August 6, 2012
James Fussell writes very informatively in The Kansas City Star about the many surprising uses of corn. As the drought withers this year’s crop, see how the shortage of corn will affect our wallets and conveniences.
Aw, shucks: An appreciation for corn’s many uses
August 6, 2012
Water bills may be high, but never as costly as foundation repair. It is good to see a business do well, but do you want to be the contributor to their success?
If not, water your foundation!
July 31, 2012
Occasional showers bring cloudy relief to a lucky few this week, but where the sun’s shining, temperatures continue climbing. This pattern is slightly nicer than the pattern we’ve seen so far this summer, with the ridge displaced slightly west. This keeps the hottest and driest weather just west of the Missouri River Valley. As disturbances form over the Desert Southwest, they can climb up and over the ridge, spilling occasional rain chances into our area (ISO 1-1.5). Unfortunately the lack of coverage and intensity of any rainfall continues to disappoint most thirsty lawns.
More widespread heat relief and rain chances arrive this weekend as another weak cold front moves through the region. The best potential to be closer to 90 than 100 should be the first day or two after the front passes. Then as the front retreats between the 6th-8th of August, there will likely be a gradual warm-up from west to east, with isolated rain chances continuing. After the 8th, the dome centers over us again causing the rain chances to decrease and heat to increase, with the next potential heat wave looming on the horizon sometime around the 10th-15th of August. So, other than a few lucky locations, there are no signs of significant relief to the ongoing drought or sweltering summer heat.
July 26, 2012
The latest drought monitor has been released and the Central Plains saw conditions slightly worsen over the past week. Although there was some rainfall that occurred this morning across the area, the latest update only includes precipitation through 6am CST on July 24. The contiguous United States has just over 80% of the county with abnormally dry or worse conditions, a whopping 63.9% actually in some form of drought. To make matters worse, over 20% of the country is in extreme or exceptional drought, first time since mid-February 2003. Below is a closer look at individual states:
Nebraska
100% of the state is in severe or worse drought with a majority (64%) actually in extreme or worse. Eastern Nebraska has managed some rain recently which has provided it with slightly better conditions, while the central portion of the state sees the first exceptional drought rating for Nebraska since July of 2004. Like many other states, three months ago there was a single acre in Nebraska being designated in severe or worse drought, indicating just how quickly the lack of rainfall has built up.
Kansas
Kansas also has 100% of the state in severe or worse drought conditions with the latest drought update, and a large majority (over 72%) in extreme or exceptional drought. Extreme drought covers much of western Kansas and extends across portions of the entire state, including the metro areas of Wichita, Topeka and the Kansas City area. While less than a year ago there was nearly 18% of the state in exceptional drought compared to the current 9% the difference lies in the sheer expansive nature of this drought, only 75% of the state was in a form of drought then.
Missouri
As you could have expected, Missouri is another one of the four states that has 100% of their area in severe or worse drought (Iowa is the other along with Kansas and Nebraska). The southeast portion of the state is hardest hit, where parts of 11 counties have been designated in exceptional or worse drought. Extreme drought covers a large portion of the state, including the St. Louis Metro, Kansas City Metro and the cities of Springfield, Columbia and many more. The cities of Jefferson City and Joplin are currently designated in only severe drought, however with little rain in sight for the next week they could see the extreme category in the next update.
Sara Croke, president of Weather or Not, spoke to the Kansas City Business Journal explaining why it’s so hot in late June. Read the story.
Clarkson Construction Project – I-435 & 69 Highway
There’s a 100% chance for record breaking attendance at any venue that conjures up a feeling of “cool and comfortable” during this heat wave. However, outdoor businesses and their workers are forced to strategically re-think their operations when the heat is on.
One business dramatically affected is highway construction. Specs for bridge deck work state that the air temperature cannot be above 90°, nor the concrete temperature above 85° when pouring. Other highway concrete work has a constraint that the concrete temperature be no greater than 90° when poured.
The options available to contractors under extreme heat are cumbersome and costly. One process many ready-mix plants throughout the steamy Midwest use is “watering” piles of aggregates with sprinklers before they get mixed. Drive by the 69 Highway Project in the KC area and you’ll see them using this “cooling” solution.
The most expensive and labor intensive option is buying ice to dump right into the concrete trucks. We’re not talking about a few cubes for your mint julep. The size and distribution of the ice means that contractors have to find special suppliers to get it into the trucks at just the right time and just the right mix to prevent “flash setting”. In other words, “mixing” is critical to concrete on its way to the job site. “Flash setting” in the truck would not allow for them to even pour it.
As expensive as a chilled water system or ice product is to contractors, they also have to manage their crews effectively. With crew safety in mind, Clarkson Construction Company won’t let labor crews work more than 8 hour days for a total of 40 hours a week during dangerously hot conditions. Big state work has crucial time frames though, so scheduling is an added pressure to running a successful highway construction business this time of year.
Helping our clients maximize their profits is what we do! We are proud to be “on the job” with these dedicated companies.
Disclaimer: 24/7 our team of meteorologists are in an air conditioned, state-of-the-art weather center.
