Weathering a Wild Winter
Some of my January
2014 weather forecasts are coming true. I predicted climate chaos including extreme cold winter
temperatures in United States. The Northeast, as noted, is enduring heavy snow
as other non-snow regions are rudely being awakened by odd ice and snowstorms. During
mid-February storms, there was news of “thundersnow” (a thunderstorm that creates
snow instead of rain), but I left out the extreme drought in the West and
didn’t pinpoint the South getting slammed by historical weather-related events—the
worst storm in years. So as U.S. is on a
wild ride of catastrophic weather, how wild is it and how will it affect our
food basket in the future?
West Coast Drought
For the past three years, California
has been experiencing lack of precipitation also called an “extreme” drought
and that spells lack of water for farmers’ crops and food for the nation. (Eleven
Western states have declared disaster areas due to the dry spell.) Farmers are
worried; and the Sierra Nevada region is not like it used to be.
As I live at Lake Tahoe, a
well-known ski resort town, I’ve noticed how snow at lake level is something
that seems nondescript and we are making man-made snow more than before as well
as dealing with wet powder. Tourists are not as frequent as they were years ago
when I moved here in 1999.
In February right before and during the Westminster Dog Show, we got rain
and wet snow on the West Coast but it melted fast. No berms to see on the
neighborhood streets or main highway 50. Merchants are getting less business from
tourists because of less snow. And this month of February and last month,
Spring Fever has hit. That means wearing T-shirts and jeans, raking pine
needles, swimming at the resort pools, and walking the dogs on dry ground (no
black ice) is part of our off winter season.
But there may be hope.
I Wish It Would Rain (Another Forecast)
On October 19 and January
24 via my blog I forecasted and envisioned that we would
have a significant storm on the West Coast late January and February. Right on cue during the dog show in New York the storm came to the West Coast. Meteorologists, locals, and snow-loving folks waited for the snow count in the
Sierra. It was only the second storm this winter season. On the upside, it
rained a lot—day and night--with flood advisories. Streets were ponding. It was
like a storm in late November or April at Lake Tahoe. This is abnormal. Blame
it on the Pineapple Express (a heavy flow of atmospheric moisture and
precipitation from Hawaii moving through the Pacific Ocean that creates warm
storms).
The reports from the
National Weather Service in Reno, noted we got as much as 2 to 3 feet of snow between
7,000 feet and 8,000 feet, while lake level areas received up to 6 inches
— and rain (up to 3 inches that created ponding on streets and flood
advisories). I felt like I was living in Northern California such as San
Francisco.
While the storm was
welcomed in California, it’s not nearly enough precipitation to save this dry
winter and its effects. After the storm, I forecasted the West Coast, including
the Pacific Northwest and California, may get up to five more storms in February
and March (thanks to Pisces)—a “Miracle March” (a month when heavy snow has hit
in the past) and that would help California, agree weather gurus. But at this
time all we can do is pray for rain and snow as we wait for Mother Nature to
pan out. And that’s not all.
Dust
Bowl and the Breadbasket
With the 21st century Western states
drought, images of the 1930’s John Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath come to mind but ironically California is part of
dry ground in the 21st century—not the land of milk and honey. The
fact is, a large percentage of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and even honey come
from central California. The odds that you’ll be paying more for these products
is a good bet,. The price of maintaining crops due to the water shortage will
affect the costs of food in the future.
An agriculture
consultant in the San Joaquin Valley, California told me 2014 is the worst
honey season in history in California. He explained, “With minimal water, there
is minimal (or no) nectar in flowers, Crop yields suffer similarly.”Because honey bees pollinate our fruits, vegetables, and nuts prices will go up
for these foods. The drought may also affect the price of organic beef, milk, and
cheese.
Food prices not only will go up in California and
the U.S. but throughout the world. Our Golden State is the “breadbasket” of
America but we also export produce around the globe. If you haven’t seen the
sci-fi film Soylent Green showing a
time of depleted resources--it’s time. Meanwhile, the jury is still out until
later this year for food experts and farmers to tally up and tell us how much the
drought is going to take a toll on our pocketbooks because of not enough water. Meanwhile, let's forget that tune “It Never Rains in Southern California” because it’s the
time to sing “I Wish It Would Rain”.
2014
Epic Snowstorms Deep South, Northeast
I was spot-on with my Northeast weather forecast,
but a miss with the southern states. A rare ice storm hit Atlanta, Georgia
during the end of January. Images of countless cars stuck in gridlock were seen
on TV and experienced by Southerners for hours. The off winter weather (that
our West Coast ski resorts are used to and miss) caught the Deep South off guard. The storm left motorists stranded, some left
their vehicles on the roads.
A second Georgia storm made the news mid-February
and more headlines like “Ice storm causes deaths, power outages, and traffic
jams in the South” hit the news. The storm put emergency response agencies in
preparedness mode. But this time around, This time southerners stayed home and
off the roads so the dire consequences were likely less than more. Still,
reports rolling in stated more than 200,000 power outages in Georgia.
Yet, the Valentine’s Day Eve storm headed
northbound. News headlines such “Storm Is Biggest Winter Blast to Hit the
Northeast” and “Nor’easter to Hammer DC, Philly, NYC and Boston” spread in
newspapers and on TV. The snowstorm slammed the Carolinas (at least 300,000
people without power), leaving thousands coping with dangerous icy roads, countless
delayed near 10,000 flights, fallen trees and power lines as well as one
million without power. One third of Americans were affected as the
storm headed up the East Coast. In result, the teeter-totter weather—epic snow
in the South and North and a drought in the West is mega news that won’t be
forgotten.
Excerpts from article by Cal Orey in March issue Oracle 20/20 Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment