DeniseG
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DeniseG
@denisegutzmer.bsky.social
Keeping tabs on drought impacts for the National Drought Mitigation Center for 10+ years. Views are mine. Be kind.
Mastodon: @DeniseGutzmer@mindly.social
Squirrels are the leading cause of power outages in the Midwest, and it’s driving power companies nuts

A 2023 report from the American Public Power Association found that squirrels are the third leading cause of sustained power outages.

#squirrel 🐿️

nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news...
Squirrels are the leading cause of power outages in the Midwest, and it’s driving power companies nuts
On Oct. 8, 5,000 Grand Island residents experienced a five-minute power outage. The reason why? A squirrel had made its way into a substation. In the Midwest, squirrels are the number one cause of pow...
nebraskapublicmedia.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Your Thanksgiving turkey could be more expensive this year. And it's not just because of bird flu

Turkey prices tend to rise closer to holidays such as Thanksgiving. But tariffs and bird flu could dramatically drive up the cost of turkeys this year.

#turkey #tariff 🍗

www.kcur.org/environment-...
Your Thanksgiving turkey could be more expensive this year. And it's not just because of bird flu
Turkey prices tend to rise closer to holidays such as Thanksgiving. But tariffs and bird flu could dramatically drive up the cost of turkeys this year.
www.kcur.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Iran’s president warns Tehran may have to be evacuated amid worsening water crisis

Iranian President Pezeshkian has warned that the capital, Tehran, could face severe water shortages and may even have to be evacuated without rainfall soon.

#drought #Tehran
www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251107-ira...
Iran’s president warns Tehran may have to be evacuated amid worsening water crisis
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that the capital, Tehran, could face severe water shortages and may even have to be evacuated if rainfall does not occur soon. Speaking during a visit…
www.middleeastmonitor.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Beef costs put pressure on Texas Roadhouse

Sales and traffic continue to rise for the steak chain, but an unexpected rise in beef prices took a bite out of its bottom line. They’re expected to remain elevated for the foreseeable future.

#drought

www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/be...
Beef costs put pressure on Texas Roadhouse
Sales and traffic continue to rise for the steak chain, but an unexpected rise in beef prices took a bite out of its bottom line. They’re
www.restaurantbusinessonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Facing climate 'overshoot', world heads into risky territory

The spectre of humanity's failure to curb heat-trapping emissions hangs over climate negotiations in Brazil, after the UN confirmed the planet is now certain to "overshoot" 1.5C of warming.

#ClimateChange
www.france24.com/en/live-news...
Facing climate 'overshoot', world heads into risky territory
The spectre of humanity's failure to curb heat-trapping emissions hangs over climate negotiations in Brazil, after the UN confirmed the planet is now certain to "overshoot" 1.5C of warming and faces…
www.france24.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
California Surface Water Costs Triple During Drought

Drought in California pushes the price of water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs up by $487 per acre-foot, more than triple the cost during an average wet year.

#drought #water 🧪

www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news...
California Surface Water Costs Triple During Drought
UC Davis study shows surface water prices triple during drought while groundwater prices remain stable over time. It points to the need for joint surface and groundwater management.
www.ucdavis.edu
November 5, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Wildfires, rising temperatures imperil northern hemisphere forests, UN says

Record wildfires and rising temperatures are threatening decades of forest growth in the northern hemisphere, potentially turning vital carbon sinks into carbon emitters.

#forest #fire 🧪

www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:15 PM
New Study Reveals Source of Rain is Major Factor Behind Drought Risks for Farmers

UC San Diego–led research shows that understanding where rain comes from could reshape drought planning and land management across the globe.

#drought #droughtrisk #droughtplanning 🧪

today.ucsd.edu/story/new-st...
New Study Reveals Source of Rain is Major Factor Behind Drought Risks for Farmers
A new University of California San Diego study uncovers a hidden driver of global crop vulnerability: the origin of rainfall itself. Published in Nature Sustainability, the research traces atmospheric...
today.ucsd.edu
November 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
A new climate analysis released by AccuWeather has revealed a 2.7% decline in total annual precipitation across the contiguous United States since 1995. This equates to approximately a 1% decrease in rainfall per 11 years.

#precipitation #US #heavyrainfall 🧪

www.accuweather.com/en/climate/n...
New AccuWeather climate analysis reveals a 2.7% drop in US annual precipitation since 1995 while heavy flooding rainfall events have dramatically increased
A new climate analysis released by AccuWeather has revealed a decline in total annual precipitation across the contiguous United States since 1995.
www.accuweather.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for November 2025 shows above normal fire potential for parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas, and all of Delaware and Hawaii.

#fire #drought

www.nifc.gov/nicc-files/p...
November 3, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Iran could face massive crisis as water dries up in Tehran: state media

Tehran’s main reservoir is at 8% capacity, with officials warning it can only supply the city for two more weeks. The emergency is driven by a historic drought.

#drought #Tehran #Iran

en.royanews.tv/news/64647
Iran could face massive crisis as water dries up in Tehran: state media
Iran about to face massive crisis as drinking water could dry up
en.royanews.tv
November 3, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Fire, Not Deforestation, Is Now the Amazon’s Biggest Carbon Emitter

In 2010 and 2015, the Amazon endured record-breaking droughts and heat. Again in 2024, records were topped and the fire season was the worst in 20 yrs, with fires emitting more carbon than deforestation.

🧪
eos.org/articles/fir...
Fire, Not Deforestation, Is Now the Amazon’s Biggest Carbon Emitter - Eos
Forest degradation in the Amazon increased by 400% in 2024. It was largely driven by wildfires during the forest’s worst fire season in more than 20 years.
eos.org
November 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Halloween sunset
November 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The US Monthly Drought Outlook shows that drought may persist/develop (brown/yellow) in a large part of the West, swathes of the eastern US and Hawaii. It may improve/be removed (tan/green) in the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Northeast.

#drought 🧪

www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/exp...
October 31, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Indiana DNR says dry New Carlisle wells caused by drought instead of Amazon or GM/Samsung projects

New Carlisle-area neighbors can blame drought rather than AWS data centers or the GM/Samsung SDI EV battery plant going up nearby for the dry wells.

#drought

www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/l...
DNR says dry New Carlisle wells caused by drought instead of Amazon or GM/Samsung projects
Neighbors had complained about "dewatering" and tied it to the $14.5 billion developments nearby. DNR says it will monitor situation for a while.
www.southbendtribune.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:58 PM
A new study analyzes soils sampled across Kansas to determine the importance of “legacy effects” — or how soils from a specific location are influenced by microbes that evolved in response to the specific climate at that site for many years.

#LegacyEffects #drought 🧪

news.ku.edu/news/article...
New study explores ‘legacy effects’ of soil microbes on plants across Kansas
Click for more on research in Nature Microbiology
news.ku.edu
October 30, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Economics of U.S. Beef and Cattle Market

Several years of drought, low cattle prices, and record-setting input and supply costs have led to a shrinking cattle herd, which, paired with strong demand for beef, has pushed prices for beef and cattle to record levels.
#drought
www.fb.org/market-intel...
Economics of U.S. Beef and Cattle Market
Several years of drought, low cattle prices, and record-setting input and supply costs have led to a shrinking cattle herd, which, paired with strong consumer demand for beef, has pushed prices for be...
www.fb.org
October 30, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Drought improvement and degradation were mixed in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and South with sizable areas of improvement in TX, OK and the Pacific Northwest.
Drought (D1-D4) coverage shrank in the contiguous US to 43.6%, down 2.48 points.

#drought 🧪

droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.a...
October 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Low water levels expose old ruins in Lake Champlain

The early 19th-century steamboats Burlington and Whitehall are usually hidden under Lake Champlain near Shelburne, Vermont, where the lake is down about a foot.

#drought #Vermont #LakeChamplain

www.wcax.com/2025/10/27/l...
Low water levels expose old ruins in Lake Champlain
Historically low water levels on Lake Champlain are revealing sunken secrets.
www.wcax.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Drought is quietly pushing American cities toward a fiscal cliff

Droughts are particularly difficult for cities to guard against. The options for making sure people have enough water are far more limited without curbing development.

#drought

grist.org/cities/droug...
Drought is quietly pushing American cities toward a fiscal cliff
Drought is set to pose a greater risk to the $4 trillion municipal bond market than floods, hurricanes, and wildfires combined.
grist.org
October 27, 2025 at 7:59 PM
US coffee prices spike due to tariffs and poor weather

Heat, drought and other poor weather conditions have hurt coffee production globally in recent years, causing prices to surge. World coffee prices rose nearly 40% in 2024.

#coffee #tariff #drought

apnews.com/article/coff...
US coffee prices spike due to tariffs and poor weather
It’s getting more expensive for Americans to get their caffeine fix. U.S. government figures show the average price of a pound of ground coffee hit $9.14 in September, a 41% increase from the same mon...
apnews.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by DeniseG
US expands facial recognition at borders to track non-citizens reut.rs/475Anqo
US expands facial recognition at borders to track non-citizens
The U.S. will expand the use of facial recognition technology to track non-citizens entering and leaving the country in order to combat visa overstays and passport fraud, according to a government document published on Friday.
reut.rs
October 25, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Drought exposes deadly dangers at Huntington Gorge in Vermont

Drought has lowered the water level at Huntington Gorge, exposing the many dangers hidden beneath the water at a swimming hole where nearly 30 people have died since 1950.

#Vermont #drought

www.wcax.com/2025/10/23/d...
Drought exposes deadly dangers at Huntington Gorge
For the first time in decades, Vermont’s most notorious swimming hole is giving up its deadly secrets.
www.wcax.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Low water levels ground boats at marinas along St. Lawrence River

Outflows from Lake Ontario were temporarily increased Oct. 17-18 to help recreational boaters on Lac Saint-Louis remove their vessels for the season.

#drought #StLawrenceRiver #Canada

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Help on the way as low water levels ground boats at marinas along St. Lawrence River | CBC News
The International Lake Ontario–St. Lawrence River Board says it will temporarily increase outflows from Lake Ontario on Oct. 17 and 18 to help recreational boaters on Lac Saint-Louis, southwest of Mon...
www.cbc.ca
October 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
12,000-Year-Old Rock Carvings Discovered Beneath Waters of Atatürk Dam in Türkiye

The carvings belong to the Epipaleolithic Period and depict stylized hunting scenes featuring both humans and animals.

#Türkiye #drought #rockcarving

arkeonews.net/12000-year-o...
12,000-Year-Old Rock Carvings Discovered Beneath Waters of Atatürk Dam in Türkiye - Arkeonews
Archaeologists and museum officials in Adıyaman, southeastern Türkiye, have captured underwater images of rock carvings estimated
arkeonews.net
October 22, 2025 at 9:41 PM