Continued drought could mean higher produce prices!

The drought that’s currently gripping California which follows the state’s driest year on record, is likely to boost the prices of everything from broccoli to cauliflower nationwide. Farmers and truckers stand to lose billions in revenue, weakening an already fragile recovery in the nation’s most-populous state.

The fallout may be felt on grocery shelves throughout the country in the coming months as 'prices for produce like artichokes, celery, broccoli and cauliflower could rise at least 10 percent', this according to Milt McGiffen, a vegetable specialist at the University of California at Riverside. The state of California grows more than 80% of the nation’s supply of these crops.

Down here, in southwest Missouri, where I live near the small town  of Forsyth, we have also affected by drier than normal weather over the past several months.  According to historical records, we should have received something like ten and a quarter inches of rain by the end of March, when in point of fact we stand at just over four inches as of this post! And, while this is not as bad as the exceptional and long standing drought that is affecting the Central Valley in California, it still bears watching as we enter into the months of April and May when traditionally, heavier rainfall has occurred.

You can visit www.taneyservices.com for more live weather information for Taney County Missouri!

As March winds down, so does the cold!

Say bye bye baby!

As we are now closing in on the last few days of March 20143, get ready for some fast paced and changing times as spring kicks herself into full gear!

Before any of us can get a handle on what's going on, we'll start seeing the mercury climb a bit higher with each passing day! For me, living where I do in southwest Missouri, I can expect daytime highs of around 70 degrees with not so bad nights falling to the 40's! That's a weather recipe I can live with, especially considering the cold winter we've all just endured. Did you know, for instance, that March was about 4 degrees below the 30 year average? That his winter ranks up there as one of the coldest in living memory? That people, like myself, who suffer from SAD are about to climb the walls? Well, thankfully, better times are just ahead!

January and February temperature graphs

Both graphs represent actual temperature readings for Forsyth Missouri.

Fourteen degrees below average! Is it a trend?

March has turned a cold should to the residents of southwest Missouri with and average temperature that is 14 degrees below the thirty year average through the 8^th day of the month! Is that something we should worry about – no not really. However, since the first month of the year we have been -.3 (Jan), -4.8 (Feb) and now -14.3 degrees below the historical averages! If, (and this is a big if) we end up below average by the end of March, I'll begin to take much more notice!

My spring weather prediction for 2014!

Back in august of 2013, when I wrote about the then coming winter, and my predictions for the 2013-14 winter season I stated that 'That said, (the fly in the ointment being CO2 and the anthropogenic climate forcing it causes), we may see some really weird winter storms this time around. Time will tell...'. I think I nailed that it fairly well. This past winter season has been fairly cold, snowy and even a bit strange with the months of January and February seeing very little in the form of rain (only a total of 1.88 inches versus an average of 5.5”)!

So, what does my crystal ball reveal to me about the spring of 2014?

Look for the cycle of wild(ish) weather to continue with severe storms, tornadoes and flooding being more prevalent than they've been over the past several years. Also look for large swings in temperatures as incursions of cold air from Canada continue the trend we've seen over the recent winter season! It will be the clash of hot air and these cold Canadian maritime masses that will stir up trouble in the form of more super-cell storm development than is the average!

An interesting little winter storm!

All outdoor grilling has been canceled for today!

On March the 2nd, an 'interesting little winter storm' made it to my home located in southwest Missouri. What had been advertized as a potential freezing rain event, turned out to be just about all sleet. I put together a little bit video footage that give some idea of what thing looked like. it's on YouTube and was filmed in High Definition.

According the the National Weather Service, later on during the evening hours, my area can expect up to four inches of blowing and drifting snow that will go quite nicely on top of the sleet making travel somewhat problematic. Track the progress of this storm at www.taneyservices.com!

Hold on, I think I see a batch of snow heading our way right now! Or, golly...could that be more ice? Yep! Another helping of the frozen stuff...