Retailers, restaurateurs and nightclub owners love it…
Bring on the fair weather and the fair weather customers, they say. For many the warm winter climes are a welcome respite from the gloomy, cold temps we’re used to at this time of year.
White Christmas? Bring it. Freezing cold weather, snow and sleet – fuggedaboutit!
However there’s a price to pay for all this balminess.
In the form of serious damage to crops we city people seldom think about until we get nailed at the grocery store, restaurant or with water bills.
The latest:
“In my winter forecast I said we were going to have a continued dry weather pattern were in an extremely dry weather pattern,” says KSHB weather wonk Gary Lezak. “The Midwest and Central Plains will continue to be dry. We may get two or three minor snowstorms – one two-inch, one three-inch and one five-inch – and I predict 14 inches of snow for the whole season, but at this point there’s no sign of it. So the chance of a White Christmas is small this year.”
As for the State of the Earth, “The Winter Wheat crop is a potential disaster,” Lezak says. “And if it stays dry it will be a disaster – it’s not looking good. We’re in a dry weather pattern, so between now and April I’m expecting the precipitation to be way below average.”
Looking ahead to 2014…
“The drought continues, there’s no doubt about it,” Lezak says. “In fact, it’s worsened. It’s very hard for a drought to worsen going into November during the colder months but October, November and now December have all been below average rainfal
Maybe we should resched the Spirit Fest and KCPT TV Dinner to ensure at least some guaranteed rainfall?
“I know,” Lezak quips. “if we could schedule those things we would get all kinds of rain. We should schedule them every day!”
The Ogllala acquifer is not renewing at a sustainable rate through the drought. It’s costing farmers more to irrigate and pump water on that corn and soybeans – a lot which goes to livestock feed. Cut your consumption of meat!!
Anyone who thinks this is abnormal should read Tim Egan’s The Worst Hard Time. Recurring droughts are part of the Plains ecosystem and this one isnt as bad as the 1930s. The overuse of the Ogalalla Aquifer is alarming though – once that runs out there won’t be any plan B except to pack up and go elsewhere.