DeniseG
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denisegutzmer.bsky.social
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
The percent of normal precipitation map for the last 30 days shows that many parts of the US have received 50% or less (dark orange) of normal precipitation. Meanwhile, areas of California and the West have gotten 400% to 800% of normal precipitation.

#precipitation 🧪

hprcc.unl.edu/products/map...
November 21, 2025 at 6:23 PM
'Cloud-milking' is keeping forests alive in areas devastated by drought

Cloud-milking is a zero-energy technique that uses a netting of metal pins to collect condensation from low-hanging fog.

#drought #CloudMilking #CanaryIslands 🧪

www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/clo...
'Cloud-milking' is keeping forests alive in areas devastated by drought
The Canary Islands are using innovative “cloud-milking” nets to capture fog water and restore drought-stricken forests.
www.goodgoodgood.co
November 21, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The US Seasonal Drought Outlook valid thru Feb 28, 2026 shows that drought may persist/develop in the Southwest, Southeast, and parts of MT, MN, WI, NE and ME. It may improve/be removed in areas of the Northwest, Northeast, TX to MI, and HI.

#drought 🧪
www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/exp...
November 20, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Drought expanded in many parts of the US with areas of improvement in the West and Northeast. Drought (D1-D4) covers 46.12% of the contiguous US, an increase of 1.69 points from last week.

#drought #DroughtMonitor 🧪

droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/S...
November 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
'Once in a lifetime' Missouri tourist destination back from the depths for 4th year in a row, thanks to chronically low Mississippi River

Hordes of tourists flocked to southern Missouri in 2022 for what they thought was going to be a rare event.

#drought #Missouri

www.ksdk.com/article/news...
'Once in a lifetime' Missouri tourist destination back from the depths for 4th year in a row, thanks to chronically low Mississippi River
The nation's rivers continue to dry out as the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas worsens climate change.
www.ksdk.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Wisconsin archaeologists identify 16 ancient canoes in a prehistoric lake ‘parking lot’

Archaeologists mapped the site of 16 canoes submerged in the lake bed of Lake Mendota in Madison. The site is near a network of former indigenous trails.

#Wisconsin #canoe #drought

apnews.com/article/anci...
Wisconsin archaeologists identify 16 ancient canoes in a prehistoric lake 'parking lot'
Archaeologists have identified more than a dozen ancient canoes that Indigenous people apparently left behind in a prehistoric parking lot along a Wisconsin lakeshore.
apnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:47 PM
The polar vortex is about to bring a wild weather pattern change

Over the next 10 days, changes in the stratosphere will upend weather patterns and set the stage for a cold, snowy December across parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
#PolarVortex #SuddenStratosphericWarming
www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/w...
The polar vortex is about to bring a wild weather pattern change | CNN
Over the next 10 days, scientists say, changes in the stratosphere will upend weather patterns and set the stage for a cold, snowy December across parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
www.cnn.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Satellite Images Show Texas’ Strained Water Resources

NASA released satellite images of two large depleted reservoirs near Corpus Christi in south Texas. A water emergency requiring tougher restrictions on outdoor water use may be needed by November 2026.

#drought

www.newsweek.com/nasa-satelli...
Satellite images show Texas’ strained water resources
Officials warn that the city of Corpus Christi may need to declare a water emergency as early as November 2026.
www.newsweek.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Parts of the Western U.S., Central Plains, and Southeast have received 25% or less of normal precipitation or less in the past 30 days, while areas of California and Nevada have gotten much above normal precip.

#precipitation #drought 🧪

hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?map...
November 17, 2025 at 9:10 PM
How Washington’s drought strains the Yakima Valley

Insufficient rain and snow have forced farmers to tear out acres of apple orchards. Wine grapes withered on the vine. Irrigation canals were leaking and crumbling.

#Washington #Yakima #drought

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Yakima Valley’s ‘train wreck’ forces WA farmers to rip out apple trees
This year might be the driest in recent memory for the Yakima Basin. The effects are raw.
www.seattletimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Iran begins cloud seeding to induce rain amid historic drought

Authorities in Iran have sprayed clouds with chemicals to induce rain, in an attempt to combat the country's worst drought in decades.

The process was conducted over the Urmia lake basin on Saturday.

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Iran begins cloud seeding to induce rain during worst drought in decades
Iran’s largest lake has largely dried out and people are resorting to praying for rain in some areas
www.bbc.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Snow accumulation in the Western U.S. is getting off to a slow start.

#snow 🧪
November 14, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Drought expanded in parts of the Central and Southern Plains, Southeast and Montana, while easing in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast. Drought (D1-D4) covers 44.43% of the contiguous US, an uptick of 0.72 points from last week.
#drought #DroughtMonitor 🧪
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.a...
November 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
La Niña is favored to continue into the Northern Hemisphere winter, with a transition to ENSO-neutral most likely in January-March 2026 (61% chance), according to the Climate Prediction Center.

#LaNina #ENSO 🧪

www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
November 13, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Drought linked to increased conflict between humans and wildlife in California

Researchers in California have found an unexpected impact of climate change within the state: an uptick in human-wildlife conflict due to prolonged, climate-exacerbated drought.

#drought 🧪
abcnews.go.com/US/drought-l...
Drought linked to increased conflict between humans and wildlife in California: Study
Researchers in California have pinpointed an unexpected impact of frequent droughts: an increase in human-wildlife conflict.
abcnews.go.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Colorado River talks stall as Utah, other states miss key Nov. 11 deadline

Utah and six other states failed to reach an agreement on how to manage the drought-stricken Colorado River which supplies water to 40 million people.

#ColoradoRiver #water #drought

www.sltrib.com/news/environ...
Colorado River talks stall as Utah, other states miss key deadline
After months of tense talks, Utah and six other Colorado River states missed a key deadline Tuesday to agree on the river’s future.
www.sltrib.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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