NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
A3
A drought like no other, NOAA scientist says
Drought covers almost
the entire Western U.S.
By Don Jenkins
EO Media Group
The West has been so dry and so
hot for so long that its current drought
has no modern precedent, according to
a National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration meteorologist.
For the first time in 122 years of
record-keeping, drought covers almost
the entire Western U.S. as measured
by the Palmer Drought Severity Index,
said Richard Heim, a drought histo-
rian and an author of the U.S. Drought
Monitor.
“It’s a very simple ‘yes,’ in terms
of this drought being unprecedented,”
Heim said.
The Palmer index estimates relative
soil moisture based on temperature and
precipitation records. Unlike the Stan-
dard Precipitation Index, which mea-
sures water supply, the Palmer index
also takes into account heat-driven
demand for water.
In June, about 97% of the West —
Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana,
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah
and Washington — was in water-defi-
cit territory, according to the Palmer U.S. Drought Monitor
index.
Utah was never drier, while Oregon Climatologist Larry O’Neill said. “It’s
and California were at their second dri- borderline unprecedented, or at least
est on record. Idaho and Arizona were among the worst.”
at their third driest ever, and Nevada
The cumulative effects of the
was at its fourth driest.
West’s current drought, illustrated by
Washington was at its 10th dri- low major reservoirs, gives credence to
est, while Montana and New Mexico, calling it unprecedented, Washington
where recent monsoons have brought State Climatologist Nick Bond said.
relief, were at their 17th driest.
“I don’t have any real quarrel with
Oregon and Washington state cli- using that term,” he said.
matologists gave their qualified
The Drought Monitor, a partner-
endorsement for calling this drought ship between NOAA and the USDA,
has been mapping drought in the U.S.
“unprecedented.”
“I’d be slightly cautious about call- since 2000. The percentage of the West
ing it ‘unprecedented,’ but that’s prob- in “exceptional drought,” the worst
ably a fair description,” Oregon State category, has never been higher. More
Contributed image/U.S. Drought Monitor
than 95% of the nine Western states is
in some stage of drought.
Heim said the combination of pro-
longed above-average temperatures
and below-normal precipitation set
this drought apart from two multiyear
droughts that spanned the 1930s and
1950s.
The U.S. entered another extended
dry episode in 1998, he said. The
drought has eased periodically, but
never really went away and reasserted
itself beginning last spring, he said.
A 24-month period that ended June
30 was the driest such two-year period
ever in the West, according to records
dating back to 1895. The same time
period was the sixth warmest.
Other two-year dry periods, such as
1976 and 1977, were not as hot, Heim
said.
“I would define this (drought) as
still part of a 20-plus-year drought,”
he said. “In the last year and a half, we
have been on an intensifying trend.”
The drought’s depth, duration and
cause varies by state, making compar-
isons between the current drought and
past droughts imperfect.
In measuring drought, “there is no
simple best way,” Bond said. “There
are different flavors of drought.”
Washington’s 1977 drought was
much worse judged solely by the pre-
cipitation index. About 90% of Wash-
ington was in exceptional drought in
June 1977, compared to less than 1%
this June.
Idaho and Oregon also were in
deeper droughts in June 1977 than this
year, according to the precipitation
index. California, however, is worse
off this year.
Long dry spells lead to hydrological
droughts, when streams and reservoirs
are low and wells are dry.
Southern Oregon has fallen into a
hydrological drought, and it will take a
long time to recover, O’Neill said.
“Even if we get normal precipi-
tation in the winter, we would expect
to be in at least moderate hydrological
drought next year,” he said.
The federal Climate Prediction
Center says that odds favor a La Nina
forming next winter. The climate phe-
nomenon generally means a good
snowpack in Washington and a poor
snowpack in Northern California.
In Oregon, La Nina often has less
pronounced effects, O’Neill said. The
dividing line between good and poor
snowpacks in La Nina years falls about
Roseburg, he said.
“I think the bottom line is we can’t
necessarily depend on La Nina for sav-
ing us from drought,” he said.
Washington’s 2015 drought started
with a warm winter and low snowpack
during an El Nino, which has the oppo-
site effect from a La Nina.
The “snowpack drought” led to low
stream flows. The drought this year
was brought on by a dry spring. Melt-
ing snow continued to supply streams.
The 2015 drought was worse for
Washington irrigators and a “better
example of a climate-change drought,”
Bond said.
“It’s going to be the kind of drought
we’re going to have because of climate
change,” he said.
Black Butte Fire grows to 13,000 acres, 0% contained
Type 2 team assumes
command of both fires
south of Prairie City
Blue Mountain Eagle
The Black Butte Fire south of
Unity has grown to 13,143 acres as
of Tuesday morning.
The lightning fire that began
Aug. 3 is 0% contained with 550
personnel assigned, including one
aircraft, six dozers and 12 engines,
according to a release from North-
west Incident Management Team 9,
which assumed control of the fire
Monday morning.
On the northeast end of the Black
Butte fire, crews were able to burn
vegetation near completed handline
to dozer line. They will continue to
hold the line, burning between fire
lines and fire’s edge to secure the
fire edge.
Contributed photo
An aerial view of the Black Butte Fire on Aug. 8.
On the eastern edge, hand
crews and engines will hold and
secure lines to keep the fire from
Bear Creek. The fire did cross the
creek near Vale Dip, but aircraft
were able to provide support for
on-the-ground firefighters to con-
tain the spot. Crews will scout
and establish new lines to mini-
mize fire spread and scout for pri-
mary and secondary lines to tie the
fire’s edge into North Fork Malheur
River.
Protecting private lands and
structures at Flag Prairie is a prior-
ity, and firing operations will con-
tinue along the 1675 and 284 roads.
On the eastern edge of the fire,
crews will scout primary and alter-
native lines to North Fork Malheur
River.
On the southern edge of the fire,
east of the river, firefighters will
hold and secure the fire edge and
spot fires in the east-west drainage.
To the west, crews will prep con-
tainment lines and burn out vege-
tation as needed. Firefighters will
scout and construct line on the
northwest edge where the fire went
across the 1812 road.
The team is also managing the
75-acre Glacier Fire 16.6 miles
south of Prairie City. The fire is cur-
rently burning in the footprint of the
2019 Cow Fire. Steep terrain and
hazard trees are safety concerns for
suppression activities.
Air assets will support firefight-
ers on the ground using water and
retardant drops. Air assets include
one Type 1 heavy helicopter and
one medium Type 2 helicopter,
along with an assigned Air Attack
for aerial reconnaissance of both the
Black Butte and Glacier fires.
Temperatures begin to increase
through Sunday, reaching 90 degrees
by the weekend.
There are updated closure orders
for the Big Creek Campground on
the Malheur National Forest as of
Aug. 8. Visit the Forest webpage at
www.fs.usda.gov/malheur for more
information.
For information on this fire,
visit
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
incident/7770.
ODF secures last week’s fires
Blue Mountain Eagle
Significant progress was
made on mop-up and contain-
ment of fires from last week.
Containment for the Cotton-
wood Creek Fire has reached
95% on the 159-acre fire,
according to an Oregon Depart-
ment of Forestry press release.
The fire transitioned to a Type
5 incident commander Satur-
day. One hand crew completed
mop-up work, gridding for hot
spots.
The 1-acre Dissel Creek
Fire, reported Tuesday evening
burning 5 miles southeast of
John Day, was fully contained
late Thursday evening.
The Cole Canyon Fire was
fully contained Thursday. The
fire burned 150 acres of private
land and Prineville Bureau of
Land Management ownership.
All of these fires will be
placed in patrol status and mon-
itored until determined to be
dead out. It is possible interior
smoke may be visible. These
“smokes” will be put out if they
are found to have the potential to
spread fire outside the fireline.
A regulated-use closure is
in effect for the Central Oregon
District to reduce human-caused
fires. The full proclamation
and restrictions are available at
https://gisapps.odf.oregon.gov/
firerestrictions/PFR.html.
For additional information
on ODF’s Central Oregon Dis-
trict, including contact informa-
tion and unit offices, visit ODF-
centraloregon.com.
John Day River Veterinary
Center welcomes Dr. Jandy
Torland. Dr. Jandy is excited
to be back in Grant County
after being gone for veteri-
nary school. She loves work-
ing with all animals, but has
a special interest in equine
medicine and lameness.
John Day River Veterinary Center LLC
59989 Hwy 26, John Day, OR 97845
541-932-4428
www.johndayvet.com
S256279-1
Grant County Youth Livestock Auction
to be held Saturday August 14th starting at 4pm.
• There will be a buyers dinner starting at 3:30 sponsored by
Northwest Farm Credit Services and prepared by the Beaver
Believer's 4-H Club.
• Cocktails will be served by Spit Fire Cocktails and registered
buyers get free drink tickets.
• Cold water will be provided courtesy of Iron Triangle.
• Auction will also be offered over Live Auctions TV as well. People
can register to view or to bid at liveauctions.tv
Helena Agri-Enterprises
Longview Ranch
Parma Post & Pole
Chester’s Market
Les Schwab
Ed Staub and Sons
Pioneer Feed & Farm Supply
Iron Triangle
Law Office of Rob Raschio, PC
Ben & Chandra Holliday
Juniper Ridge Acute Care
Center
Holliday Land and Livestock
Ken and CiCi Brooks
TG Mechanical
Solutions, CPA
Rude Logging
L & L Excavating
Old West Federal Credit Union
Treavan Boer Goats
Willow Canyon Trucking
John Day True Value
Clark’s Disposal
Triangle Ranches
Triangle Oil
Timbers Bistro
GRANT COUNTY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT/
COMMUNITY COUNSELING
Len’s Drug
Norton Cattle Company
Central Oregon Livestock
Ty’s Mobile Welding
High Desert Engineering, LLC
Oregon Telephone Corp
Northwest Farm Credit
Services
Sunnie Phillips
Country Preferred Realtors
Coast Range Forestry
Duke Warner Realty. Mobile
Glass
Loop Ranch
Gardner Enterprises
Crown Cattle Co
STRUX Engineering
Riverside Ranch
Jackie and Katie Johns
Northern California Nail
Company Inc
Fields Grassfed Beef
Bill Gander
Tidewater Contractors, Inc
Darren Kimball, LLC
Wilson’s Welding and Fab
Gibco Ag and Industrial
DJF Ranching LLC
Benchmark Land Surveying
1871 Land & Livestock
Amanda Born & Nolan Riis
Bank of Eastern Oregon
Bear Branch Tree Farm
Campo & Poole Distributing
CG Enterprises
City of John Day
Columbia Power Co-op
Cornerstone Christian
Fellowship
Crown Cattle Co -
Mat & Jennifer Carter
Crown Ranch c/o Donna Carter
Daniel & Aunt Luky
First Community Credit Union
Gary Rapp
Gibco Ag & Industrial
Glenna Thiel
Heather & Zach Bailey
Helena Agri Enterprises
High Desert Cattle Company
Huffmans Market
J & D Logging & Contracting
J & D Ranch
Jan O’Rorke - O’Rorke Family
Trust
Jewell Contracting
Jim & Kim Jacobs - 45 Cattle
John Day Auto Parts
Judy Rankin
Lance & Louanne Zweygardt
Len’s Drug
Longhorn Lumber Company
Longview Ranch
Mahogany Ridge Properties
Malheur Lumber Company
Northwest Farm Credit
Services
Oregon Trail Electric Co-op
Oregon Trail Livestock Supply
Outlaw Meats
Ray & Tanni Wenger
Robert & Rhea Lanting
S & C Electric - Tye Parsons
Silver Spur
Snaffle Bit Dinner House
Southworth Brothers
Tidewater Contractors
Treavan Boer Goats
Wade & Simmie Waddel
Windwave
S256072-1