Gas stations are running dry going into the Fourth of July weekend - The Mercury News

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When tens of millions of Americans hit the road this holiday weekend, they’re going to find the highest prices for gasoline in nearly seven years. And many will also find stations that don’t have any gas at all.

The national average price for a gallon of regular stands at $3.10, the highest since October 2014; in California, the average is $4.27. The average is up just 2% since Memorial Day, but 42% from a year ago, when pandemic restrictions brought demand to a near halt.

But stations running dry has nothing to do with the price of gasoline. It’s the shortage of tank truck drivers coupled with rising demand that is causing supply chain bottlenecks and shortages. Experts say a growing number of stations are reporting that they are simply not able to get gas delivered at any price.

Right now the outages are scattered across the country, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service, which tracks prices for AAA. He said there have been outages reported in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado and Iowa. There are also outages reported in Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio, said Patrick DeHaan, spokesperson for GasBuddy.

“It used to be an afterthought for station owners to schedule truck deliveries. Now it’s job No. 1,” Kloza said. “What I’m worried about for July is the increased demand works out to about 2,500 to 3,000 more deliveries needed every day. There just aren’t the drivers to do that.”

AAA forecasts that 43.6 million Americans will travel by car this Fourth of July weekend, the most so far this year. And given the pent-up desire for summer getaways, Kloza said it’s possible that demand for gas could top the records that were in the late summer of 2019.

He’s also concerned that when drivers see the occasional station without gas, they will react by topping off their tanks more often than necessary, which itself can cause a shortage of gasoline. That’s what happened this past May, when the hack of the Colonial Pipeline caused widespread outages at stations along the East Coast.

“We have the same advice we had then: This is not the time to fill up every car you have and every container you have,” said Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “We hate to see shortages and outages caused by drivers panicking and topping off their tanks.”

A shortage of drivers is a problem throughout the trucking industry, but it takes special qualifications to drive a tank truck, which makes the shortage worse than in other sectors. According to the National Tank Truck Carriers, the industry’s trade group, somewhere between 20% to 25% of tank trucks nationwide are parked heading into the summer due to a scarcity of qualified drivers. At this point in 2019, only 10% of tankers were sitting idle for that reason.

“We’ve been dealing with a driver shortage for awhile, but the pandemic took that issue and metastasized it,” said Ryan Streblow, executive vice president of the NTTC. “It certainly has grown exponentially.”

The pandemic prompted some tank truck drivers to retire, and others to shift to other trucking jobs that were in greater demand last year when gasoline demand fell so sharply.

DeHaan said the current station outages are not as concentrated as they were following the Colonial Pipeline hack. That makes it virtually impossible to get an accurate count on how many stations are running out of gas — but the number is growing.

“It’s hard to predict where the challenges are,” he said. “It’s just randomized pockets in cities both small and large.”

DeHaan expects the problem will grow over the next four to six weeks. “I don’t think demand has reached a peak yet,” he said.

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June 29, 2021 at 11:43PM
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/29/gas-stations-are-running-dry-going-into-the-fourth-of-july-weekend/

Gas stations are running dry going into the Fourth of July weekend - The Mercury News

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Tuesday starts dry, but expect storms and temps near 90 in the afternoon - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

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COLUMBIA, Ill. - The former mayor of Columbia, Illinois was sentenced Monday after he pleaded guilty in March to federal corruption charges.

Kevin Hutchinson was accused of lying to a public-corruption task force. According to federal prosecutors, Kevin Hutchinson “received referral commissions for city insurance policies” in dealings between his company, BMC Associates, and MRCT. Hutchinson, a licensed insurance agent, was prohibited from any financial involvement—be it direct or indirect—with the city.

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June 29, 2021 at 05:59PM
https://fox2now.com/news/weather/tuesday-starts-dry-but-expect-storms-and-temps-near-90-in-the-afternoon/

Tuesday starts dry, but expect storms and temps near 90 in the afternoon - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Red River Valley sugarbeets are 'OK' despite extremely dry start to growing season - AG Week

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Those warm, dry conditions that made planting go so smoothly became a burden over the coming weeks as the seed in the ground was desperate for moisture needed to start germination.

According to the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, the southern end of the Red River Valley (Fargo) received just 12% of its normal rainfall during the month of May. Just 0.35 inches of precipitation fell in Fargo, compared to the five-year average of 2.81 inches.

Similar results were seen in the northern end of the valley (Grand Forks). Just over half of the normal rainfall was seen as 1.39 inches of rain fell during May, compared to the five-year average of 2.68 inches.

The lack of moisture created uneven stands and emergence issues across the valley. Around 10,000 to 15,000 acres of sugarbeets (about 2-3% of the planted acres for American Crystal Sugar Company) had to be replanted, most due to poor emergence.

Amid the driest portion of the spring, growers endured an extreme wind event at the end of May. Sustained winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour sandblasted the young sugarbeets as soil particles whipped across fields, forcing more replants.

The month of June, to date, has been yielded two different results both the opposite ends of the valley. The southern end has received precipitation levels above the five-year average. As of June 28, Fargo has received 3.45 inches of rain, compared to the five-year average of 3.1 inches.

On the other hand, the northern end has gotten just a fraction of its five-year average. Grand Forks has received 1.26 inches to date, which is just 29% of its five-year average of 4.3 inches of rain for the month of June.

Given all that, Harrison Weber, executive director of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, said the sugarbeet crop valley-wide is still in good shape.

“I think we are OK for now. We did receive a little rain here in the last few days. There are certainly pockets that are under more pressure than others, but up and down the valley, generally, I would say we are OK,” he said.

The dry conditions do come as a potential benefit. Cercospora leaf spot, one of the region’s top production challenges for the last several years, thrives in warm, wet conditions. Given the lack of precipitation, and as a result, the lack of humidity. Cercospora could be kept more at bay this year, said Weber.

“It seems like cercospora likes those hot and humid nights, but so far it’s been dry and hot. We are still going to have to be monitoring it and growers are still going to have to be looking for it,” said Weber. “Cercospora has definitely become one of our main production limiters. We are keeping our eye closely on it, but it could be a little bit better for us this year.”

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June 29, 2021 at 12:21PM
https://www.agweek.com/sugarbeet/7092506-Red-River-Valley-sugarbeets-are-%E2%80%98OK-despite-extremely-dry-start-to-growing-season

Red River Valley sugarbeets are 'OK' despite extremely dry start to growing season - AG Week

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Heat dome leaves Colorado hot, dry and fiery - Colorado Newsline

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The Trail Canyon Fire on Ute Mountain Ute tribal lands seen on June 19, 2021. (Brad Pietruszka/BLM)

Nothing says summer in Colorado like exploring one of the state’s many breathtaking parks. However, from excessive heat warnings in Grand Junction and bad air alerts in Denver to smoke advisories in Eagle, hitting the trails could come with severe health and safety risks. While Colorado is no stranger to hot weather, the extreme, triple-digit temperatures seen across the state recently were noteworthy this early in the season. Climate change is causing average temperatures in the West to increase at a faster rate than any other part of the country, and, going forward, extreme weather events such as this one will only become more common. That is why there is no time to waste: We must enact strong federal climate legislation now.

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Colorado’s blistering temperatures are not isolated. Along with the state, much of the region recently was trapped under a “heat dome.” This high pressure system locks in warm temperatures and diverts rain. As a result, people were not only experiencing excessive heat but also a drought that impacted more than 88% of the West, including almost half of Colorado.

All of this is sending us into uncharted territory. This month, when Denver experienced its first triple-digit temperature of the year — 101 degrees Fahrenheit on June 15 — the dangerous conditions toppled the all-time high for that day by an additional 4 degrees. The previous record was set just last year. Western Colorado and surrounding states are seeing even greater temperatures. While extreme heat and drought are not unheard of in these areas, it is clear that climate change is making these events come earlier and last longer.

The heat is not a minor inconvenience either — it has severe implications for public health. Heat is the No. 1 weather-related cause of death in the United States over the past 30 years. For those without access to steady air conditioning, long stretches of unhealthily high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion, dehydration and even heat stroke, which can be lethal without proper medical attention.

On top of that, high temperatures speed up the build-up of ground-level ozone pollution. The same fossil fuels that contribute to the climate crisis are also major contributors to the formation of ozone. Inhalation of the pollutant can cause acute respiratory issues, including asthma attacks. On June 15, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an ozone action alert for more than nine Colorado counties, including Denver, as concentrations reached unhealthy levels for sensitive groups.

The triple whammy that coincides with heat and drought is, of course, wildfires. Last year was the worst fire season on record in Colorado, including the three largest wildfires ever seen in the state. However, dry conditions this year could result in a season as bad, if not worse.

There are currently four wildfires that are over 3,000 acres in size burning in Colorado, one quickly approaching over 13,000 acres. On June 24, CDPHE issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for wildfire smoke for two Coloradan counties with moderate to heavy smoke and multiple areas were subject to mandatory evacuations on June 22. Current hot and dry conditions makes these fires much harder to put out according to firefighters, and officials have said they do not usually see fire behavior like this until August.

There should be no question now what is driving these extreme weather events. More than a hundred years of burning fossil fuels has engulfed our atmosphere with greenhouse gases. For decades, when scientists warned about the dangers of climate change, deniers would state that this was a problem for the future, not the present. That is no longer the case. The compounding effects of heat, drought and fire have continued to spread and expand in recent years, and climate change will only accelerate these processes.

Currently, Congress is debating what could be the most comprehensive federal climate package this country has ever seen. It could mean historic investments in renewable energy, zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure, and increasing resiliency in our communities. While we cannot go back, we can choose how to proceed to create both a more livable future and present. I urge Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet to continue to advocate for bolder investments in climate action so we can start to solve this problem now.

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The Link Lonk


June 29, 2021 at 12:59AM
https://coloradonewsline.com/2021/06/28/heat-dome-leaves-colorado-hot-dry-and-fiery/

Heat dome leaves Colorado hot, dry and fiery - Colorado Newsline

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Venus’ clouds too dry, acidic for life - Ars Technica

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Enlarge / Venus' thick atmosphere was photographed in ultraviolet light in 1979 by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter.

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Last year, a study made waves by suggesting a chemical that had been proposed as a potential indicator of life was present in the atmosphere of Venus. While the hellish conditions on the planet's surface preclude the existence of any sort of life there, it remained possible that a milder environment existed in the planet's clouds, high above its surface. So the prospect that the chemical was indicating life couldn't be immediately discounted.

In the months following, other researchers cast doubt on the claim that the chemical was present at all. And today, a paper is being released the suggests that the conditions in Venus' clouds are in no way compatible with life even remotely similar to that on Earth. Although the temperatures in the clouds are indeed milder, there's nowhere near enough water to support life, and most of what's present is in droplets that are mostly composed of sulfuric acid.

Setting limits

In a press conference announcing the results, John Hallsworth of Queen's University Belfast said that the new work was inspired by the apparent detection of phosphine in Venus' atmosphere. He and his collaborators realized that two areas of research had combined to create other ways to examine the prospects of life on Venus. One was a study of life in extreme conditions on Earth, driven in part by a NASA effort to determine how best to protect Mars from contamination by the probes we were sending there.

The second was also NASA-driven: we'd sent probes into the atmospheres of some planets and imaged others. While these probes didn't specifically look for life, they provided direct measurements of things like temperature and pressure, which set limits on things like the amount of water present in the atmosphere, and the form that it will adopt.

Relevant to Venus, people have identified organisms that can maintain a metabolism within various limits: temperature, acidity, and water content. Since temperature changes with altitude, the former sets limits on what altitudes can be considered. The latter two are relevant because Venus is thought to be a very dry planet, and its clouds are generated not by condensed water but rather by the presence of sulfuric acid droplets that would contain some water.

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The world record holder for surviving dry conditions is currently a salt-tolerant fungus, which can run a metabolism and undergo cell divisions with very little water present. Scientists quantify the amount of available water through a measure called the water activity. In simple conditions like a humid atmosphere, this is the same as the relative humidity—the amount of water present versus the maximum amount at that temperature and pressure. But it can also be measured in a way that takes into account things like dissolved salts or ice formation.

For the acid extreme, there is a microbe that survives down to a pH of -0.06, which is the equivalent of having sulfuric acid account for a bit over 10 percent of the weight of its solution (with the rest being water).

Not all clouds bring rain

Applying that information to the conditions on Venus yields grim results. Based on measurements from its atmosphere, the researchers calculate that Venus' relative humidity would be below 0.4 percent—over 100 times lower than the record low tolerated by an organism on Earth.

If you assume that Venusian life could have evolved methods of pulling water out of the sparse atmosphere, then the sulfuric acid becomes a big problem. The researchers calculate that the droplets that form around sulfuric acid would have so little water that concentration by weight of sulfuric acid would be 78 percent—at a minimum. The droplets would max out as nearly pure sulfuric acid with a tiny bit of water.

At that point, the acidity of the sulfuric acid is less of an issue than its ability to chemically degrade molecules in order to form new water molecules to dissolve in. A graphic demonstration of this process is available in this video, which shows sugar converting into pure carbon when the water is stripped out of it. The authors of the paper list all of the problems it creates: "Sulfuric acid dehydrates the cellular systems, removes water from biomacromolecules, reduces hydrophobic interactions, and damages plasma-membrane integrity."

With Venus ruled out, the researchers turn their attention to elsewhere in the Solar System. Mars' clouds are at temperatures well below the point where metabolisms shut down entirely on Earth, based on measurements made by probes that have gone through its atmosphere. Any water present is ice that, for good measure, is bombarded with enough UV radiation to sterilize it. So Mars' clouds are ruled out as well.

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What about Earth and Jupiter?

Earth's upper atmosphere is also likely to be too dry to support life, but the relative humidity of its lower atmosphere (the troposphere) can vary anywhere from zero percent to 100 percent. Most clouds in the troposphere, however, will have a water activity that's compatible with life, which is consistent with findings that a variety of microbes probably survive the trips through the clouds that some of them end up taking.

Finally, the oddest finding comes from a look at Jupiter, which had been visited by a probe that was dropped off during the Galileo mission. The probe happened to fall through a dry region of the giant planet's atmosphere, but we know that different cloud bands can differ in their composition, and some of them are likely quite wet. Ammonia is a complicating presence but is mostly present at altitudes above those where temperatures are within the range compatible with life.

While there are a lot of uncertainties, the overall conclusion is that there's likely to be enough water around to support life at altitudes where the temperatures would range from -30º to 10º C.

That’s life

The researchers note that this same approach should help us look into high-altitude life as we begin to get details on the atmospheres of exoplanets. It won't tell us anything about surface conditions, however (although some of those could probably be inferred from other data). "To be able to pinpoint potential habitability based on that personally excites me," Hallsworth said.

The other notable thing here is that this applies to life as we know it: water-based, with extensive use of hydrocarbons and both hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Other liquids have very different boiling and freezing points and would favor very different chemistries. To date, we have no indication that life could form within them, but it's still an exciting possibility. As Chris McKay of NASA's Ames Research Center said during the press conference, "Part of me hopes that, when we do find life elsewhere, it's really, really different."

Nature Astronomy, 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41550-021-01391-3  (About DOIs).

The Link Lonk


June 29, 2021 at 02:42AM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/06/venus-clouds-too-dry-acidic-for-life/

Venus’ clouds too dry, acidic for life - Ars Technica

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Dry conditions are hurting Minnesota's cattle farms first - Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Minnesota's yellowing grass and drier-than-normal weather may soon force cattle farmers to make tough decisions about how to feed their herds.

While the state's big row crops — soybeans, corn and sugar beets — need significant rainfall soon to stop the deterioration, there is still time to see conditions improve before harvest in the fall. Not so for pasture-dependent cattle in many parts of the state.

"While we are in a wait-and-see period for row crops, we are past the wait-and-see period for anybody who's worried about hay and pasture," said Joe Armstrong, a cattle veterinarian extension educator with the University of Minnesota. "Decisions have to be made before you run out of grass."

That includes weaning calves early to lower the energy needs of heifers, hauling in water to replenish their go-to watering holes that are dried up and selling cattle early to reduce herd size.

All of Minnesota is abnormally dry with a majority of the state already being declared in a moderate or severe drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska.

Close to half of Minnesota's pasture and range land is in very poor or poor condition, according to Monday's crop report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. By contrast, just 11% of the state's corn and soybean crops are in very poor or poor condition.

Only 14% of the state's pastures are in good condition and none were deemed excellent for the week ending Sunday, the USDA said.

"At this point, if we get rain, it may help regrowth a little bit, but we've lost so much that even a decent amount of rain is just not going to benefit the crop this year," said Armstrong, who helps beef-cattle and dairy farmers think through the nutritional needs of their herds.

Pasture grass has been seeding out at 6- to 8-inches tall in some parts of the state, he said.

"We normally would want to see 18 inches of height before that would happen. So basically it is seeding out twice as quickly as it normally should," Armstrong said.

Jared Luhman, who raises Red Angus with his family near Goodhue, said he's never experienced anything like this, and his dad told him this is the worst it's been since the drought of 1988.

Their pasture usually gets 60% of its grass growth in May and June before conditions dry out in July, Luhman said.

"But we are already dry in what is usually the wet season, so we don't know what that means for the rest of the year," he said.

The U's Armstrong says cattle farmers should already have a plan for reducing the strain on their herds.

"At some point, you're not worrying about losing money anymore, you're worried about losing the least amount of money. That's kind of where we are at right now," he said. "Early weaning, culling cows, those are really your big options."

Most cow herds can be kept intact if 10 to 25% of the herd is sold now, Armstrong said. Some farmers might have feed on hand that can help them get by until fall, but most don't — or if they do, it's not often profitable.

In a typical year, moving cattle from pasture grass to corn doubles the cost of feed. With corn prices so high this year, Armstrong said it may triple or even quadruple the cost.

Weaning calves off milk early can reduce the mother's grass intake by 25%. That might be a viable option for some calves three months or older but needs to be done with a nutritionist's careful guidance, he said.

The Luhmans use a rotational grazing system on their southeastern Minnesota farm that Jared believes makes the soil soak up water better, but there's still uncertainty if the rainfalls don't increase.

"It's not about the rain we get, it's about the rain we keep," Luhman said. "We've never been in this position, so we don't know when those hard decisions will need to be made."

Up in Hibbing, Jason Helstrom raises grass-fed beef and despite rainfalls being far below average, he's still holding out hope. But, he said he's in a slightly better position than many farmers around the state and in the Dakotas.

"I was just in at the feed mill and the talk around the counter is, 'They say the rain's coming,' then they all roll their eyes — you know, just a little pessimistic," Helstrom said. "They aren't looking real favorably toward it."

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June 29, 2021 at 04:45AM
https://www.startribune.com/dry-conditions-are-hurting-minnesotas-cattle-farms-first/600072917/

Dry conditions are hurting Minnesota's cattle farms first - Minneapolis Star Tribune

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Extreme fire danger forces the closure of Dry Gulch Preserve trails - NCWLIFE News

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Because of extreme fire danger and scorching temperatures, all trails in the Dry Gulch Preserve in the Wenatchee Foothills have been closed.

The privately owned preserve is comprised of 685 acres adjacent to the Saddle Rock trail system.

The Dry Gulch Board said they are aiming to reopen the trails by Sunday, if possible. Currently the concern is human-caused fires in the dry hillsides.

The Link Lonk


June 29, 2021 at 05:43AM
https://www.ncwlife.com/extreme-fire-danger-forces-the-closure-of-dry-gulch-preserve-trails/

Extreme fire danger forces the closure of Dry Gulch Preserve trails - NCWLIFE News

https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en