Posts in Weather
National Weather Service Facing Staffing Challenges Due to Trump Pay Cuts

Hurricane season begins June 1, but the National Weather Service face serious staffing challenges. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, nearly 1000 employees have left, leaving key offices in cities like Lake Charles, Houston, and Tampa understaffed. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim warns that this could delay critical weather alerts or spread inaccurate information.

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Delta Submerged By Massive Flooding

The month of April is known for rainfall, but 2025 has been a record-breaking year. Between April 2 and April 5 at least three months of rainfall dumped across the Delta, as reported by the National Weather Service in Little Rock, Ark. and Memphis, Tenn.

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Weatherdon molino
Mississippi River Dries Up Again At Worst Time For Farmers

The Mississippi River is suffering from low waters for the third straight autumn, a crucial time of year when American farmers rely on the route to deliver their crops to the world.

Months of limited rainfall — with few chances for more during the rest of the season — have left the vital waterway so shallow that barges are starting to run aground, even after shippers started running lighter loads to prevent boats from hitting the river bottom. 

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Mississippi River Continues To Trend Lower, Draft Restrictions In Place For Shipping

Barges plying the shrinking lower Mississippi River have to reduce their draft, meaning operators will have to cut the amount of cargo their boats carry to meet the latest restrictions.

“The gauge at Memphis dropped to the low water threshold of minus 5 feet on Aug. 30,” said Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The last two years, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a 9-foot draft requirement when river levels fall below the low water threshold.

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Abundant Rain And A Long Growing Season: How The Louisiana Climate Affects Agriculture

The Louisiana climate is heavily influenced by the Gulf of Mexico and the subtropical climate that we share with the four other Gulf Coast states. Of those Gulf Coast states, we are on average the wettest. That rain is a big component of why we call Louisiana Sportsman's Paradise, and the abundance of water that creates a green environment is a monster contributor to Louisiana agriculture.

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El Nino Expected To Bring Drought Relief In '24

As U.S. producers continue to make production decisions regarding the 2024 season, the weather forecast is an important consideration. Will El Nino break the Southwest drought? What about rainfall in the Southeast? Will the Mississippi River see relief? What is the moisture outlook in the Western U.S. in states such as California?

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Weatherdon molino
Drought Conditions Impacting Crop Insurance Costs

Extreme weather, such as the drought in Texas, is not just wearing on the spirit of American farmers. It is also leading to more crop insurance claims and increased cost for the taxpayer, insurance provider, and farmer. A Stanford University study published in 2021 analyzed the impact of warming temperatures on the cost of crop insurance from 1991 to 2017, and found it contributed to more than 19% of the $141 billion in losses covered by the federal program in that time frame.

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