I came across this article that might interest some of you, quite informative.
Special update: The Extraordinary California Drought of 2013-2014: Character, Context, and the Role of Climate Change
Daniel Swain on September 29, 2014
http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/1797
A note from the author
This special update is a little different from what I typically post on the California Weather Blog. In the paragraphs below, I discuss results from and context for a study that my colleagues and I recently published in a special issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (Swain et al. 2014).

The Ridiculously Resilient Ridge at its peak during January 2014. (Daniel Swain)
Unlike the majority of content on this blog, this report has undergone scientific peer review—an important distinction to make in the science blogosphere—and claims made on the basis of our peer-reviewed findings are marked with an asterisk (*) throughout this post. A reference list is provided at the end of the post, and the full BAMS report is available here. I would like to thank my co-authors—Michael Tsiang, Matz Haugen, Deepti Singh, Allison Charland, Bala Rajaratnam, and Noah Diffenbaugh—all of whom played critical roles in bringing this paper together.
Even with this extraordinary drought, we still have some HOA levying stiff fines against homeowners for letting their lawns die. The governor should make those null and void.
Even with this extraordinary drought, we still have some HOA levying stiff fines against homeowners for letting their lawns die. The governor should make those null and void.
Even with this extraordinary drought, we still have some HOA levying stiff fines against homeowners for letting their lawns die. The governor should make those null and void.
Our HOA in Texas tried that in 2007. I got a letter from the HOA president informing me I was violating the rules by letting my lawn go brown during the summer. I called and read him the riot act, then talked to some of my neighbors and we all agreed to fight the HOA if they insisted on enforcing water-wasting rules during a drought. We never heard from them again.
Even with this extraordinary drought, we still have some HOA levying stiff fines against homeowners for letting their lawns die. The governor should make those null and void.
Our HOA in Texas tried that in 2007. I got a letter from the HOA president informing me I was violating the rules by letting my lawn go brown during the summer. I called and read him the riot act, then talked to some of my neighbors and we all agreed to fight the HOA if they insisted on enforcing water-wasting rules during a drought. We never heard from them again.
I can't imagine a judge finding a homeowner guilty of letting his lawn go brown in a drought. Of course, you ARE in Texas and anything might happen there!
Lois
We’ve had temps from 105-90 for about the past 2 weeks. Unheard of for October in this area. Our ‘Indian Summer’ weather is typically in the 70s and 80s. The only sign of fall is that the night temps are falling to the upper 50s instead of the mid 60s, but we have had night temps in the 70s, also unheard of here. We didn’t have a winter last year and it isn’t looking promising for this year. I don’t know what the water situation will be after 4 years of extreme drought. Scary.
Church; where sheep congregate to worship a zombie on a stick that turns into a cracker on Sundays…
That is sooo harsh… :wow:
… but I get it.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
:snake: you just noticed that? hahaha!
yea, big difference between skimming over it and 'noticing it'
also I suspect I suffer from 'occasional' tunnel vision. :-/
Besides I was looking for an excuse to say hi :kiss:
Not Just California: Droughts Extend Across Americas
BY MIGUEL LLANOS
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/not-just-california-droughts-extend-across-americas-n220376
Drought reaches farther south as well:
Panama: The head of the Panama Canal warned that the biggest ships might not be let through in early 2015 if rainfall doesn’t restore water levels at the lakes that feed the canal’s locks.
Colombia: Some northern areas where rain hasn’t fallen in two years have seen riots over water.
Venezuela: Water rationing became mandatory in some areas.
Bolivia: Thousands of forest fires were attributed to the worst drought in 30 years.
Brazil: A third of southern Brazil’s 21 million people face water shortages. Parts of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, have been rationing water since February.