Hearing a lot about drought this year? Through the end of July, 80% of the contiguous United States was considered at least abnormally dry. The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln compiles the weekly US Drought Monitor, ” a synthesis of multiple indices and impacts, that represents a consensus of federal and academic scientists.” You can drill down by region, and then by state, to see how dry your area may be.
And dry we are in 2012. 83% of the Midwest is considered at least abnormally dry, 70% at least moderate drought, 55% severe, 31% extreme, and 5% exceptional. Its something that we’ve gone from severe flooding along the Ohio-Mississippi confluence to exceptional drought. Go figure.
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