Not Just Vermont: U.S. Dry Areas Drying Out More

Yes, it's dry and getting drier up here in Vermont, but a "flash drought"
is enveloping pars of the United States Southwest

When dry conditions develop in the summer in any given location, they tend to persist as rain storms just seem to go around parched areas.

That's what seems to be happening now in some areas of the nation.

It's dry in Vermont now, but it's nothing like what's going on in parts of Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, southern Utah and Arizona.  

As the Weather Channel reports, that area is experiencing a flash drought, a spell of dangerously dry weather that develops quickly, over days and weeks, as opposed to months and years like most droughts.

The culprit there is - of course - a lack of rain.  However, the weather pattern has brought a few weeks of very hot and windy weather in that region.  Such weather dries the ground out quickly, which is why the drought has developed so rapidly.

This week's weather forecast for the area around west Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado is bad: Lots of dry, hot air and lots of wind.  The wind is striking because winds tend to be lighter once we exit spring and go into summer.

Not surprisingly, given the conditions, there's a big risk of fire this weekend, and beyond, especially in parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and some of the high Plains of western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Already, a wildfire near Tucson, Arizona has forced evacuations of some neighborhoods in the foothills of nearby mountains.

Here in Vermont, things aren't nearly so dire, but as noted yesterday, we're continuing to watch the increasingly dry conditions here.

That rain Thursday temporarily helped in some areas, but the forecast for the North Country is bad if you want moisture for your gardens and farm fields. (Though I admit the forecast for several days in a  row of dry weather is great for farmers who are haying).

There are some inconsequential sprinkles around today.  And it might have snowed a bit atop Mount Mansfield.   I know that at one point this morning, it was 34 degrees up there and some sort of light precipitation was falling.  Weather radar also indicated snowflakes landing on the High Peak summits of the Adirondacks this morning.

In any event, after today, there is currently no precipitation in Vermont's forecast at least into Friday.  High pressure will park itself over northern New England and southern Quebec.  A dramatic warming trend between now and midweek will help evaporation increase - further drying out our surroundings.

We're now into the longest days of the year, which gives the sun all the more time to dry things out as well.

Beyond Friday, we see hints of precipitation moving in, but it's way too early to tell if that will actually materialize.

Time to maybe start doing rain dances?