Drought Breaks out This Fall

GR:  I recommend that you follow the continue reading link.  The figures for the country and lots of specific cities are included.

“Drought has erupted in the Southeast United States in recent months, and emerged in the central plains in recent weeks. Forest fires have dotted the Southern Appalachians. Areas not directly threatened by the fires have dealt with the downstream consequences. Many places—including here in Asheville—have seen an almost uninterrupted run of air quality alerts. My part of the country now faces some of the same challenges many Californians have been battling for several years.

How we got there

“The short version of how we got there, and this isn’t meant to sound flippant, is that it’s been dry and warm.

“Take a look at October’s “percent of normal” precipitation map. The darkest brown color painted over much of the south—and nearly all of Alabama—and parts of the central and southern high plains represents less than 5% of normal rainfall. In other words, less than one part out of twenty of October’s average rainfall. In the south, October was an exclamation point at the end of a dry stretch dating to summer.” –Deke Arndt (continue reading:  Drought breaks out this fall | NOAA Climate.gov)