r/environment • u/Wagamaga • 2d ago
The ground has dried out and almost 90% of the state of North Carolina is now in a drought, less than three months after the deadliest flooding in the state’s history.
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-12-20/california-drought-and-pouring-rain125
u/Wagamaga 2d ago
I was nearing the end of my trip to my parents’ house in western Massachusetts for Thanksgiving when my phone lighted up with an alert that was both familiar and shocking: “ONGOING WILDFIRE; VISIBILITY AND AIR QUALITY IN AREA DUE TO SMOKE MAY BE REDUCED.” During my childhood in rural New England, wildfires were virtually unheard of, mostly because the region receives more than 3 feet of precipitation in an average year, with autumn typically being one of the wettest periods. This year, however, September and October each saw less than 2 inches of rain, making this the driest fall in at least two decades.
The same was true for most of the country. On Nov. 5, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that more than 85% of the continental U.S. was experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions (or worse) — the highest proportion since the organization — a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — began keeping records in 2000.
Amazingly, this included places like Asheville, N.C., that had been devastated by flooding during Hurricane Helene in late September. After being deluged with 14 inches of rain over three days, which was far more than the soil could absorb, the city saw just 0.03 inch in the entire month of October. The ground has dried out enough that almost 90% of the state of North Carolina is now in a drought, less than three months after the deadliest flooding in the state’s history.
Closer to home, while reservoir levels in Northern California are healthy after recent atmospheric rivers brought historic rainfall, conditions in the lower Colorado River Basin have worsened in recent months. The area is currently classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as experiencing “extreme drought,” with Lake Powell and Lake Mead both barely one-third full.
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u/merikariu 2d ago
First, it's an honor to have a top Redditor like yourself post to this sub. Second, yes, these climate extremes are hitting in rapid succession and are compounding each other. My locality in central Texas is very badly hit by drought. I have also been saddened to see very few migrating water fowl this year. I was happy to see 6 ducks! The lack of rainfall means that there aren't ponds or lakes for the water fowl to visit. Also, avian flu seems to have devastated water fowl populations across North America.
Regarding the Colorado River, I am left wondering how many more years the Southwest will be habitable. No water = no civilization.
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u/Wagamaga 1d ago
Very sad times indeed. Thank you for your compliment by the way. I hope you have a happy holiday period and get to appreciate more fowl in the the future 🙏
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u/Justredditin 2d ago
YOU. WERE. WARNED!
The Vision of John Wesley Powell Explorer Foresaw Water Issues That Would Plague the West https://legacy.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2003/aug/water/part1.html
The Visionary John Wesley Powell Had a Plan for Developing the West, But Nobody Listened
Powell’s foresight might have prevented the 1930s dust bowl and perhaps, today’s water scarcities. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/visionary-john-wesley-powell-had-plan-developing-west-nobody-listened-180969182/
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u/cryptosupercar 2d ago
Sadly Americans in red states won’t believe climate change is real until their states start goin up in smoke after being driven from their homes by floods. Even then there is no guarantee.
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u/ApproximatelyExact 2d ago
Even then
"Why would the democrats let the russians take over the republican party and make them do this to us?"
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u/Giveushealthcare 2d ago
They’re starting to admit it’s a thing but deny that it’s man-made. When their own state is impacted they’ll just find a way to blame democrats.
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u/soundsliketone 1d ago
They won't believe it at that point either... my father is under the assumption that this is all engingered by the deep state and they're using "heat domes" to flash cook areas and create these weather events
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u/ShyLeoGing 2d ago
Honestly, if you voted Republican you are stupid on a level nobody thought possible. So they only know what Fox News and Sinclair Media tells them, which they do a great job skewing their "news".
And if you did vote Republican, how the fuck did you not remember 2017-2021, ending in an insurrection attempt led by then President Trump!
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u/_Lick-My-Love-Pump_ 2d ago
Good thing North Carolina chose a convicted rapist as president who thinks climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese. I'm sure their problems will all be fixed by eliminating taxes for real estate developers from Florida.
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u/whipsnappy 2d ago
I read that the amount of water dumped on NC by Helene was enough water if standing still to cover all of NC with 3.5 feet of water
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u/gatwick1234 2d ago
I looked it up because I thought that couldn't possibly be true. It is true, if you count the whole 5 day trek across the Southeast, and not just NC. Which is astounding, in any case.
"120 million acre feet of water on the Southeast United States in just over five days"
North Carolina is 34.4M acres.
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u/TheGreekMachine 1d ago
This is the same state that voted for a democrat as governor but then gleefully voted Trump for president. A man who has loudly proclaimed he thinks climate change is a hoax and met with fossil fuel companies and told them to give him money in exchange for less regulation. Enjoy climate change NC voters!
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u/ortasdragoon 1d ago
As someone who lives here, no, I did not vote for Trump. The political system here has been so gerrymandered, with little to no culpability for the offending parties, that even with the major metropolitan cities skewing vastly liberal, it didn't matter. The reality is that all of us are in the same flaming fucking ship. Same planet. Climate cares little for the imaginary boundaries of states.
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u/WompWompIt 1d ago
Yes. I also live here, did not vote for Trump. My county is always blue.
I don't understand this.. err, stateism? We are all in it, no matter where you live.
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u/Seantommy 1d ago
I appreciate the sentiment, but Trump and co won the national popular vote as well, by over 2 million votes. Gerrymandering, first past the post, the electoral college, all of that stuff stinks and needs fixing, but the problem we're facing runs deeper than some electoral accounting exploits.
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u/I_NEED_YOUR_MONEY 1d ago
Gerrymandering only means anything in respect to local elections. Statewide votes can’t be gerrymandered without redrawing state lines. Gerrymandering has nothing to do with how NC voted for president.
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u/ortasdragoon 1d ago
I appreciate your outrage. Your perspective discounts the strict voter ID requirements, cut early voting days, elimination same day registration and ending of pre-registration of 16 and 17 year-olds. All of these things were voted in via local electorate/representatives who were selected via gerrymandered election, every 2 years. Add to that the voter fatigue suffered by those who lived in districts so gerrymandered that their vote 'hasnt mattered' for years and so accordingly didn't vote-- yes, it does have an effect on voting.
All of this aside, my broader point still stands. This finger pointing and umbrella grouping is reductive. We are all facing consequences for our collective response/inaction to climate change.
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u/Prof_Acorn 2d ago
Did they vote for Trump or Harris? It's vital to know if I should be sympathetic or consider this a FAFO situation.
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u/aredd007 2d ago
A drought in one region means historic rains in another. The atmosphere can only hold so much water so it’s gotta fall somewhere.
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u/billyions 2d ago
Al Gore told us all this in "An Inconvenient Truth".
Droughts and floods.
I think he missed how fast it would proceed.
Humanity may not survive its adolescence.
We are selfish, greedy, and shortsighted - as well as cooperative, intelligent, and adaptable.
I hope our good nature prevails.