Rain and snow in the last three weeks have helped a bit, but low levels of precipitation from August through October have put much of Vermont in drought conditions. We get three different scientific perspectives on what drought means to Vermont's landscape and waterways.
Vermont has had 24.89 inches of precipitation so far this calendar year according to the National Weather Service, and that's 8.58 inches below normal. Those numbers are easy to visualize when we look at exposed stream beds and lake shores around the state. Recent precipitation has helped, but dry conditions persist.
We've invited three scientists to give us overlapping perspectives on the weather systems that contribute to drought conditions, how drought impacts ground water supplies as well as lakes and rivers, and what conditions will be needed for Vermont to recover from current conditions.
Our guests are state climatologist Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, state geologist Marjorie Gale and Greg Hanson, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Burlington.
Additional information from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources:
- Drought monitoring
- Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Division
- Groundwater studies
- List of informational links on drought
Also in the program, 'tis the season for retailers to test their profitability. This Saturday is "small business Saturday," a creation that's meant to focus Thanksgiving weekend shoppers on supporting local businesses. We talk with Erin Sigrist with the Vermont Retailers and Grocers Association about how reliant some retailers are on holiday receipts.
Broadcast live on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
