Nesrie
5321
Especially since the owners of Valhalla Organics lost their homes last year to Alemda and this year they just lost the actual farm to the Cutoff fire. Home and business gone in less than a year to two different fires when close fires used to be a once in a decade sort of thing.
We’re so dang dry. I just don’t see how having everyone stop water is going to help either. That’s just creates more quick burning fuel.
I am happy I did not buy acreage with a well at least. I am hearing rumors those sources are currently challenged, and we just started summer. August and September, maybe mid-late July is supposed to be our scorching months, not May and June.
The drought map right now is just crazy. There’s a tiny, tiny part of the entire West that isn’t at least abnormally dry, and from eyeballing it between a quarter and a third is at the very highest level of drought.
Nesrie
5323
Irrigation here normally last through September, Southern and Eastern Oregon and Northern California, they’re just cutting off irrigation. Last year they almost emptied the reservoirs to try and keep those crops growing. This year is worse and they just cut some off for two weeks without notice.
Pear season is not going to be good. They’re not even expecting a grape crop for some wineries here, and the illegal grows are draining even more.
My kids were signed up for summer camp this week and, no real surprise, it’s been canceled for tomorrow. That’s a risk the camp runners don’t want to assume, but at least Tuesday looks better. Here’s hoping!
Timex
5325
Aren’t warm winters contributing to the drought out west, by reducing the snow pack that used to provide water in dryer months?
Nesrie
5326
We’ve had some dry winters, but here’s the thing before last years horrible season, we had really good water at least a few times, even some flooding, like the gradual kind not a flash flood and that just led to more underbrush that burns.
This year though, it seemed especially bad. My pool began turning green in Mar which means it was warm enough and sunny enough for algae to grow. We hit our first triple digit day in early May and the first real storm I recall this year was last week… which was thunderstorms which started some of our fires.
I’d say the past decade or so is when the change became more obvious. Big fires in populated areas used to be rare, and no, it’s not because more people live out there. They can’t contain these fires anymore, and any amount of wind makes it move incredibly fast.
The Biscuit fire of 2002 was the largest fire in Oregon history at the time, and it burned like 4 homes and 10 structures and it actually started as 4 or 5 separate fires that combined together and it lasted for months. The ones we have today are quick moving, closer to cities and homes and they destroy so much in just a few days, hours sometimes.
It’s also created a bit of a war against the homeless here which is not good thing at all consider some of the actual fire victims are in that group.
Sunday afternoon
Not a cloud in the whole sky
Angry sun hates me
But at least there’s a nice breeze.
CraigM
5328
Wheeeeee!
It goes to 111!
I had to.
@Nesrie have you been hearing more about the militia types threatening the reservoirs? There was some coverage about the guard being deployed in Klamath county to stop the same groups from
maheur from storming with guns and opening the water gates.
This seems to be leading to violence, especially from those who are already using the most and don’t want to cut.
I just went outside for a couple of minutes and the thermometer (placed close to a shaded porch wall that itself is shaded, so the thermometer is only reading the air temp there ) showed a temp of 102. All the personal weather stations nearby reporting to Weather Underground are reading 108-11. And it’s only 2:31 PM.
And we’ve got another day like this one tomorrow. Oh joy.
KevinC
5330
It’s an issue but not the main issue. Getting enough snowpack is important but it’s just a flat out lack of precipitation of any kind, at least here in Utah. Situation in Oregon may be different. Snowpack gets mentioned often because those are the months where we get (or should get) the majority of our water.
wtf just give them one of your Vault’s extra water chips.
Nesrie
5332
Klamath is a lot worse off than we are, at the moment. Talent TID was turned off for two weeks, but I don’t think there is a permanent threat just yet. Klamath and water rights have been in a fight for a long time though. It’s just so much worse this year.
I spent some time in Klamath when we brought up their EMR. It was a bit of a drive, and yeah you avoid them in the winter because of snow and ice and the summer because of heat and fire.
We’re 112 right now, car said 113 a few minute ago.
CraigM
5333
Yeah we peaked at 114 by me. It’s cooled off now, only 106.
Honestly I had to water my garden multiple times today. I checked around 1 and it was looking pretty bad. So I gave them as much water as I could by the roots, then a full proper watering around 6. It’s just so hot that it may have killed my lettuce had I let it go to evening.
Usually a 10-15 minute shot in the morning is enough. Between my 7am, noon, and 6pm watering I’ve probably spent 1.5 hours out there today. The suns been real good for them, things are growing like crazy, if they have enough water.
I’m not surprised the Klamath stuff isn’t new, knowing what I know of the geography and politics of the area. I just hadn’t heard covered as extensively before. Could be simply that OPB has more coverage than last year because it’s not an election, which tended to suck the oxygen out of everything last year.
I played soccer at noon today. We took several water breaks and the pace was a fair bit slower than normal. The good thing about being on an island is that the cooler ocean air is all around you.
Nesrie
5335
Yeah the Klamath Basin water fights have been going on for as long as I can remember. It’s a constant conflict between Native American groups there, fisheries and and the national forest management and the farmers and ranchers. Those farmers and ranchers showing up with American flags and tractors are not a new thing. The thing is, it’s considered a treasured landscape. The fowl, fish and wildlife cannot be replaced. The farms can so… when it comes to water rights, it seems like we should just pay the farmers. Giving those farm lands water caused the salmon to die off to the point where they had to shut down commercial fishing. It’s just a constant battle there over water rights. And then of course there are dams there or there were… we’re removing so many dams over the last years I’ve sort of last track of where it is.
I don’t want any farmers to suffer when it’s not their fault, so it seems like a fund or something needs to be made so we can save the fish we can’t replace.
I had to explain to mom just minutes ago that maintaining 76 in a larger house when it’s 113 outside is a good result. She thinks it’s still too hot, and I keep telling her temps are still going down at night so it will likely go down to 73/74 again. I really do think she expects miraculous results. I mean… we’re talking about an over 35 degree difference here… that’s amazing for a house this size and a system that old.
LeeAbe
5336
Starting to stress out a little.
Today hit 101. My condo hit 90. My potable AC was struggling to keep my smallest room at 80. Cats are miserable. Fish were fine at 80. Tomorrow is going to be anywhere from 105-115 depending on what service/app. It’s not cooling down tonight. That means my condo will probably hit 100 tomorrow.
Not sure how I am going to keep the cats cool. One flat out refuses to be in the same room as the AC. Will have to lock her in tomorrow.
Today was miserable and tomorrow is going to be worse.
You know, I read your posts about your fish and I totally forgot: my kids have fish too. Or I guess I should say they had fish, because when I went to feed them tonight they were belly up. Water temperature looked to be 94 degrees, but who knows how high it got. Well. Shit.
We have bad streaks in the summer. I have a newer central AC but nobody lives in my two bedrooms upstairs and I’ve stopped using one as an office for the reason that I probably need a mini-split to cover the rooms up there. Even my newer AC from 5 years ago can’t keep up when we hit weeks of 90-95 plus higher humidity.
It makes you think what happens when global warming gets much worse? Droughts that cause conflict/wars? Insane energy requirements to keep people cool just to live? It’s one of those things I try less to think about and more just to be happy I’m over 50 now. But it’s worrying just the same.
LeeAbe
5339
Yikes, but it’s not easy to keep the temp down. Before I moved the AC in there I was using bags of ice (filed the bags with water and got as much air out as suggested). That would lower the temps a couple of degrees but not for long. Same with partial water changes. Tap water is 75° now as well. I am not sure I can keep the temps down tomorrow.
Someone is pouring water on the sidewalk running between the condo buildings. Right under my deck. I can’t imagine that will do anything.
CraigM
5340
Yup, my sons tadpole croaked as well. He doesn’t know yet, but I’m not looking forward to that in the morning.
