Update On North Dakota Drought -- State Deactivating The Drought Map -- Says "It's Over" -- December 14, 2017

Something tells me I'm going to get a lot of angry responses from farmers in North Dakota, especially those in the southwest part of the state, after posting this. From what I hear, the drought is not over in the minds of many. But, something also tells me a map is hardly necessary any more. The farmers know their land a lot better than bureaucrats in Bismarck. [Now, I will get an equal amount of angry mail from bureaucrats in Bismack (BIB).]

From The Williston Herald:

While the western half of the state remains in moderate drought and the eastern side is abnormally dry, the state is deactivating its drought monitor map at the end of the month.

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said the map was an invaluable tool for farmers throughout the state during the growing season, and was viewed nearly 11,000 times.

The Drought Hotline interactive map was launched in June, when much of the state was experiencing extreme and exceptional drought conditions. By August, all but two of North Dakota’s counties were listed at some level of drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, and many producers said it was the worst since the 1980s.

Only 5 percent of the state is now listed in severe drought, and no areas are extreme any more. Western North Dakota is still in moderate drought, and the east is still abnormally dry, because of unseasonably warm temperatures and below-normal precipitation the past 30 to 60 days.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this is the fourth driest October-through-November period on record.

My dad could really relate to this. I can imagine the conversation now if I were to visit him in Williston. He's 95 years old.

Me: This was the worst drought since the 1980s.

Him: Yeah, tell me about it. I remember the drought in 1933, the one in 1934, and the one in 1935. But the one in 1936 was really bad. Hey, do you think AAPL is going to split again? How's President Thump (sic) doing? Can we go to the bank? And then to Gramma Sharon's. But that drought in 1936; now that was bad. Even worse than the one in 1932. I don't know about  the drought during the war? I was in the Pacific. Did I ever tell you about the time we took 5,000 marines to China? What did they say about the drought this year? I forget what you said. Are we still going to the bank? Do I need to put on a jacket?

My dad was raised just outside of Newell, South Dakota, just a few miles from Rapid City, SD, and he often mentions how dry that part of the country was. He says they talked about seven-year cycles: seven years of drought followed by seven years of "less drought." He always thought his dad could not have found a drier piece of land on which to homestead in the entire United States had he tried. He never said that in a bad way: he always said that when bragging about how his dad could support a family with such meager resources; raised five kids and all did well. I didn't know how dry North and South Dakota were until I took North Dakota "history" in eighth grade from a Mr. H. I believe his last name started with "H" -- a great teacher, but I have lousy memory for names. One of my many shortcomings.  


It Never Rains In Southern California, Albert Hammond