Drought Threatens Northwest Crops
Mar 18, 2010; 4:41 PM ET
While concerns linger about major river flooding in the Midwest and northern Plains following above-normal precipitation this winter, the Northwest has a problem quite the opposite: drought.
Much of the Northwest has been in the throes of a dry spell following a winter of below-normal rain and snow.
The lack of snowpack over the area is leaving farmers worried about their crops. Cherries, apples, grapes and winter wheat are primary crops in the Northwest states.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Walla Walla, Wash., has only recorded 55 percent of its normal precipitation since November and only 4.5 inches of snowfall.
A weak El Niño has given the continental U.S. a more southerly storm track the past few months, so many storms with significant precipitation have missed the Northwestern states.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said this sort of dry pattern in the Northwest is not unusual for an El Niño winter.
Farmers in the northwest depend on snowpack to keep their maintain their reservoirs.
OPB News reports that many farmers can rely on stored reservoir water to make up for the lack of rainfall. However, if next winter is also dry, farmers may be in trouble.
The United States drought monitor has the entire state of Idaho and most of Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Utah as being at least abnormally dry.
Slight relief from the dry spell is possible as a weak storm rolls in from the Pacific Sunday into Monday, bringing scattered showers from coastal Washington and Oregon to parts of the interior Northwest.
By AccuWeather.com's Gina Cherundolo
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Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 113° | Death Valley, CA |
| Low | 30° | Bellemont, AZ |
| Precip | 9.70" | Miami, FL |
WeatherWhys®
A large, horrific tornado struck the city of Joplin, Mo., last year on this date. The twister cut a deadly path across the south side of the city, leaving over 159 dead and at least 1,150 injured. The Joplin tornado currently ranks as the 7th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
This Day In Weather History
New Hampshire (1814)
A tornado crossed Merrimac, Litchfield, Londonderry and North Chester. The same storm produced hailstones that had an 11-inch circumference and weighed 1/2 pound.
Northeast (1989)
More rain in an already wet month. Monthly totals topped 11 inches at New York City, 9 inches at Bridgeport, Conn., and 8 inches at Baltimore (all three totals set records for May).
Rough Weather
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