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THIRTY PERCENT OF THE U.S. EXPERIENCING DROUGHT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Mar 10, 2002 The Climate Prediction Center, which monitors weather conditions in the United States, released data on March, 5, 2002 indicating that almost a third of the country is suffering from drought. According to Christina Ward of disasterrelief.org, "If the dry trend continues as expected, many regions of the country could encounter severe water shortages this spring and summer. Already, some states have announced drought emergencies and are drawing water from back-up supplies." Douglas LeComte, of the Climate Prediction Center told disasterrelief.org, "Since last October, high-pressure systems have deflected storm patterns to the south and north of affected areas along the East Coast, missing localities in need of precipitation." La Nina is considered a factor in the dryness in the West. Mark Svoboda, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, told the Associated Press. "This is a sleeping giant. The impact is still to come." From the National Drought Summary: "The East: A storm brought 1 to 2 inches of rain to drought areas along the Eastern Seaboard on March 2-3, offering some respite from the persistent dry weather that has dominated the region since autumn. Although the rain was beneficial, it was not sufficient to significantly alter the overall drought picture, allowing extreme drought to continue over Maine, the mid-Atlantic from New Jersey to northern Virginia, and the Southeast from South Carolina to eastern Georgia. The drought in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast remains mostly a hydrological drought, with impacts on ponds, lakes, rivers, wells, and reservoirs. However, there are a variety of other effects from the drought, including long-term impacts on vegetation and trees. According to preliminary data, the Northeast experienced the second driest September-February in 107 years of record. The 12 months ending in February were the driest on record in Maine. New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland reported the driest February on record. The Plains and Midwest: The early-March storm had little impact on dryness in this region, as the heaviest snow and rain mostly fell in areas not experiencing abnormal dryness. Abnormally dry conditions continued in the northern Plains, with severe to extreme drought persisting in southwest Texas. Moderate drought intensified to severe drought in extreme southern Texas. Drought also intensified to severe levels in western Oklahoma and southwest Kansas." - Climate Prediction Center, NOAA / disasterrelief.org / Associated Press - Graphic: Climate Prediction Center - Map shows ranges from abnormally dry (Yellow) to exceptionally dry (Dark Brown) ............................................... Be the change you want to see in the world. -- Mahatma Gandhi