Deepening drought and a dismal Denver day by Jay Wynne
As spring gets fully underway here in the UK, our Antipodean cousins are into early autumn. With drought conditions prevailing across Australia - the winter crops are under threat as planting time fast approaches.
Australia is the world’s second largest exporter of wheat and canola (used to make cooking oil) with New South Wales a major player in the production of both. 2002 was a terrible year for Australian farmers - the worst drought in a century took a devastating toll on crops and livestock nationwide with New South Wales particularly badly affected. Parts of the State have yet to recover fully from that. Recent surveys put 76% of the state in drought, an increase of 8% on March.
Water storage facilities in the state are operating at about 30% of capacity and pastures are showing signs of moisture stress. Summer crops have already been affected with yields down on previous expectations. The worsening situation means that preparations for this winter’s crop have had to be delayed. Some good rain is really needed in the next month or so, whether or not it materialises remains to be seen.
In the United States the situation is completely different. A snowstorm swept through Colorado bringing up to 30cm of snow to Denver. Large flakes of wet snow and 30mph winds reduced visibility to very low levels. Airlines cancelled flights leaving hundreds stranded at airports and more stuck on the roads in a white-out.
The storm is due to move east during today spreading some heavy rain across the Plains.
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