CV Weather Report with a Twist: Sep 2-4

Until we get a real change in weather, I'm just going copy & paste from previous reports.  There just isn't much changing weather-wise in Castro Valley in this wonderful summer.

Yawn..... Another nice weather weekend for Castro Valley!  Mid-80s and warmer than last weekend.  If I was just reporting on the weather, I could phone it in... blah, blah, yadda, yadda...

It's Labor Day weekend, so enjoy your time off!

After watching the massive rain and horrible flooding back east as Hurricane Irene moved through, I decided to go the opposite way and talk about drought.

I remember vividly the 1973-74 California drought.  I was working at Ft. Hunter Liggett in the mountains east of Big Sur.  Ft. Hunter Liggett used to be William Randolf Hearst's hunting range and it's located mostly in a couple of valleys surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest.

I was working for a civilian contractor and with all the dirt, dust and diesel from M-60 tanks, it was brutal.  That's when I first grew a beard because I didn't want to shave.

Now, the whole southwest from Arizona to Texas is having a terrible drought.  There have been huge dust storms in Phoenix, Arizona.

Weather Facts of the Week:

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy.

This global phenomenon has a widespread impact on agriculture. The United Nations estimates that an area of fertile soil the size of Ukraine is lost every year because of drought, deforestation, and climate instability.

Periods of drought can have significant environmental, agricultural, health, economic and social consequences. The effect varies according to vulnerability. For example, subsistence farmers are more likely to migrate during drought because they do not have alternative food sources. Areas with populations that depend on subsistence farming as a major food source are more vulnerable to drought-triggered famine.

Drought can also reduce water quality, because lower water flows reduce dilution of pollutants and increase contamination of remaining water sources. Common consequences of drought include:

• Diminished crop growth or yield productions and carrying capacity for livestock
• Dust bowls, themselves a sign of erosion, which further erode the landscape
• Dust storms, when drought hits an area suffering from desertification and erosion
• Reduced electricity production due to reduced water flow through hydroelectricdams
• Snakemigration and increases in snakebites
• Social unrest
• Warover natural resources, including water and food
• Wildfires, such as Australianbushfires, are more common during times of drought

Weather Jokes of the Week:

How Dry is it?

• It's so dry the catfish are carrying canteens. 
• It's so dry here that the fire hydrants are chasing the dogs around. 
• It’s so dry that the cows are giving evaporated milk. 
• It’s so dry the fish are knocking on the door, askin’ for a drink of water. 
• It’s so dry the Red Cross has launched a wet blanket appeal. 
• It’s so dry the government has announced a water pistol buy back scheme. 
• It’s so dry, crooks are siphoning off radiators instead of gas tanks. 
• It’s so dry they’ve had to close two lanes at the swimming pool.

You can view a weather satellite view of Castro Valley at any time from any place that shows all the backyard weather stations, by using this link: Castro Valley Weather