drought

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USDA Declares Biggest Disaster Ever

One-third of America's counties now natural-disaster areas

(Newser) - It's a confirmation of just how brutal this season has been: The US Department of Agriculture yesterday declared the biggest disaster in its history, identifying 1,016 counties in 26 states as natural-disaster areas. That covers about a third of America's counties, notes Bloomberg . The apocalyptic-sounding declaration brings...

More than Half of US in Drought

Conditions meet definition in 56% of continental US

(Newser) - Two stats of note to drive home just how hot it has been and continues to be:
  • Parched earth: Drought conditions now exist in 56% of the continental US, the biggest percentage in the 12 years that records have been kept by the weekly Drought Monitor, reports MSNBC . The heat
...

Bad News for Food Prices as Corn Crop Shrivels

This was supposed to be the best harvest in generations

(Newser) - This year saw the largest corn planting in 75 years, and only two months ago, experts predicted a record corn harvest that would send food prices downward. But those high hopes have given way to murmurs about the drought of 1988 ... and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Portions of...

All Over US, Fireworks Axed Due to Heat

They're banned in scores of communities, particularly in the West

(Newser) - The red glare of rockets will be missing from scores of Independence Day celebrations tonight, Reuters finds. Dry conditions and record-breaking heat have turned much of America into a tinderbox and caused many communities—particularly those in the West—to cancel their annual fireworks displays. "All it would take...

Much of US Choked by Drought

61% of lower 48 suffering drought-like conditions

(Newser) - Last year, dry conditions cost Southern farmers some $10 billion, and once again, things are looking bleak. Some 61% of the lower 48 states is experiencing drought or "abnormally dry" weather—the biggest proportion of the country since September 2007, USA Today reports. Just two states have completely escaped...

Weapon of the Future: Water

 Weapon of the Future: Water 
in case you missed it
Mar 25, 2012 6:11 PM CDT

Weapon of the Future: Water

US intelligence fears 'water-based state conflict' in not-so-distant future

(Newser) - Soon, the precious commodity that starts wars may not be oil: It'll be water. Thanks to fresh-water shortages, droughts, and floods, US intelligence thinks it's increasingly likely that water could be "used as a weapon" in war, with one state denying water to another, according to a...

Monsanto Tests Biotech Corn Resistant to Drought

It could be available commercially next year

(Newser) - Seed giant Monsanto plans large-scale tests this year of the first government-approved biotech crop developed to deal with drought. The new corn is being introduced as much of the US remains abnormally dry and areas in the South and Southwest still face severe drought. The company plans farm trials from...

California Facing Driest Year on Record

Lack of snow not a problem, water manager says

(Newser) - The snow that provides around a third of California's water has largely gone AWOL this year, and with rain also noticeably scant, experts believe the state may be about to experience its driest year since records began. The temperature pattern known as La Niña, combined with a strong...

Melting Peru Glaciers Threaten Water Crisis

Water is in decline 20 to 30 years earlier than expected

(Newser) - Peru’s arid Rio Santa watershed could find itself facing a serious water shortage, as rapidly melting glaciers are causing a decrease in supply 20 to 30 years earlier than anticipated. The glaciers in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which covered some 530 square miles in the 1930s, now cover...

Thanks for Nothing: Pecan Prices Up 22%

Blame China, droughts for soaring cost of Thanksgiving staple

(Newser) - For those who can't face Thanksgiving without pecan pie, you're going to pay dearly for the privilege this year: the price tag on the tasty dessert is up by 22%, reports CNN . Sure, core inflation is a low 2% , but food prices are on the rise, and pecans...

Island Nation's Water to Run Out in Days

Australia, New Zealand join forces to help Tuvalu

(Newser) - As a drought continues to ravage Tuvalu , only a few days' supply of fresh water remains on the tiny Pacific island nation—so Australia and New Zealand are bringing over a desalination plant. Air force planes from both countries are hauling the gear to rescue Tuvalu's residents, who face...

Drought Hits Crisis Level in Pacific Islands

Little or no rain in six months on Tuvalu, Tokelau

(Newser) - Some island groups in the South Pacific, already in danger of being swamped by rising seas, have run out of fresh water. Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared states of emergency because of the water crisis, caused by six months of low or no rainfall and by groundwater becoming contaminated with...

Texas Bastrop Wildfire Burns 500 Homes
 Texas Wildfire Is 'Worst Ever' 
Sep 6, 2011 7:48 AM CDT

Texas Wildfire Is 'Worst Ever'

Nearly 500 homes destroyed; 3.5M acres charred this year

(Newser) - Wildfires continued to ravage Central Texas yesterday as firefighters battled the most devastating single fire in Texas history, the Los Angeles Times reports. As of yesterday, 476 homes had been destroyed in Bastrop County, east of Austin; firefighters battled the flames as they tore through thousands of acres. With 40...

Somalia Famine Could Kill 750K: UN

12M in the region are in need of food aid

(Newser) - The news out of Somalia continues to grow more dismal: Today the UN announced that the drought coursing through East Africa is expected to worsen, and could claim as many as 750,000 lives in Somalia. The UN declared the Bay region a famine zone, making it the sixth area...

African Union Steps Up to Help Drought Victims

Donors conference pledges $356M

(Newser) - An African donors conference set up by the African Union has pledged $356 million to help alleviate the suffering of the 12 million hit by the drought battering the Horn of Africa. The lion’s share of that sum, $300 million, will come from the African Development Bank, with other...

Okla.&#39;s July Was Hottest US Month on Record
 Okla.'s July 
 Was Hottest 
 US Month 
 on Record 
AVERAGE TEMP: 89.1
Aug 8, 2011 5:29 PM CDT

Okla.'s July Was Hottest US Month on Record

Texas also set its own record for hottest July

(Newser) - Sweltering may have reached a new record last month, as Oklahoma racked up the country's highest monthly average temperature ever. That's the highest average temperature, for any month, for any state, associate Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus said. According to automated weather recording instruments, the state's average...

Starving Somalia to Get Famine Designation

UN agencies poised to add 'humanitarian catastrophe' label

(Newser) - Drought and food shortages have gotten so bad in southern Somalia that the UN is almost certain to upgrade the situation from a “humanitarian emergency” to a “famine/humanitarian catastrophe,” sources tell the Telegraph . “It’s 99% certain that tomorrow we will have to declare a full...

UN Aid Flows at Last to Parched Somalia

Al-Shabab militants allow aid groups in for first time in 2 years

(Newser) - UN aid groups have finally begun delivering supplies to areas controlled by islamist militants in Somalia, as the Horn of Africa faces its worst drought in 60 years, reports the BBC . Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, banned international aid groups two years ago, but tens of thousands of refugees streaming...

African Food Crisis: 4.5 Million People Need Food, Ethiopia Says
 Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid 
Jul 11, 2011 9:22 AM CDT

Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid

$400M, or 380 tons of food, needed in Eastern Africa

(Newser) - An estimated 4.5 million Ethiopians are in need of food assistance, says a government official—an increase of 40%. Nearly $400 million is needed to fill the country's food gap, adds Ethiopia's state minister of agriculture, who says Ethiopia needs to distribute 380 metric tons of food....

Ahmadinejad: Europe Stealing Our Rain

West using 'special equipment' on clouds to cause droughts

(Newser) - Conspiracy theorist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at it again: He says Europe is hijacking Iran's rainclouds. "Western countries have designed plans to cause drought in certain areas of the world, including Iran," the state news agency quoted him as saying at the inauguration of a dam. "...

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