Drought down despite rising temps
by the Journal-Opinion
Home heating costs to rise
“Americans who use heating oil to warm their homes are likely to face a sharp spike in utility costs this winter as the Iran war drives up global energy prices, according to a new forecast,” reports CBS News.
That report is produced by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, an organization that advocates for LIHEAP.
The group projects a 31.3% increase in home heating oil costs this winter in the Northeast. It projects an 8.7% increase in propane costs and a 12.5% increase in electricity costs.
There are some silver linings.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration says the natural gas inventories heading into the winter are the highest in a decade.
And some preliminary winter weather forecasts anticipate warmer weather in the Northeast. But …
“While an El Niño weather pattern is expected to bring a relatively warm winter across the nation, the higher prices will quickly cut through any savings,” reports WCVB-TV in Boston.
Study: Drought has decreased in Northeast
A Dartmouth study has found “less intense and less frequent” droughts in the Northeast over the last century. This comes despite warming temperatures.
“In the Northeast, we have warming temperatures, which means we lose more water from the surface, but we have also had increasing precipitation,” said lead author Jonathan Winter. “It’s a tug-of-war between how fast precipitation is increasing and how fast evapotranspiration — the loss of water from plants and soils — is increasing.”
The study assessed changes in monthly drought from 1901-2022 in 12 Northeastern states and Washington, D.C.
“The findings show that across all months, drought was 59% less frequent and 19% less intense from 1984 to 2022 as compared to 1901 to 1983.”
It was only a year ago that parts of Northern New England endured “extreme drought” conditions. And while rainfall and winter precipitation have since alleviated the aridity, dry conditions still persist, according to New Hampshire Bulletin.