Drought?

[ss20]

I see much of the Northeast is in a pretty nasty drought. I see rain Monday/Tuesday for you guys then bone dry after that. I remember some pretty dry summers but the rain would always come again in September/October before ski season. Hopefully this dry spell does not go too far into the fall.

Any talk of snowmaking ponds drying up? Or rivers below the necessary flow rate to draw from?

Out here we've actually had some pretty good drought improvement, mostly in AZ and New Mexico but there's been marginal improvement in Utah. Lake Mead has actually seen a pretty dramatic rise in its water level https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/why-lake-mead-continues-to-rise-while-lake-powell-falls/

 

[KustyTheKlown]

it has been dry and droughty as fuck but it did dump rain a couple of nights ago upstate and i presume across new england. bee a dry one tho

 

[icecoast1]

Just seemed like a typical summer in Upstate NY. Same thing happens every summer to some extent, last year being an exception with all the rain. I don't think i'd call it a nasty drought. We didn't even get to the point of people not being able to fill pools or water lawns. And things are starting to return to normal with rainfall

 

[Keelhauled]

Two summers ago was much worse.

 

[thebigo]

It is the first weekend of September, it will rain soon, likely pour for a while. Last summer was the anomaly, this summer was dry but nothing terribly unusual.

 

[NYDB]

Certainly dry by the shore here on LI.
1.5 inches of rain during July and August.
it'll be aight. I'm sure it will rain all xmas week in VT to make up for it.

 

[thetrailboss]

I see much of the Northeast is in a pretty nasty drought. I see rain Monday/Tuesday for you guys then bone dry after that. I remember some pretty dry summers but the rain would always come again in September/October before ski season. Hopefully this dry spell does not go too far into the fall.

Any talk of snowmaking ponds drying up? Or rivers below the necessary flow rate to draw from?

Out here we've actually had some pretty good drought improvement, mostly in AZ and New Mexico but there's been marginal improvement in Utah. Lake Mead has actually seen a pretty dramatic rise in its water level https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/why-lake-mead-continues-to-rise-while-lake-powell-falls/

As you know, we’re still in a drought here. And another La Niña is on tap.

 

[zyk]

Out here its dry. Creek behind the house is often 6 ft deep... Now just a series of ponds. Gardens are in trouble. Neighbor's watering pond is roughly 18 ft deep maybe a foot or so of water left. Bad one this year.

 

[RichT]

I got a robo call from the Town of Hunter yesterday informing of a burn ban because of the dry conditions there.

 

[deadheadskier]

Every time I worry about a little drought, I remember that I live in New England and every single one of my 46 years has seen tons of rainy and dreary weather from middle of October almost through November. Every year without fail. Then I don't worry anymore.

My only concern is low lake levels and dinging a prop. Haha

 

[darent]

no watering restrictions on cape and some spots in SE Mass

 

[crank]

Remember all the flooding from Ida this time last year? Hoping we don't get that this year.

 

[zyk]

I remember Irene and Sandy especially. All fields under water. Watching the two bridges I live between and debating whether to flee or hold off and prep the truck for run up into the hills. That was worse.

 

[urungus]

Most towns here in the Connecticut River Valley have watering restrictions

 

[urungus]

no watering restrictions on cape and some spots in SE Mass

Since June 1st 2022, Provincetown Water System has been under mandatory non-essential outdoor water use restrictions. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, ALL OUTDOOR WATERING IS NOW BANNED

source: https://www.provincetown-ma.gov/475/Water-Department

 

[Edd]

Am I nuts to think we should just not have lawns anymore? That we should find a non-water demanding alternative?

 

[Newpylong]

Or just not water them? No one does that up here.

 

[cdskier]

Am I nuts to think we should just not have lawns anymore? That we should find a non-water demanding alternative?

There are a lot of native plants and flowers that would be much better than grass and far more beneficial (better for bees, the environment, etc). Many of them also have much deeper root systems, so they don't need the constant watering like grass does to stay healthy. Definitely need to move more towards this instead of all the perfectly green and constantly trimmed lawns.

 

[IceEidolon]

Yeah. I can see grass cover being worthwhile for some stuff - sports fields, common areas, places where taller native groundcovers would be trip hazards - but maintaining wide grassy lawns for asthetic reasons?

We committed several man-weeks of labor and a decent bit of fuel to lawn care at a particular resort. More than half could have been replaced with a few signs saying something like "native pollinator support area" and monthly or seasonal maintenance.

 

[mister moose]

good map here:

Current Northeast Drought Conditions | USDA Climate Hubs

www.climatehubs.usda.gov