2011 Southern United States drought

The 2011 Southern United States drought is a severe to extreme ongoing drought plaguing the US South, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The worst effects have been in Texas, where near-record drought has parched the state since January 2011. Texas suffered an estimated $5.2 billion in crop and livestock losses, surpassing its record loss of $4.1 billion in 2006. In 2010-11, Texas experienced its driest August–July (12-month) period on record.^[1]

The drought has caused severe lack of water in the southern plains as well as numerous wildfires, in particular the 2011 Texas wildfires, Wallow Fire and Horseshoe 2 Fire (New Mexico and Arizona). By the end of August, a ban on outdoor burning was in effect for 251 of the 254 Texas counties. Also on August 30, several homes in Oklahoma City were destroyed along with 1,500 wooded acres. Several hundred homes had to be evacuated. The drought has been triggered by a strong 2011 La Niña effect.^[2]

See also

• Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas

References

External links

• Drought Cripples the South: Why the 'Creeping Disaster' Could Get a Whole Lot Worse by Bryan Walsh, August 9, 2011 on Time
• Drought-fueled wildfires burn out of control in Texas by Andrew Freedman in the Washington Post September 6, 2011.
• Analysts: Southwestern US Drought Might Raise Global Food Prices by Greg Flakus September 8, 2011
• Crews battle wildfires amid severe Texas drought; 'It was unbelievable, just horrific. There were horses on fire, buildings on fire' April 12, 2011 Associated Press
• Record Texas Drought Burns Cotton Farmers as White Gold Withers by Elizabeth Campbell September 15, 2011 on Bloomberg.com
• Epic scorching drought testing Texas' ways; Massive droughts caused by wildfires in Texas have ravaged the environment, incited a tug of war for available water, and fundamentally changed the way of life for the state’s millions of residents. by Patrik Jonsson in The Christian Science Monitor September 26, 2011
• Michael Martinez and Mariano Castillo (CNN) (September 10, 2011). "More Wildfires Erupt In Texas As It Faces Worst Dry Spell Since 1895". http://www.ksat.com/news/29139408/detail.html.