Deluge to drought ...Posted Apr20, 2006 at 06:55 PM7 p.m. With much of the nation gripped in drought, surely the areas of Louisiana soaked by the big hurricanes last fall must still have abundant moisture in the soil, right? Think again ... (Associated Press) A largely rainless winter and spring followed hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which account for most of the recent rainfall, weather experts say. The drought encompasses all of the southern half of the state and gets worse as one travels south. Southeastern Louisiana, which includes the southernmost coastal parishes, is on pace for its driest January-though-April ever, said state climatologist Jay Grymes. Baton Rouge has recorded below-normal rainfall for 12 of the past 14 months — the exceptions being in August and September when Katrina and Rita hit. According to the Lincoln, Neb.-based National Drought Mitigation Center, southern Louisiana is under conditions of either severe or extreme drought — with the extreme conditions closer to the coast For more on the current state of the drought nationally, click on the U.S. Drought Monitor site. |
About this blog
Kevin Myatt works on the copy desk for The Roanoke Times and is its principal weather geek, writing a weekly weather column and advising the newsroom on weather topics. He helps guide students on a storm chasing trip to the central U.S. each May and was an editor for "Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States." .....Advertisement.....
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