Drought Areas You May Not Have Heard About

When you hear about drought, you think first of California.  For years we have been fighting drought conditions.  No matter what we do solve the water problem, it doesn't seem to work.  Governor Brown put limits on water usage and they worked.  Why, then, did they lift restrictions, just when things were getting better.  Now we're back to a drought situation again in California.  The reality is, there are many more areas of the country facing serious drought and we don't even realize it.

Dry conditions in the Northeast have created drought conditions.  Almost 10% of the state of New York is now in extreme drought, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor.  Extreme drought conditions also expanded in New Hampshire, up double digits.  Temperatures have been one to five degrees above normal in the Northeast.  The benefit to farmers is that peaches and other produce love heat, and the hot weather over the summer has produced better crops for farmers.

Other areas of the U.S. that are facing drought like conditions that didn't in the past, are portions of the Southeast and the northern High Plains.  I hear about rain in the south, southeast and north, and tremendous flooding, and don't think the U.S. could possibly have drought conditions there, but they do.  We on the west coast are not alone.  It's either feast or famine.  We should all embrace the fact that climate change is real, and work to prevent more severe weather from occurring in the future, if that's possible.  Florida is one area that must be dealt with.  If not, much of Miami will be under water in the not too distant future.