America goes Dry: No, It's not Prohibition again — Drought Levels Hit All-Time High

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The percentage of Americans suffering from drought reached an all-time high at the end of last month, according to the The Washington Post, citing data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. “A remarkable 87 percent of the country had fallen into dry or drought conditions as of Oct. 31,” the paper reports.

The Drought Monitor sorts doubt by severity: 1) abnormally dry, 2) moderate drought, 3) severe drought, 4) extreme drought and 5) exceptional drought. Exceptional drought is rare and is “characterized by widespread crop and pasture losses, and water shortages in reservoirs, streams, and wells.” It is not seen often outside central California, southern Texas, Nevada and Utah.

Drought levels well above historic levels have moved to West Virginia and southwest Ohio. This has dropped water flow in the Ohio River, which empties into the Mississippi River, to near-record low levels. This, in turn, has lowered the Mississippi, making parts of the river impassable for barges that move agricultural and other goods to and from the upper Midwest, a chain of events that could cause a shortage of some agricultural products.

Also notable is the drought northeast of New York City. The city had no rain in October, and the drought could extend for at least another two weeks, something the conurbation has not had for a decade. In addition, brush fires are burning in areas northeast of the city, such as Connecticut and Massachusetts.

When the federal government issued its winter forecast last month, it said, “This winter, NOAA predicts wetter-than-average conditions for the entire northern tier of the continental U.S.”

Watch out — water falling on parched land tends to flow faster and more furiously.