Residents of SC, NC, GA, TN, and other Southeastern states experiencing drought--

[raccoon]

What if this isn't a short-time (10 years or less) trend? What if it's a long-term change?

Does anybody know?

[BolivarianHero]

1. OMG...

TEH RAPTUR IZ CUMMING!

[KG]

2. my part of FL has been experiencing a years long drought.

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. My part of NC is not in a drought. Though we just came out of a bad one.

Lake levels are at full dam. No water restrictions. Not sure what this is about.

[Seen the light]

17. Yep

Hasn't this been the nicest summer weather-wise that you can remember here? It's only 72 degrees at 12:19 in the afternoon where I'm at as I post this! And this comes after having a nice soaking rain last night.

[SIMPLYB1980]

21. Yeah the last week has been really nice.

I was actually able to get out in the garden and do some weeding without breaking a sweet. Looks good through the weekend, but I bet we pay for this good weather with a hot and humid week next week.

[Seen the light]

23. We'll see

On the 10-day forecast, there's not a day over 90 degrees to be found! I'm loving it!

[MADem]

4. Then people will move to the soggy north. nt

[Mudoria]

5. No way!

[Ilsa]

6. Include Texas. We used to get 30+ inches of rain per year. We've had

only <7 inches so far. I heard that the 50 year outlook is for Texas to turn into a desert.

[Javaman]

14. I love when I look at the drought stats on the news...

There are 3 levels: severe, extreme and a special category just for us here in Austin; exceptional.

I feel so special. :)

my plants don't though. Thank god I have rain barrels, lots of them. It's been tough but we have been able to make it by.

We also save the water from our condensation line off our a/c unit and the water from our kitchen and shower, when we warm up the water.

However, I'm looking out the window and it appears as if we may possibly maybe get hint of a wisp of rain. LOL

[Ilsa]

22. We are in the "exceptional" category as well, SE of you. We've had

thunderstorms in the area, and thankfully they have fallen on some farm land all around us, but have missed our home.

How have you managed to save your kitchen and shower gray water? Are you just running it into pitchers and saving it outside in your barrels? Or do you have some sort of homemade diversion technique?

[Javaman]

24. For the condensation line I dug a small hole and put in a couple of

1 gallon jugs in there.

for the tap water, I use old 100 count CD plastic containers. They hold about a quart. I use about 2 in the kitchen before the water warms. And since our shower is on the other end of the house, I fill about 3 of them there.

Then I just dump them into my rain barrels.

here's my blog. You will get a better idea on the A/C condensation line.

http://suburbandweller.blogspot.com/2009/06/look-at-dem-jugs.html

[Ilsa]

25. Thanks. I'm also going to show my son how to collect water

from moist ground by digging a hole, using a plastic sheet, a weight, and jar, etc. for condensation.

[Javaman]

27. Very cool.

Good luck! :)

[connecticut yankee]

7. It's Obama's fault

[jules1962]

8. East Tenn came out of drought conditions a month ago

[Orsino]

9. We are not exactly in a drought here in north Jawjuh...

...but I'm not confident that it's really over, and long-term, as you suggest, the rain we're getting now may be just a brief respite.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. SC is already in a lawsuit with NC over

the Catawba River. Lake Hartwell is disappearing. What it will eventually amount to is water rationing if conditions get bad enough.

Food prices will increase according to what crops are unable to grow. This is not just a problem in the Southeast. Google any state or area and you will probably find a problem.

Not only is river in dispute, but also water in the aquifers. The Ogallala Aquifer in the midwest is under several states. It is being depleted, and it is going to get worse between areas over who can draw out how much water.

In SC, Wellman Industries built a large plant in the NE part of the state. They drew out so much water that the water table dropped and people had to drill new wells. My grandparents had an artesian well that quit flowing because it no longer reached the water table.

[FarCenter]

11. United States Drought Monitor web site

http://drought.unl.edu/DM/MONITOR.html

The Southeast doesn't appear to be in particularly bad shape compared with South Texas and most of California.

[Kalyke]

12. It has rained and rained and rained and rained here in East TN.

All winter, all spring and a good portion of the summer.

Not sure why we're still considered as experiencing drought.

:shrug:

[johnaries]

13. No drought here in Nashville this year.

Last year, yes. This year very rainy and lots of thunderstorms.

[RockaFowler]

15. We were in a drought last year in FL

After we got Tropical Storm Faye, we were A-OK. Lake Okeechobee was a mess up until then. I think it was 2 feet below normal (our major water source in South Florida). We are still under water restrictions and I think that's a great idea. We get enough rain here to take care of your plants (oh yeah and it has rained everyday for the last 2 weeks).

[liberalmike27]

16. Global Climate CHANGE

I think the reason they stopped calling it global warming, even if that was the general trend, was that it will affect areas differently, some will cool, some will warm, there will be more draughts where it used to rain, and vice-versa.

Here in Mobile Alabama, we've had more rain this year, which is more normal. But in early June we hit 101, 102 degree temperatures. Now, we're having some unseasonable lows, in the middle of what normally is the hottest month, from July 15, to August 15. I've loving it, of course, as I despise the heat. I guess I should move.

Generally, it has been a bit odder during the Winter also, with the decline in temperatures being a little smoother than usual, not so much up and down you know. And we haven't really had as many of the teen-temperature days. We usually only get three of four days, perhaps five that low. I don't think we had any last year.

Perhaps we need to think about building a aqua-grid, to shift water around where it is needed. And we probably need to be thinking about moving crops around a bit too. Hell, I could've probably grown tomatos last Winter here. Normally the cold would kill them, but it scarcely got below freezing.

I don't see this trend changing, and I believe the di is cast, though I wish we could, as a world, react more quickly, I don't see it happening. By the time the really big disasters come, it'll be too late, and the will just isn't in our Congress even, to do the right thing. They are still debating as to whether it's cow-farts. Beano for livestock? Hmmmmm......

[ProdigalJunkMail]

18. well, GA is officially no longer in a drought

but a judge in FL did recent rule that the ACE should not have allowed ATL to take water from Lanier...so in three years, unless something changes, we are all fucked in ATL...

sP

[RebelOne]

19. Was going to post the same thing about us no longer being in a drought.

But this Lake Lanier thing is worrisome. I live in Woodstock, so I don't think our water comes from Lanier, or at least, I hope not.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

20. Woodstock is probably Alatoona...

but I live in Cumming...guess I am going to have to sink a well...hope the homeowner's association doesn't get too pissed :-)

sP

[supernova]

26. Don't know. We are Central NC and abnormally dry

but not as bad off as last year.

But I still don't waste water. I have a well and conserve wherever I can.