U.S. Drought Intensified in August

The National Climatic Data Center reported that the intensity of this year's drought continued to worsen in August where 39.0 percent of the U.S. was in severe to extreme drought.  This drought became the largest area of severe drought since December 1956 when 43.2 percent of the U.S. was in extreme drought.  This year's drought is the fourth largest drought since 1895 and had a large impact on the U.S. agriculture.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 52 percent of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor by August 26.  Soybean and sorghum also worsened and 59 percent of pasture and range land around the U.S. was very poor as well. 83 percent of corn, 80 percent of soybeans, and 72 percent of cattle were in a drought zone, you can imagine what kind of impact this had on farmers and their income.

Droughts develop slowly and can have a prolonged existence, possibly for several years and can affect all countries around the world.  Human impact varies between countries depending on LDCs or MDCs.  In LDCs, the drought affects the population directly where they depend on crop growth and food supplies.  Low rainfall that affects the crops in these countries can lead to famine and possibly death.  There is a need for better agricultural land-use practices because overgrazing, poor cropping methods, deforestation, and improper soil conservation techniques does not cause drought, but may amplify a drought disaster.  Irrigation systems can offer some security against drought, but they are pricey and many farmers cannot afford such equipment.  Greater diversity of cropping patterns may decrease drought risk and also water shortages.  Drought forecasts that are available months ahead of time can aid the farmers in planning their crop planting and water management.  This can be done by using meteorological models that look at the atmosphere and the oceans to predict rainfall for the season.  It is not always affective but can provide some insight.

http://www.weather.com/news/drought-intensified-in-august-20120917