B-Rent Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 For Indiana specifically...80% of the state in severe drought, nearing 30% in extreme drought conditions. Saw a news article yesterday, stating Morse Res. just north of Indy (part of Indy's water supply) has 20 days of water left, before it reaches emergency levels. When it reaches those levels, they say its likely unable to recharge for next summer. Right now its 4 feet below normal, and they are pulling a foot out every 5 days. Some coves can be walked across. Many swimming beaches and public docks across the state are closed too due to the low water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowlord81 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Saw a news article yesterday, stating Morse Res. just north of Indy (part of Indy's water supply) has 20 days of water left, before it reaches emergency levels. When it reaches those levels, they say its likely unable to recharge for next summer. Right now its 4 feet below normal, and they are pulling a foot out every 5 days. Some coves can be walked across. Many swimming beaches and public docks across the state are closed too due to the low water. I drive over the bridge everyday to get to work and its lower and lower everyday. The coves I drive by are dried up and cracked. Never seen it like this before but was told that back around 1998 it got pretty bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I quickly ran the numbers for the driest Summers on record for Indiana to see what followed in Fall and Winter. This based off the top 20 such driest Summers on record...and whether the season was above or below, was versus the longterm average. 11 of the following Falls had below average precipitation, so close to a 50/50 proposition. 14 of the following Winters had below average precipitation. Uh, yeah. Interestingly, the Summer of 1936, the driest on record for Indiana, was followed by the 13th wettest Fall (13.04") and the 2nd wettest Winter on record (14.29"). Might be a stretch with my findings, especially looking relatively far out, but we'll see how things go. No matter, the current state of affairs is no good for agricultural concerns, etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geos Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 More low percentile streamflows appearing in the region as we get deeper into this drought. The White River at Noblesville is at 3.8% of normal right now! http://waterwatch.us.../?id=ww_current Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The crop engineering is better nowadays (even compared to a relatively recent event like 1988) but eventually the extreme lack of rain takes its toll. I've read some stories of some farmers mowing their fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 1988 a popular theme, so a comparison of that year and 2012 at LAF, beginning in March. Monthly precipitation totals and (days with measurable precipitation, 0.01" or greater). March 1988: 2.58" (13 days) 2012: 1.92" (8 days) April 1988: 2.46" (9 days) 2012: 2.29" (7 days) May 1988: 0.99" (6 days) 2012: 2.99" (7 days) June 1988: 0.29" (2 days) 2012*: 0.81" (6 days) July 1988 (thru 7/12): 1.12" (1 day) 2012* (thru 7/12): 0.01" (1 day) March 1 through July 12 1988: 7.44" (31 days) 2012: 8.02" (29 days) *indicates missing data July 1988 total precipitation/days: 3.53" (6 days) August 1988 total precipitation/days: 3.82" (9 days) September 1988 total precipitation/days: 2.58" (7 days) October 1988 total precipitation/days: 3.72" (11 days) November 1988 total precipitation/days: 4.49" (13 days) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geos Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 WGN had a segment on the drought tonight saying Kane, Kendall, Lake & McHenry are the worst off agriculturally in northern IL. Farmers are saying if rain doesn't come in the next 48 hours most of the corn crop will be a lose. Beans have a little longer, but not that much in most cases. Farmers are already talking about plowing/cutting their fields down starting next week! Driving around here, I couldn't even spot a corn cob starting to form today. The plants may look green from a far, but close up the leaves are curled up and yellow and dried, especially lower down on the plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclone77 Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 More low percentile streamflows appearing in the region as we get deeper into this drought. The White River at Noblesville is at 3.8% of normal right now! http://waterwatch.us.../?id=ww_current I drove over the Rock River on the way home tonight and noticed it was probably the lowest I've seen since I've lived out here. The Rock basin starts in far southern Wisconsin and far northern Illinois, so it's no surprise it's so low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Per the Indianapolis NWS for Indianapolis... Total rainfall at the airport for the 42-day period from June 1-July 12 will remain a meager 0.09 inches. The only longer dry spell was the 45-day period from August 13-September 26, 1908 when the Indianapolis area measured only 0.09 inches of rainfall. The record 39-day stretch without measurable rainfall occurred during this time. The consecutive day streak without measurable precipitation currently stands at 13 days (June 30-July 12). If not for the 0.04" that fell on June 29, the streak would've been 38 days through yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Rent Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 More low percentile streamflows appearing in the region as we get deeper into this drought. The White River at Noblesville is at 3.8% of normal right now! http://waterwatch.us.../?id=ww_current The river itself is nearly covered with algae at the bridge just down from my house. I'm not sure if thats another water source for Indy or not, but I think things will be getting serious there soon with out significant rainfall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewers Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 The Root River in Racine is getting dangerously close to the record low level set in 1988 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powerball Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I like to look at the Soil Moisture maps to get an idea of future drought development. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMADreamer Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I can tell you as someone whose family farms, that it's very bad here in Western Illinois. We won't plow our crops under but there will be little to harvest. My Dad walked some fields this week and did some math and he's figuring 60bu/acre at best for corn compared to 180-200bu/acre in a normal year. Even last year which wasn't great by any standard we averaged 200bu/acre over the farm. The soybeans still have some time. We have about another week of window for a rain and they could do ok. The second biggest concern with beans are bugs. Bugs that normally would stay on the road sides and eat the weeds there are moving to the beans because the ditches are all dried out. Thankfully our wheat crop was stellar this year because it's going to get us through. Our corn is still pretty green even though it's not going to yield because we farm on good black dirt in the Mississippi River bottoms but some of the neighbors on sandy soil have an awful mess. Their corn looks like it's early October. I know alot of the country hates farmers and runs us down all the time but it's going to be a pretty bad year for us this year. I hope those same people that constantly run down farmers realize what this drought is going to do to the food supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeye Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 I can tell you as someone whose family farms, that it's very bad here in Western Illinois. We won't plow our crops under but there will be little to harvest. My Dad walked some fields this week and did some math and he's figuring 60bu/acre at best for corn compared to 180-200bu/acre in a normal year. Even last year which wasn't great by any standard we averaged 200bu/acre over the farm. The soybeans still have some time. We have about another week of window for a rain and they could do ok. The second biggest concern with beans are bugs. Bugs that normally would stay on the road sides and eat the weeds there are moving to the beans because the ditches are all dried out. Thankfully our wheat crop was stellar this year because it's going to get us through. Our corn is still pretty green even though it's not going to yield because we farm on good black dirt in the Mississippi River bottoms but some of the neighbors on sandy soil have an awful mess. Their corn looks like it's early October. I know alot of the country hates farmers and runs us down all the time but it's going to be a pretty bad year for us this year. I hope those same people that constantly run down farmers realize what this drought is going to do to the food supply. This morning I drove by a field of crops thinking, hmmm what the hell are those? Then I realized it was corn but the leaves were so tightly rolled up I didn't recognize the plants. I don't know much about this stuff, but I've never seen that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddylonglegs Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Buckeye...they start to look like pineapples... U got to feel bad for this guy...that is a lot of clams: Harvey Kopp tells the State Journal his losses on 900 acres of field corn and 400 acres of sweet corn near Beloit and Albany could climb above $750,000 is it doesn’t rain soon. Kopp does not have crop insurance. http://lacrossetribu...1a4bcf887a.html My brother's leased out about 10 acres of corn this year that they have (land north of here that has had rain). I told them in the past to just plant it themselves (they have access to the equipment) and make some money...150bu/acre x 10 acres...corn hits 8 or 9 or $10 a bushel...talking some serious money. Someday they'll learn. Another thing that sucks about all of this is that ag products are a huge export for the US. China and many other nations buy a huge amount of grain/beef/pork/etc from us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boogieman Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Okay, here's some "hmmmm" bait... I watched a cell pop up a while ago on Intellicast radar roughly around Allegan, MI. It moved NNE and built to red over a decent area and tracked right over my father-in-law's house north of Hopkins. He said there was absolutely no rain there. Is their radar just whack or is that much moisture actually evaporating before it hits the ground? Edit: <<< That little temp widget says it 94 all the time. I think it's borked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Mandatory watering ban with limited exceptions is now in effect in Indianapolis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Rent Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Mandatory watering ban with limited exceptions is now in effect in Indianapolis. From Fox59.com : There will be no warnings. The city will issue $100 fines to first-time offenders.Code Enforcement will be out early and late keeping an eye out for people watering their lawns and businesses running large sprinkler systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman1952 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Okay, here's some "hmmmm" bait... I watched a cell pop up a while ago on Intellicast radar roughly around Allegan, MI. It moved NNE and built to red over a decent area and tracked right over my father-in-law's house north of Hopkins. He said there was absolutely no rain there. Is their radar just whack or is that much moisture actually evaporating before it hits the ground? Edit: <<< That little temp widget says it 94 all the time. I think it's borked! I don't know what would cause that. I have my fingers crossed the cells to my west get to me here in Saginaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 0.09" since June 1st, through today, at IND. A span of 44 days. 6.38" below normal in that timeframe. Pretty remarkable...and only going to get worse it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geos Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 The Root River in Racine is getting dangerously close to the record low level set in 1988 I do water quality monitoring on the Root and I saw it last weekend near the Memorial St. Bridge. It's as low as I ever remember it. Water quality, at least before the rain, was pretty poor. Probably slightly better especially near the lake where it has rained more, but probably no better than fair condition. I expect once it heats up on Monday, the quality will go down again. Looks like the Root River reached 0.00 discharge in 1988! http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv?site_no=04087240 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewers Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I do water quality monitoring on the Root and I saw it last weekend near the Memorial St. Bridge. It's as low as I ever remember it. Water quality, at least before the rain, was pretty poor. Probably slightly better especially near the lake where it has rained more, but probably no better than fair condition. I expect once it heats up on Monday, the quality will go down again. Looks like the Root River reached 0.00 discharge in 1988! http://waterdata.usg...ite_no=04087240 I also cant remember seeing it this low, especially as it winds it ways through the city it looks like a small stream in some places. Its crazy that in the last 5 years I've been able to see such extremes in the water level, from record high to almost record low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 IND sitting at 0.09" since the start of meteorological Summer. With little to no hope for rainfall in the near future, and as we're almost to the midpoint of July, a look at the driest combined June-Julys for Indianapolis (since 1871). 0.09" in 2012 (through July 14) 2.45" in 1930 2.78" in 1940 3.08" in 1991 3.41" in 1967 3.55" in 1954 3.58" in 1936 3.66" in 1922 3.67" in 1908 3.85" in 1893 3.86" in 1887 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 IND sitting at 0.09" since the start of meteorological Summer. With little to no hope for rainfall in the near future, and as we're almost to the midpoint of July, a look at the driest combined June-Julys for Indianapolis (since 1871). 0.09" in 2012 (through July 14) 2.45" in 1930 2.78" in 1940 3.08" in 1991 3.41" in 1967 3.55" in 1954 3.58" in 1936 3.66" in 1922 3.67" in 1908 3.85" in 1893 3.86" in 1887 Obviously you can get widely varying amounts with convection but man, that record has a chance to be beat by a wide margin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago WX Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Obviously you can get widely varying amounts with convection but man, that record has a chance to be beat by a wide margin. Yeah it does. To get a little crazy, and it is considering we're only half way home and the future is never certain, but the driest Summers on record for Indianapolis. 4.46" in 1893 4.53" in 1930 5.30" in 1966 5.34" in 1908 5.69" in 1940 5.71" in 1911 5.71" in 1881 5.79" in 1967 6.07" in 1936 6.11" in 1922 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWXwx Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Other than '66-'67, those are some old records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/us/us-drought/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWXwx Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 CPC 8 -14 day --- not looking good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 The six to ten isn't pretty, either Rough summer for farmers. Last year the horrible floods caused problems - now extreme drought. They can't win. One for the books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeauDodson Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Some comparisons - now that the June maps are in. These maps vary from month to month (during drought years). Some of the droughts were early and middle season droughts - others were middle/late season droughts. 2012 1954 1956 1988 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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