Only 1.1 percent of the U.S. is considered to be in “severe” drought or greater, which is the lowest percent since records began nearly two decades ago.
Colorado State University meteorologist Philip Klotzbach tweeted the news Thursday, noting the record-low percentage.
Only 1.1% of the continental U.S. is in severe to exceptional drought, the lowest % since US Drought Monitor weekly records began in 2000. pic.twitter.com/Mj15NDq3CH
— Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) April 27, 2017
One year ago, nearly 6 percent of the U.S. was in a “severe” drought or worse — the next level being “extreme” followed by “exceptional” — according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
At the start of 2017, about 10 percent of the country was in drought, mostly from the four-year-long drought in California. Droughts in the southeastern U.S. and northeastern states also added to the percentage of the country locked in severe drought.
Heavy rains hit California in February and largely brought the Golden State out of drought. Three months ago, more than half of California was in severe drought or worse — currently, only 8 percent of the state is in drought.
The rains came as a surprise to media outlets, which had written numerous articles on California’s “permanent” or “unending” drought.
“California Braces for Unending Drought,” The New York Times reported in May 2016. Wired reported that same month: “Thanks El Ni√±o, But California’s Drought Is Probably Forever.”
California’s drought began in 2012, and pushed rain and snowfall levels to their lowest on record. The state saw its three warmest years on record (2014, 2015 and 2016), and the Sierra-Cascades mountains saw their lowest snowpack on record, about 5 percent of normal.
But a series of rain and snow storms struck Northern California earlier this year and dumped more than 350 billion gallons of water into California reservoirs.
In order that our position remains solid we need to keep reality in mind. A 30 year detailed study showed that the percentage of earth under drought conditions is fairly constant. What isn’t constant is the impacted areas keep moving around. Right now drought in the US is lower but there are four regions else where in the world experiencing severe drought. In some future years these regions will be back to normal but other areas, perhaps the US, will have the drought. This is normal and has nothing to do with climate change, but you can bet the liberal media will put that spin on it.
Noting that this same liberal rag the NEW YORK SLIMES(All the Sluge thats fit to print) said it wouldnever snow gain becuase of Global Warming and back in the 1970’s theat liberal rag TIME was blabering about Global Cooling and a New Ice Age just as much as it was blabbering about Global Warming/Climate Change back in the 1990’s