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.
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.
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.”
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
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.
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 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.
Enlarge/ Venus' thick atmosphere was photographed in ultraviolet light in 1979 by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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 rain offered some relief to crops, plants and lawns — however, Crow Wing County and much of the state remain in a moderate drought.
“We are nowhere near meeting our rainfall deficit,” meteorologist Joe Moore with the National Weather Service in Duluth said. “It’s been very dry ... and last year we were in this constant state of being dry and were in the first category of what we call a moderate drought and ever since it has been back and forth. Last winter, into this spring we finally did get enough precipitation to get us back out of the drought, but with how dry we've been this spring and early summer, we've fallen right back into it and into it pretty hard. It's been very dry across most of the state of Minnesota.
“We just haven’t gotten a nice, good soaking rain in awhile and this is June. June is particularly important to Minnesota because this is the month where we see the most precipitation of any month. ... So we’re not doing so hot right now, as Brainerd is more than 2 inches shy of where it should be at this point of the month for this year.”
As of midnight Monday, Brainerd had 1.43 inches of rain for the month of June. This is 2.13 inches below the normal amount of 3.56 inches for June, which ends Wednesday. Since midnight Monday, another .21 inches of rain fell during the day, according to a reading at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport; and the forecast shows up to a half-inch of rain is anticipated by Tuesday morning. However, even with this precipitation, the Brainerd area and much of the state will continue to be in a moderate drought, Moore said.
This bar graph by the National Weather Service shows the category of how severe the drought was in Crow Wing County. The graph dates back to 2000. Screenshot / Jennifer Kraus
And the rain was scattered — homeowners on Ruth Lake saw about a half-hour downpour later afternoon Saturday, yet not a drop of rain fell at Brainerd International Raceway, less than 5 miles away, during that time. As of 10 a.m. Monday, the Brainerd area saw less than an inch over the weekend — about .86 inches of precipitation as reported at the Brainerd airport. Values between almost no rain reported near Emily to nearly an inch and a half reported 3 miles northeast of Brainerd were observed over the weekend.
The weather service reports a chance of showers and thunderstorms for Crow Wing and Aitkin counties are expected this week, with dry conditions returning Thursday into Friday.
Moore said if Crow Wing County doesn't see any substantial rainfall in the next two weeks, it’s very likely the area will go from moderate to severe drought.
“It has been a long time since the drought has been this big, or severe,” Moore said. “In July 2020 there were some parts of the county that were in a moderate drought, but before that the last time the county was in that type of drought was the summer of 2015. Even further back in 2007, the county was in an extreme drought, which is the worst category in terms of a drought.”
Moore said the dry spell has been tough on the agriculture land where some farmers don’t have an irrigation system.
1.40 inches reported 3 miles northeast of Brainerd;
1.32 inches, 7.7 miles southeast of Brainerd;
1 inch at Cross Lake Dam;
.86 inches at Brainerd airport;
.75 inches, 6.1 miles northwest of Trommald;
.64 inches, 11.6 miles north of Crosby;
.59 inches, 6 miles southeast of Pine River;
.57 inches, 3 miles northeast of Nisswa;
.56 inches, 1.5 miles southwest of Deerwood;
.55 inches in Breezy Point;
.54 inches, 8.4 miles northwest of Aitkin;
Less than a half-inch east of Brainerd, Ironton, southwest of Crosby, Fort Ripley and west of Aitkin; and
A trace in Baxter and Emily.
Tuesday: Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 58 and calm wind.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the morning. A low around 60 at night, with a north wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 82. Light northeast wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 53.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph. A low around 58 at night.
Saturday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 90. Low around 62.
Sunday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 91.
JENNIFER KRAUS may be reached at jennifer.kraus@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5851. Follow me at www.twitter.com/jennewsgirl on Twitter.
High pressure will dig in this week keeping conditions very dry and help the heat rise. Looking at the mid 80s today, but we head back into the 90s tomorrow. Record heat is possible Thursday and Friday. We could also see record warm overnight temperatures, too.
With the extremely dry conditions, there will be an elevated fire risk as the week progresses, so don’t cause a spark.
By the end of the week, some moisture may move in. This could allow for isolated showers from Red Lodge down to Cody and over to Sheridan Friday and Saturday.
During times of extreme heat, the best idea is to stay indoors. If you must go outside, limit your time spent in the heat. Put on sunscreen, wear loose fitting and light-colored clothing, and stay hydrated. Don’t forget to pay special attention to the elderly, infants, pets, livestock, and those likely to be affected by the dangerous heat.
Today’s highs will be in the mid 80s, low 90s tomorrow, then mid to upper 90s Wednesday through the weekend. Overnight temperatures will be in the upper 50s to low 60s tonight and tomorrow night, then mid 60s Wednesday night through the weekend.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Good Monday morning! We are starting off the day dry and warm. Temperatures are mostly in the lower 70s with some upper 60s in parts of east Alabama. First Alert AccuTrack Satellite and Radar is showing us dry with a few clouds around. We are monitoring an area of low pressure producing showers near the Georgia and South Carolina coast. It has a chance to become a tropical depression later today as it approaches the Georgia coast, but time is running out for it to develop. This system will likely be a playmaker for our weather going into tomorrow. Ahead of this low, we will actually see some dry air move into Central Alabama later today. It will likely limit our chances to see showers and storms this afternoon. Plan for a partly cloudy sky today with highs in the lower 90s. We’ll hold on to a 10-20% chance for an isolated shower or storm today. Any storm that forms could produce gusty winds and some lightning. Best spots to see an isolated shower or storm will likely occur in west Alabama. A few showers will be possible in east Alabama tonight. Majority of us will remain dry today. Plan for southeast winds today at 5-10 mph.
Next Big Thing: Our next big thing is the potential to see increasing rain chances tomorrow. The area of low pressure off the Georgia coast has a 60% chance to develop into a tropical depression or storm. Most of our models keep it weak so I doubt it’ll become a named storm. Even if it doesn’t develop, it will bring with it rain and gusty winds to the Georgia coast. This low will likely move into east Alabama Tuesday afternoon and evening giving our area increasing chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms. Rain chances are up to 70% tomorrow. We’ll likely start off mostly dry during the morning hours Tuesday, but rain chances will likely increase in east Alabama during the afternoon hours. Plan for temperatures to warm into the mid to upper 80s for most locations. Temperatures could trend cooler in east Alabama due to cloud cover and higher rain chances. This system is not expected to be a big rain maker due to its small size and it becoming weaker while over land. I can’t rule out an isolated strong storm or heavy rain tomorrow. I do not see a tornado threat with this system.
FIRST ALERT Tracking the Tropics(WBRC)
Scattered Storm Chances Continue Wednesday and Thursday: The area of low pressure will likely broaden out and dissipate going into Wednesday. We’ll likely stay in muggy environment which will allow us to see scattered showers and storms during the afternoon and evening hours. Rain chances will likely stay in the 50% range for both Wednesday and Thursday. Plan for temperatures to climb into the upper 80s with overnight lows near 70°F.
Rain and Storms Likely Friday: A cold front is forecast to move into Central Alabama Friday. Models are showing a high likelihood that we’ll see rain and thunderstorms. Rain chances will likely ramp up during the afternoon and evening hours. Rain chance is up to 80%. With cloud cover and higher rain chances, temperatures will trend a little cooler Friday afternoon with highs in the low to mid 80s. Good idea to grab the umbrella and rain gear before you walk out the door Friday.
Weekend Forecast: The weekend forecast is looking tricky as we celebrate the Fourth of July. We’ll hold on to a 60% chance for scattered showers and storms on Saturday. Models are disagreeing on how far south the cold front will move through our area over the weekend. The GFS stalls the front giving us higher rain chances for Independence Day and going into early next week. The European model is drier with most of the rain staying along the Gulf Coast and in the Montgomery area. I’m leaning more towards the wetter solution and will hold on to a 50% chance for rain on Sunday. Temperatures will likely stay below average over the weekend with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the upper 60s. Below average temperatures could continue going into the first full week of July.
Potential Rainfall: Combination of the low off the Atlantic coast and an approaching cold front by the end of the week means we could see a couple of inches of rain over the next five to seven days. The Weather Prediction Center is forecasting around 2-3 inches for most of Central Alabama. We will have to monitor the potential for flooding by the end of the week if the cold front ends up stalling across the state. Plan for changes in the forecast over the next couple of days as we fine tune the weekend weather.
ORLANDO, Fla. — It will be mainly dry to start the workweek.
“We’ll be mainly dry as we go throughout the morning,” meteorologist Brian Shields said. “So, pretty good shape as we go throughout the day. Pretty nice day on the way.”
The Russian River, just north of drought-stricken Lake Mendocino in Ukiah, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
If there was any respite to be found, it was here on the Russian River.
A river otter popped up next to Larry Laba’s inflatable canoe, then dived down with a plop. A yellow swallowtail butterfly, big as a hand, fluttered past.
Laba, the owner of Russian River Adventures, who had paddled this river hundreds of times over 20 years, made note of unfamiliar things that made him uneasy.
Larry Laba, owner of Russian River Adventures, paddles down the Russian River in Healdsburg, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The river was at a historic low. A hot wind blew through the canyon, when summer breezes here are usually gentle and cool. The leaves of the cottonwood trees made a brittle, crackling sound. The same trees, way up high, had cracked branches from a devastating flood in 2019.
Just below the water’s surface, Laba noted colonies of an algae he’d never seen. Then there was his worry over algae he couldn’t yet see. In 2015, during a terrible drought, his dog Indy — whom he described as a dumb, happy-go-lucky retriever no one could resist — died of a seizure on the river. The next week, a 2-year old golden retriever died on one of the trips run by Laba’s company. This time officials pinpointed the cause as a fast-acting neurotoxin from blue-green algae. The algae occurs naturally, but when temperatures rise and water is warm and stagnant, it blooms and releases poisons.
The Russian River area holds a panoply of California treasures: majestic redwoods, ocean mists, summer sun, famed wineries, breweries and a casual, come-as-you-are culture that mixes high-brow with hippie and a bit of barn party.
Receding water levels forced a closure of the north boat ramp at Lake Mendocino in Ukiah, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
It also sits at the center of climate-related disasters. After the drought, which ended in 2017, came fires that burned across eight Northern California counties, killing 23 people. In late February 2019, at the tail end of the wet season, rain pelted down without halt. Some of the area’s mountains saw 400% more than the average amount of rain for the month. The river flooded, cresting at 45-feet, the highest in more than two decades. The river valley towns of Guerneville and Monte Rio became islands, with automobile parts and pieces of buildings floating past. Restaurants that sat on cliffs 30 feet above the river were under water.
In August 2020, walls of fire surrounded those same towns as more than 12,000 residents evacuated through smoke and ash. Vineyards burned and beloved cabins turned to tinder. Up and down the West Coast, fires raged, sparked by a combination of extreme heat and a lightning siege. For weeks, this valley — which usually has air so fresh that you can taste the ocean — registered some of the worst air quality in the world.
Laba said he avoids thinking about what all of it — drought, fires, floods, lightning sieges, heat waves — means.
Merganser ducks on the Russian River in Healdsburg, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“Look, I can’t go there,” said the 69-year old. “I’m not a worrier. I can’t lay awake at night thinking about climate change. I look around and if there is something I can do —even if I know it won’t make that much of a difference — I do it.”
He spotted tall stalks of scarlet wisteria on the banks, flashing their bright flowers. He beached the canoe.
“They’re huge water-suckers. They’re invasive,” he said, trying to pull up a plant that showed no signs of budging. But Laba pulled and strained until it came up by the roots and couldn’t produce pods to scatter seeds.
Michele Wimborough, left, owner of Hazel restaurant in Occidental, Calif., chats with guests Rahna Schiff, right, and Keith Holamon. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
That evening, farther down river, in the small community of Occidental, off Bohemian Highway, Michele Wimborough stepped outside of a cozy restaurant that was as much a dream as a business.
She and her chef-husband Jim, former Bay Area residents, had searched for years for just the right small town where they wanted to live and raise their son. They opened Hazel, named after Jim’s grandmother, in 2015.
This night was one of their first with in-house dining since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the restaurant was packed. Earlier, Wimborough had wondered if she’d miss when it was just her family inside, alone, making to-go meals. But she had found herself laughing and happy to be in a crowd.
Now, after the dinner rush, she stood outside, tipped up her face and breathed in a cool mist that was slowly enveloping the town.
Part of the reason was that it gets hot running around a restaurant, but the other was that such moisture was becoming rare.
A canoe floats past an exposed gravel bar, right, on the Russian River in Healdsburg, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
She had been caught off guard by notices pleading with residents to cut water use by 20% to 40% and the news of an emergency water regulation that cut river water rights for up to 2,300 wineries and farms. The restrictions were aimed at keeping the Lake Mendocino reservoir from going dry before summer’s end. Similar cuts are expected soon in California’s other watersheds.
While she was preoccupied with COVID-19, the drought had sneaked up on her.
“I feel like so much has happened that I can’t keep track of it all,” she said.
Just in her tight circle of friends, five families had moved away, people who had planned to stay forever, driven out by fear of disaster.
Wimborough said that by nature she is anxious. But that had changed over the last five years. Now, she steadfastly clings to a stubborn optimism.
Joseph Lustenberger, 15, jumps off a railroad bridge footing into the Russian River in Healdsburg, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“I definitely believe in climate change. But I concentrate on ‘We’re going to keep going and it’s going to be OK' — until it’s not,” she said.
“I love it here and this is a beautiful moment and I’m grateful we were safe for one more day.”
The Russian River begins in the mountains north of Ukiah in Mendocino County and cuts a winding path to the Pacific Ocean. The Pomo Indians once trapped salmon in its pools, before water was diverted. The river gets its modern name from Russian Ivan Kuskov of the Russian-American Company, who explored it in the early 19th century and founded Ft. Ross. It was the Russians who first planted grapes in the wine region.
Outside of Sebastopol, not far from the sea but worlds away from bustle, or even cell service, Eric Susswell, owner of Radio-Coteau, makes wines that he said are meant to capture place and a particular moment in time.
Land once underwater is exposed by receding water levels on Lake Sonoma in Geyserville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
His water comes from domestic wells, not river allocations or a municipality, but the drought gripping this land of red barns, grapevines, goats and sunflowers will still be in this year’s vintage — if they can get the grapes to harvest. Last year Radio Cocteau barely got the crop in before smoke damage. Many other wineries lost their grapes.
Radio-Coteau’s vineyard is one of the few Demeter-certified estates in the U.S., meaning it meets a set standard for a bio-diverse organic farm. That includes methods such as mulching, no-till farming and monitoring moisture to improve soil — something akin to the farming version of holistic healthcare.
Sussman, who studied organic viticulture at Cornell and trained in France, said he considers his farm a living organism in its entirety, plants that become resilient with a good root system.
The water level has been steadily receding at Lake Sonoma in Geyserville, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
“There is an intelligence in their ability to adapt,” he said. “It gives me some sense of hope.”
Some vines on his property date to 1945. Sussman said they sustain his faith that seasons will pass and the vineyards will continue.
“I'm not blasé about climate change,” he said. “But I’m not watching all of this from high above. I’m down on the ground right in the thick of it, day by day making decisions about sustainability.”
Nine miles south of Healdsburg, another group of pleasure seekers had paddled down the river.
Beachgoers enjoy the cool water at Monte Rio Beach on the Russian River in Monte Rio, Calif. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Mathew Knobel, 19, who works for Laba, was waiting to greet them at the end of their trip with hoots and hollers.
He tried to be supportive when they were visibly stunned by how low the river was, how there were spots where they had to get out of their boats and walk.
“People get really emotional when they see it for themselves,” Knobel said. “It’s almost shock and awe.”
It’s not a reaction he shares.
“To be very honest, in my lifetime, I haven’t been able to experience anything different,” he said. “I’m 19. By the time I was old enough to have a consciousness about climate change, it was here.
“It’s not that I’m not concerned," he added.
"But to me, drought, fires and floods are what’s normal.”
SALT LAKE CITY — Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the U.S. West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting off fireworks or begging for caution.
Fireworks already have caused a few small wildfires, including one started by a child in northern Utah and another in central California. Last year, a pyrotechnic device designed for a baby’s gender reveal celebration sparked a California blaze that killed a firefighter during a U.S. wildfire season that scorched the second-highest amount of land in nearly 40 years.
Some regions of the American West are experiencing their worst drought conditions in more than a century this year, said Jennifer Balch, director of Earth Lab at the University of Colorado. People setting off fireworks at home is a concern because of both the tinder-box conditions ripe for starting wildfires and the threat of injuries. Last year, injuries spiked to their highest level in 15 years after the pandemic canceled large gatherings, federal data shows.
“As a fire scientist, I’m bracing myself for this fire season because of how dry and hot it is already,” Balch said. “I think fireworks right now are a terrible idea.”
Fireworks industry professionals, who also stressed caution in drought-prone areas, expect strong sales despite a shortage caused by pandemic-related manufacturing slowdowns and trade disruptions.
“We think we’re going to have a tremendous year,” said James Fuller, a fireworks safety expert with Alabama-based TNT Fireworks.
While fireworks are integral to the country’s Independence Day celebrations, they ignite thousands of fires a year — including one that burned Bobbie Uno’s home in Clearfield, Utah, on the holiday last year. She had to jump out of the way before it struck the side of her house.
“Within five seconds, my house, from the bushes to the rooftop, it was burning,” Uno said. The blaze caused $60,000 in damage and forced her family out of their home for weeks.
“I want everyone to be aware of the danger, because it’s scary even in a small cul-de-sac,” Uno said.
Several Utah cities are banning people from setting off their own fireworks this year during the record drought, but many Republicans are against a statewide prohibition. GOP Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton supports restrictions but thinks this year is a bad time for a blanket ban.
“We’re just coming out of this pandemic where people already felt like government was restricting them in so many ways,” she said. “When you issue bans arbitrarily, we could have a situation where people who weren’t going to light fireworks purposely go and buy fireworks to just send a message to government.”
State fireworks laws vary considerably across the U.S., but local bans on personal fireworks are popping up from Montana to Oregon, which was stricken by massive wildfires last year.
In Arizona, which already is being scorched by more than a dozen wildfires, many cities have canceled their public fireworks shows. The Yavapai-Apache Nation typically hosts a display outside its casino near the central Arizona city of Camp Verde.
“This year, with conditions being worse than last year, we decided in May that we would not have fireworks,” said James Perry, a spokesman for the tribe’s Cliff Castle Casino Hotel. “Based on the large fires currently burning in and around our community, we’re happy with our decision.”
It’s a similar story in Colorado, where dozens of shows have been scuttled, including in Steamboat Springs, a ski town where firefighters are already spread thin.
“The grass always catches on fire … why are we doing something that causes fire when fire’s our biggest issue?” said Winnie DelliQuadri, town special projects manager.
But in neighboring Wyoming, business is booming at fireworks stores, including sales of products prohibited elsewhere. The parking lots fill on weekends, and many cars have out-of-state plates.
“It’s not just Colorado,” said Ben Laws, manager of Pyro City. “We see people from Nebraska, we see people from Montana, we see people from all over coming to buy.”
Other cities, including Boise, Idaho, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are working to ban personal fireworks while keeping their public displays, where safety precautions are often stronger and firefighters are on alert.
In North Dakota, where more than two-thirds of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought — the two worst categories — some areas are passing local bans. In South Dakota, where conditions are somewhat less dire, the governor is fighting the federal government to hold a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore.
June 28, 2021 at 01:01PM
https://www.marshallindependent.com/news/national-news-apwire/2021/06/drought-woes-in-dry-us-west-raise-july-4-fireworks-fears/
Drought woes in dry US West raise July 4 fireworks fears - Marshall Independent
After dry spell, Wisconsin gets heavy weekend rain
Wisconsin farmers received some much-needed rain over the past four days, but some farmers got more than they immediately needed.
Crawford County in Southwestern Wisconsin’s driftless area was one area categorized by the National Weather Service as having severe drought just over a week ago and received a lot of rain Friday night. Jody Riley farms on a ridge southeast of Gays Mills. “Four and a half is what we got. We had had about an inch and a half, inch and six-tenths I don’t know, a week or eight days before that but yeah, we got about four and a half there on Friday night.”
Riley tells Brownfield a nearby farmer friend had a lot more rain. “Over there by Seneca, which is twelve miles to the west of us, and over by Mt. Sterling, I heard they got (more.) A friend of mine was just here this morning from Mt. Sterling. He said they got upwards of a foot over that way.”
Riley says the first inch and six-tenths of rain he received about a week and a half ago saved his crops, and now they look fantastic. The Riley family has about 140 tillable acres with 45 in corn, 20 in newly seeded oats, with the rest alfalfa hay. He says that the first crop was fantastic, but the second crop was looking dry and he expects to take it down as soon as fields dry out.
Riley reports no water damage, but there was some flash flooding in the county. A flood warning will expire for the Kickapoo River Monday afternoon in Gays Mills. The National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service predicts the Kickapoo River at nearby Soldiers Grove will crest at around 11 feet Monday afternoon before dropping back down to around six feet by Thursday.
SUMMARY: Hot and humid to start the week, with temps in the low 90s. As we get towards the middle of the week, an increase in moisture will cause rain chances to go up and temperatures to cool a bit. Ending the week we will see almost universal rain chances on Friday, and potentially Saturday as well. For 4th of July, models are uncertain if a front will actually make it through the area. If it does, we could see a very nice and dry 4th. If not, we could see scattered showers and storms in the afternoon.
TONIGHT: Another mild and muggy night for us, with a low in the low 70s and partly cloudy skies. Any lingering showers and storms will dissipate after sunset.
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MONDAY: The theme to start the work week: hot! Highs reach the low 90s again, with another chance of stray/isolated afternoon showers and storms. Feels like temps around or over 100 degrees. Most of us will stay dry though under partly cloudy skies.
MONDAY NIGHT: Once again, any showers or storms quickly dissipate as we lose the heat of the day. Lows around the 70 degree mark under partly cloudy skies.
TUESDAY: Better rain chances are back for Tuesday, and we should see scattered coverage of afternoon t-storms. Highs will once again be around the 90 degree mark.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Copy and paste for Tuesday night. Lows around 70 with partly cloudy skies. Showers dissipate once the sun is gone.
WEDNESDAY TO 4TH OF JULY: Rain chances continue to increase for Wednesday, with scattered to numerous afternoon showers and storms and a high near 90. Even more widespread coverage for Thursday, but the cloud cover and rain will bring us cooler temps in the mid to upper 80s. Temps markedly cooler for Friday, as we are looking at a washout with rain and storms throughout the day. Highs around 80 degrees. Saturday, a front will try to push into the area. Models disagree on timing, and it is very hard to get a cold front to clear the area in July. If it does, Saturday will start out wet and end dry, if not it could stay pretty wet. The same story goes for the 4th. If the front makes it though, we could see drier air and comfortable temps, which would be great for the holiday. If the front lingers/stalls, we could see scattered showers and storms. Highs in the mid 80s, and lows in the mid 60s.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — The sound of illegal fireworks is a common occurrence for some Sacramento residents.
“I’m pretty much used to it,” said Rachel Valencia.
Valencia has lived in the La Rivera neighborhood in Sacramento for the past four years.
“It’s almost every night. Fireworks going off all times of the night,” Valencia said.
Resident Alex Rodgers also hears those sounds frequently.
“I have been wondering, ‘Are those fireworks or a misfired car,” Rodgers said.
Fire officials say they have heard a lot more illegal fireworks this year.
“Illegal fireworks are especially a problem because they tend to start fires in our community,” said Sacramento Fire Marshal Jason Lee.
Last year around this time, fire crews were busy dealing with multiple fires in the region — some started by fireworks. Crews are on heightened alert this year as the region is now under a drought-like state of emergency.
Lee stresses the importance of being prepared more than ever.
“It’s extremely dangerous with the hot dry season we are currently in,” Lee said.
Even as the Safe and Sane fireworks go on sale, officials warn to be extra careful when disposing of them. They advise residents to remain fire safe as dry conditions persist.
Meanwhile, Valencia hopes the illegal fireworks in her neighborhood stop.
“It gets annoying especially when it’s late at night,” Valencia said.
The city is hoping to hold property owners accountable for any illegal firework activity. Fines have also been increased
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