The year 2011 is shaping up to be one of the most treacherous years in recent history, at least as far as the nation's weather patterns are concerned. While much of the Midwestern US continues to get drenched by record rainfall and torrential flooding, the Southern US is experiencing tremendous heat and drought conditions that, combined with flood conditions to the north, will have devastating effects on the nation's food supply.
For several weeks now, extreme heat conditions have afflicted much of the Southern and Midwestern US. According to the National Weather Service, Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued in 17 different states, with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in many areas, and heat indexes topping 115 degrees F .
Besides threatening human life, these extreme heat conditions have contributed to the widespread destruction of US food crops. Back in June, WATE in Knoxville, Tenn., reported that crop fields in the eastern part of the state were wilting from extreme heat conditions.
And crops are not the only thing being harmed by the heat, either. Livestock across the Midwest and South are threatened by extremely hot and humid conditions that are either limiting production of their feed, or flat-out killing them.
"High temperatures, high humidity, low wind speed -- those are the three things that really create problems for cattle in confinement," said Todd Donner, spokesman for the Kansas Livestock Association, to The Kansas City Star in a recent interview. Both crops and livestock across the state face devastation as a result of such conditions.
To make matters even worse, many of the areas being hit by scorching heat are also experiencing devastating drought conditions that have left land parched and unusable.
A recent report in The New York Times (NYT) explains that at least 14 US states, stretching from Florida all the way to Arizona, are experiencing Dust Bowl-type conditions. Some of the worst drought areas happen to be in Texas, which NaturalNews reported back in March was experiencing its worst drought situation in over 44 years. Texas, of course, is the nation's largest cattle producer, and the second-largest producer of winter wheat, and every single one of its 254 counties has been declared a "natural disaster area" as a result of extreme drought conditions.
This deadly combination of heat, drought, and flooding will eventually cause food prices to increase sharply as supply diminishes and demand increases. And despite the fact that the mainstream media is largely downplaying or ignoring the situation, its very real consequences will soon manifest themselves -- so now is the time to get prepared.
