Storms in the Forecast, is th Drought Over

From: Lance (observation)
Date: 08 Sep 2002
Time: 18:52:09
Remote Name: 66.82.48.1

Comments

We have been reviewing the recent set of storms and wonder are these helping ease the drought situation? After all there have been floods in many places. Intense thunder and rain storms as well as some tropical depression activity near the coast. Florida, TX and North Carolina have gotten a ton of this. Here are the drought predictions. Here is some of the latest data http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/CAMPAIGN_DOCS/atmospheric_dynamics/ad_images_dao_animations.html and as you can see these flooding storms and tropical depression precipitation is so heavy and concentrated that it does more harm than good, in destroying water retention facilities and crops than it does replenishing any important regions of drought. Also when you have big flooding you also get contaminated water problems such as overflowing sewer treatment facilities, dumps, animal waste pools and farm waste, and junkyard debris. In NJ they have had a bit of rain lately and they too are concerned people may believe that this has ended the drought, http://www.state.nj.us/dep/newsrel/releases/99_0104.htm NJ. In Washington they had a decent snow pack but certainly not enough to tell people they should not conserve, even with a El Nino year in the midst. El Nino is going to start late. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2001news/2001-060.html WA snow pack. In the last few years many have discussed the problems with hap hazard rainfall and public perception of the existence of droughts. I have been to probably some 50-60 large size lakes this year in many states and I can tell you that the average lake is down 30% or more, and even if these are get 5 inches in a five day storm it will not fill those lakes up, nor will it feel up the ground water underneath, underwater aquifers, or tributaries, all of which must be full before we can say, we have reached the end of the drought in any region. Thus we need to conserve and also conserve when they are full so they can last through the next drought. In Maine they had something to say recently; http://news.mainetoday.com/indepth/drought/020612drought.shtml Maine situation and rain fall last year and lessons learned. In Texas they has the Rain Modification Act which helps by making all those clouds let lose some water. http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/admin/topdoc/pd/020/99-03/weathermod.html . Sometimes it works too good. In our states in the west we will see El Nino, but during El Nino other places suffer which do not get their normal weather patterns such as Australia. http://www.atse.org.au/publications/focus/focus-zillman2.htm . The Australian people believe that pollution in the air is linked to the drought there and many might consider much of the hype over Global Warming to be the culprit. http://www.dar.csiro.au/news/2002/MR05.html . -------- In VA they are ending their drought season, but the USGS is not convinced anything is over. http://va.water.usgs.gov/drought/dsr_12-07-01.htm . It is important to go over at least a decade of data to discuss this is proper context and every new piece of data taken from here on out is of value. http://www.macroscan.com/fet/may00/fet160500RDA_Output_1.htm . The media has been discussing the rain fall and the years of drought and the amount of water w need to get whole, back to normal, now it is quite possible that we will never see those levels again and therefore must work to conserve while we search for answers and solutions. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/1999/w827fld.htm and http://www.watershed.interactive-environment.com/main/bulletin-display.php?bulletinID=4 and the government reports http://www.dnr.state.ga.us/dnr/environ/gaenviron_files/drought_files/EPDDroughtSum.pdf Is the drought over because we got some rain? Hell no; http://www.lcra.org/about/news/2001/01/over.html history shows the early calling off of droughts just before things really get tough. In Delaware they are talking about many other problems. http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/impacts/sealevel/delaware.html . --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- In other parts of the Country we are seeing the droughts lead to possible severe fires seasons to continue into 2005. http://www.crisp.nus.edu.sg/forest_fire/fire.html and we are not the only country that has to worry about such things; http://www.planetark.org/envpicstory.cfm/newsid/16808 . Look at all the problems that drought has caused and then the fires which have been bad this year and take lots of resources and water to fight. http://www.wildfirecentral.org/ . I hope everyone understands that conservation does not stop simply because it rained last month, this week or is forecasted for next week.

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