Extreme heat in the Plains

[Mike Smith]

The Salt Fork of the Arkansas is dry north of the border.

 

[GPhillips]

I few years ago I read a good book on the 1930s Dust Bowl called "The Worst Hard Time". NYT bestseller I believe. It did a good job of describing how we got into that mess, and the hardships it caused people across the southern High Plains in particular. As with any book about a major disaster, it can be depressing at times as the repeated stories of hardship and tragedy easily get to you.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Oklahoma City had its hottest day in history / on record (since at least the late 1800s) today. OKC tied it's all-time record high (113, handily beating the previous daily record high), set an all-time record warm minimum (84), and set a new all-time record warm average temperature. As a result of the continuing record heat and intensifying extreme drought, several large wildfires broke out across central Oklahoma, destroying dozens of homes in the process.

At least a couple of the wildfires produced textbook pyrocumulus as well. I was able to drive out a few miles to find a good spot to take some pictures of the pyrocumulus produced by the large fire near Luther, OK, northeast of Oklahoma City. Some pyrocu bursts even produced pileus clouds, which I'd never seen before. I uploaded a 40x timelapse to Youtube:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMNXzcsZ0Ls

 

[Matt Tottle]

What's even harder to digest is that the first 5 months of this year were the 4th wettest on record here.. We had enough rain throughout Kansas to completely reverse the drought conditions in almost the whole state, but now here we are again, even worse off than we were this time last year.

 

[John Farley]

Last month was the hottest month on record in the United States; records go back to 1895 (though I assume the more recent years are more comprehensive and therefore probably more accurate).

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/us/temperature-record/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[Lee Smith-Whaley]

I'm wondering, what this means for this fall in terms of Deer, and Duck for a few reasons.

If this keeps up for a couple of years then it will get much more interesting with food prices being the most dramatic. Recent studies show that the increasingly common extreme heat of the Southern & Central Plains has a significant impact on cattle reproduction, fewer healthy births combined with less grass and more expensive feed = very expensive beef products. Most cattle is being sold off now in response to drought related issues, this may temporarily reduce the cost as its several months early to sell off cattle.... the long term market will reflect the reality of the situation with these weather related issues.

 

[Matt Tottle]

If it's detrimental to the deer population, all the better. I've hit two with my truck and had numerous close calls both in my truck and on my bike in the past two years. Their population is way up and the hunters aren't taking enough of them out.

 

[Terrence Cook]

I'm wondering, what this means for this fall in terms of Deer, and Duck for a few reasons.

Seems the last major drought in Indiana created an outbreak of a disease which was pretty rough on the population in some locations but not statewide... water supply and quality seemed to influence or minimize the spread.

Judging by a quick search it appears the problem is reappearing with this drought.

http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/living_green/indiana-biologists-investigate-deadly-deer-disease

 

[Andy Jackson]

Since I've been back in Omaha we've been in 90-100 the last few days.
Here's an interesting article on how farmers with insurance will be affected:
drought farmers

So it seems the farmers are making out better than a non drought year. I'm sure insurance customers will be paying for it in the long run.

 

[Joshua Nall]

I'm wondering, what this means for this fall in terms of Deer, and Duck for a few reasons.

Ducks won’t like it, but it might be better for hunting if you can find the water. As for deer, last year’s drought here was extreme and I saw more deer than I have ever seen. I was able to walk way back in across some dry sloughs to some places that had not been hunted hard. Probably over 100 deer, 6 or 8 different nice bucks. I saw over 20 in one day, which is unheard of on public land. As far as how the drought really effected the overall herd I don’t know, but extremes in weather can be great for hunting.

What puzzles me is how squirrels and such survive. These animals do not travel for water as deer do or birds. I know when I was a kid there was a certain kind of vine that would weep water when you cut it. Do squirrels get moisture from plants? I don't see how they could get enough from just buds or seeds. I’ve asked this question before and some say they drink dew from the top of trees, but I’m pretty certain there was no dew for a long period of time. Last year I saw squirrels near a mile from any source of water.

 

[Joshua Nall]

So it seems the farmers are making out better than a non drought year. I'm sure insurance customers will be paying for it in the long run.

We pay for it too with government subsidies. I don’t know why I keep fighting it so. Instead of being angry that farmers have it so easy really as far as risks are involved… the ones that know how to work the subsidies… I should have just been a farmer I guess. This year is proof to that more so than any other. Or I guess I should have been a lazy bum so that I can sit around watching TV all day in my underwear and let the government take care of me. That would be easier than being farmer. Instead I feel ashamed that I used pell grants in college, the only sort of government assistance I’ve ever accepted. Is it just a misconception of mine or didn’t folks back in the day, when hard times hit, they relied on themselves first of all, having prepared for hard times…. Then they relied on each other, and even then you had to almost make a man except an offer of help? When I was down to the coast for Isaac, I got so tired of hearing all the ways government was going to help. Call this number, call this number, if you need such and such call this number, over and over and over again, we have everything covered for you. Emergency food stamps for all. Did no one think to have some ice in a cooler with enough food to last a week? I had enough food with me to last a week and I didn’t live there. This country has gone insane. 16 trillion in debt and the money just keeps rolling out. Overseas even to declared enemies. Everywhere you look. The losers are the hard working self-sufficient minded people. They are taxed to death, and their children will inherit a terrible burden. I’m losing hope. Farmers should be hurting a little in a bad year, especially if they didn’t have any personal preparations.
Sorry for the rant.

 

[Andy Jackson]

Sorry for the rant.

A lot of people feel the same way, for what it's worth farmers have seen their own hell with the banks. There's an old sang: "Crime doesn't pay and neither does farming". I guess it evens out in the end.