***Official 2023 Weather Thread***

NorthCyd

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Aug 22, 2011
17,598
27,820
113
While it might take a week for a 16 ounce glass of water to evaporate in the summer sun........it only takes a few seconds to fill it up.

Northern Texas in 2015 and California last winter are a testament to that after many seasons of below average rainfall.......just one with above average worked wonders.

Things in Iowa the summer of 92' were pretty dry....................12 months later?

Who knows what will happen this spring in Iowa.
Your analogy isn't a very accurate representation of the problem some communities in Iowa are facing. Instead of an empty glass fill it to the top with sand so only a small percentage of the water you try to put into the glass infiltrates and the rest runs off. Then punch a couple of straws into the sand that people are continuously drinking out of. A little more accurate representation there.
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
62,032
56,685
113
Not exactly sure.
Meanwhile, ethanol production and data centers are consuming water at a record pace.:oops: Biggest users by far in Iowa.
Did they all stop using enogen? Several started using that ten years ago or so and that cut their water use drastically.
 

nfrine

Well-Known Member
Mar 31, 2006
8,653
10,001
113
Nearby
Did they all stop using enogen? Several started using that ten years ago or so and that cut their water use drastically.
For non-irrigated corn, the best I've seen is about 3-4 gallons of water to produce a gallon of ethanol. Those were 2022 numbers.
In 2022, 4.5 billion gallons of ethanol were produced in Iowa.
 
Last edited:
  • Wow
Reactions: clone4life82

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
62,032
56,685
113
Not exactly sure.
For non-irrigated corn, the best I've seen is about 3-4 gallons of water to produce a gallon of ethanol. Those were 2022 numbers.
In 2022, 4.5 billion gallons of ethanol were produced in Iowa.
I just asked about enogen corn use. Did plants stop using it?
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
62,032
56,685
113
Not exactly sure.
What do you grow?
I like the avoidance. Let’s do some research first. I raise hogs and know that the hog industry (on its own and not including cattle, chickens, and any other meat/milk/egg production) uses more water in Iowa than ethanol.
 

Agclone91

Well-Known Member
Feb 5, 2011
2,537
576
113
Ames
Did they all stop using enogen? Several started using that ten years ago or so and that cut their water use drastically.
Yes, Enogen use for ethanol production has decreased dramatically. It is primarily marketed towards cattle feeders now.
 
Last edited:
  • Informative
Reactions: BCClone

BoxsterCy

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 14, 2009
43,928
40,583
113
Minnesota
Speaking of weather, I am wondering how much snow the .5" of rain i got would have made if it was average temp for late December today and not 39 degrees.

Edit: Found an online calculator which gave me a conversion of 5" - 6" of snow.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: cstrunk

Cyclonepride

Thought Police
Staff member
Apr 11, 2006
96,848
58,091
113
53
A pineapple under the sea
www.oldschoolradical.com
Probably because the exact spot of your quarter acre lawn isn't representative of the amount of area the drought monitor is attempting to reflect. Rains have been extremely spotty the past couple of years. In many cases, a distance of a mile could be a difference of four to five inches annual rainfall pretty easily.
By the same token, where they are recording could be dryer than the surrounding areas
 

BoxsterCy

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 14, 2009
43,928
40,583
113
Minnesota
By the same token, where they are recording could be dryer than the surrounding areas

The maps and classifications aren't just current soil moisture and rainfall. It's not a statistical model but an interpretation. Thought this from the Drought Monitor web was interesting. Weather (rainfall and temperature) play a big part, obviously, but a lot of other data and observation go into the mapping.

How do we know when we're in a drought?
When you think about drought, you probably think about water—or the lack of it. Precipitation plays a major role in the creation of the Drought Monitor, but the map’s authors consider many data sources. Some of the numeric inputs include precipitation, streamflow, reservoir levels, temperature and evaporative demand, soil moisture and vegetation health. No single piece of evidence tells the full story, and neither do strictly physical indicators. That’s why the USDM isn’t a statistical model; it’s a blend of these physical indicators with drought impacts, field observations and local insight from a network of more than 450 experts. Using many different types of data and reconciling them with expert interpretation is what makes the USDM unique. We call it a convergence of evidence approach.

usdm-converge.png


 
  • Dumb
Reactions: mkadl

wxman1

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jul 2, 2008
18,736
14,453
113
Cedar Rapids
"According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, last week was the 180th week in a row that certain areas of the state have experienced at least moderate drought.

That’s almost 4 years, making this the longest continuous drought in the state since the 1950s."

 

JEFF420

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 6, 2014
439
599
93
34
Michigan
"According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, last week was the 180th week in a row that certain areas of the state have experienced at least moderate drought.

That’s almost 4 years, making this the longest continuous drought in the state since the 1950s."

not a single map lol
 

BCClone

Well Seen Member.
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Sep 4, 2011
62,032
56,685
113
Not exactly sure.
"According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, last week was the 180th week in a row that certain areas of the state have experienced at least moderate drought.

That’s almost 4 years, making this the longest continuous drought in the state since the 1950s."

Elwynn Taylor is smiling. He predicted dust bowl for 2025.
 

NorthCyd

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Aug 22, 2011
17,598
27,820
113
By the same token, where they are recording could be dryer than the surrounding areas
No, not really. They have radar data in addition to rain gauges to help interpolate data and get the full picture. Trust me, scientists looking at drought impacts are using a lot more tools and considering a lot more things than people looking out there car window saying "Well things are green in my area".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Agclone91