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U.S. NEWS Saturday 17 March 2018

Forecasters warn of fires, crop damage across US high plains

the intensifying drought has going in it was going to be
resulted in critical fire dan- a challenging cold season
ger and some winter wheat for the southern plains,"
crops being reduced to Nielsen-Gammon said.
stubble across several He showed satellite images
states. of smoke and dust plumes
Texas State Climatologist moving across the region
John Nielsen-Gammon and warned that the warm
said during a national brief- and dry weather is expect-
ing that some areas in the ed to continue through the
region have received less spring. That could mean
than one-tenth of an inch of continued crop damage,
rain in the past five months dwindling irrigation supplies
and that's perhaps the lon- and more fires.
gest period of time these "Any precipitation that
areas have been without does fall over the next three
rain since record-keeping months is likely to evapo-
began decades ago. rate relatively quickly at the
The lack of rain combined same time that crops and
with above-normal temper- forage are requiring more
atures across parts of New water because of the high
This photo shows a windmill with dust picked up by gusts, obscuring mountains on the horizon from Mexico, Colorado, Texas, temperatures," he said.
a view at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces, N.M. The amount of Oklahoma and Kansas "That means if and when
moisture received across the United States' southern high plains since October has been ridicu- have left livestock watering the rains do return, drought
lously low, and forecasters warned Friday, March 16, 2018, that the intensifying drought has re- tanks dry, agricultural fields recovery ... will proceed
sulted in critical fire danger and some winter wheat crops being reduced to stubble across several wind-blown and rangeland slower than expected."
states.
(Josh Bachman/The Las Cruces Sun-News via AP) charred. Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer
"Of course, you can never declared a drought emer-
By SUSAN BRYAN — The amount of moisture since October has been predict something this se- gency this week, citing the
Associated Press received across the United ridiculously low, and fore- vere several months in ad- persistent dry conditions
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) States' southern high plains casters warned Friday that vance but we did know and growing fire hazards.q

Recovering bodies of Alaska climbers could be months away

By BECKY BOHRER also," Peters said. "There are carrying members of the because it's happened in know that it was ever suc-
Associated Press times where unfortunately Juneau Mountain Rescue the past. But she said that is cessfully climbed before,"
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The we're just not able to do organization was able to dangerous. Ebert wrote.
bodies of two experienced so." reach the north face of "In my experience of be- Johnson had climbed
mountain climbers who are The agency said earlier this the Mendenhall Towers on ing here for 11 years, I have Mendenhall Towers mul-
presumed dead likely won't week that George "Ryan" Tuesday, according to the never seen us not at least tiple times and received an
be recovered for months, a Johnson of Juneau and troopers. An intact anchor try and go back in sum- American Alpine Club grant
spokeswoman for the Alas- Marc-Andre Leclerc of Brit- rope was seen at the top mertime and see what we earlier this year to scale
ka State Troopers said. ish Columbia are presumed of an ice chute and two could do," she said. While 13,832-foot (4,216-meter)
Megan Peters said sum- dead. The men were re- climbing ropes matching there's no date for any at- Mount Hayes in the Alaska
mer is the soonest that au- ported overdue on March the description of gear car- tempt, "we don't forget Range, according to the
thorities could launch a 7 from a climbing trip to ried by the men were seen things like this," Peters said. Juneau Empire newspa-
recovery effort in southeast Mendenhall Towers, a sev- in a crevasse, the troopers Jackie Ebert, who is with per. He also completed
Alaska, though even that en-peaked mountain not said. Juneau Mountain Rescue, climbs in other parts of the
depends on snow and ice far from Alaska's capital Peters said she wouldn't be said by email that the men world, including Canada
conditions and the risk to city. surprised if someone de- had completed an ascent and Nepal, according to
crew members. Poor weather hampered fied warnings about safety of the north face of the his bio on the website for
"We like to be able to pro- search efforts early on, concerns and attempted a main tower. "To the best of Tongass Fitness, a gym he
vide closure to families but a chartered helicopter recovery effort on their own our knowledge, we don't co-founded.q