 1956, when 58% of the country was in a moderate to extreme drought.
The hot, dry weather in June, which ranked as the third-driest month nationally in at least 118 years, according to the center, made the problem worse. The portion of the country suffering from severe to extreme short-term drought dramatically expanded in June, up to nearly 33% from 23% the month before.
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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called it a "natural disaster of epic proportions."
"We've never see a drought like this and we have to make sure we do something about it," he said, calling on Congress to expedite passage of the farm bill. Quinn said seven more counties will be designated Monday as disaster areas, in addition to 26 already on the list, and farmers can apply for federal relief funds.
In Arkansas -- where the National Drought Mitigation Center reported that ranchers are having to haul water for cattle because ponds have dried out and wells can't keep up with demands -- 83-year-old retired farmer Don Hudson said this is about the worst he's ever seen it.
"It's very brown right now, ain't no grass at all," he said. "We're still feeding hay because the cows aren't even going out to graze."
In all, 71% of the country was classified as abnormally dry or worse as of June, the climate agency said, citing data from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska.
That's double one year ago, according to agency statistics.
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The worst-hit areas are the southern to central Rockies, the central Plains states and the Ohio Valley, the National Climatic Data Center said.
2 comments:
Been getting enough rain here the last week that I'm gonna have to mow again. The corn isn't going to be a total loss like south and west and the soybeans are looking downright healthy.
Well since big defense has dried up a little bit thereabouts, it's good to hear that real economic production out in those crop fields continues unabated!
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