Midwest Drought
The Midwest Drought: Can Global Warming Be Blamed?
The drought which swept across the Midwestern United States in the summer of 2012 has been the most severe and widespread drought of the past 50 years. The population of the Midwest is approximately 61 million people and the region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. The percentage area experiencing moderate to exceptional drought in the Midwest peaked at 73.7% in July 2012, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To date, thousands of acres of farmland have been transformed into cracked earth, livestock have perished, crops have failed and farmers have watched their livelihoods turn to dust. The most recent weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report, which communicates the state of drought in the U.S. on a weekly basis, shows that almost 30% of the Midwest is still experiencing severe drought and over 53% of the area is experiencing moderate intensity drought conditions. This is compared with 6% and 14% respectively one year ago. (U.S. drought Monitor, January, 2013). The Seasonal Drought Outlook released by the National Weather Service earlier this month forecasts that the drought will continue in most dry areas west of the Mississippi River over the next three months, at least. As the drought has wrought havoc across America’s ‘Breadbasket’, namely the corn, wheat and soybean growing states of Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Dakota, fears of a global food crisis have grown due to a shortage in supply and increased food prices for consumers. The summer drought was accompanied by record heat throughout the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 55.3°F for 2012, that’s 3.2°F hotter than the average for the twentieth century. Overall, 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded in the United States since the NOAA began keeping records in
The drought which swept across the Midwestern United States in the summer of 2012 has been the most severe and widespread drought of the past 50 years. The population of the Midwest is approximately 61 million people and the region includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. The percentage area experiencing moderate to exceptional drought in the Midwest peaked at 73.7% in July 2012, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). To date, thousands of acres of farmland have been transformed into cracked earth, livestock have perished, crops have failed and farmers have watched their livelihoods turn to dust. The most recent weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report, which communicates the state of drought in the U.S. on a weekly basis, shows that almost 30% of the Midwest is still experiencing severe drought and over 53% of the area is experiencing moderate intensity drought conditions. This is compared with 6% and 14% respectively one year ago. (U.S. drought Monitor, January, 2013). The Seasonal Drought Outlook released by the National Weather Service earlier this month forecasts that the drought will continue in most dry areas west of the Mississippi River over the next three months, at least. As the drought has wrought havoc across America’s ‘Breadbasket’, namely the corn, wheat and soybean growing states of Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Dakota, fears of a global food crisis have grown due to a shortage in supply and increased food prices for consumers. The summer drought was accompanied by record heat throughout the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 55.3°F for 2012, that’s 3.2°F hotter than the average for the twentieth century. Overall, 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded in the United States since the NOAA began keeping records in