US drought has miraculous reversal--USA Today

• Time for the Securities and Exchange Commission to get out the man made climate disaster shake down racket.
  

"What a difference a rain makes. The nationwide drought that had farmers, communities and entire states fighting to conserve water has reversed in the most dramatic turnaround since federal scientists began keeping records.

• More than 92% of the country is drought-free — the nation's best showing since 1999.

• "The lack of drought is extraordinary," said Douglas Le Comte, a meteorologist with the federal Climate Prediction Center.

At the worst of the USA's most recent drought — in August 2007 — almost 50% of the country was involved. Currently, about 7% of the country is in a drought, according to federal scientists. The only part of the USA in "extreme" drought is a small fraction of Hawaii.

• In 2007, gigantic portions of the Southeast were in the worst drought in more than a century, sparking water wars among Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

"It was horrid," said Teresa Hammack of Mars Hill, N.C., whose springs ran dry in August 2007 at the height of the Southeast drought. Hammack's home relies entirely on underground springs as a source of water.

• "Our springs are running rampant, with clean, fresh water," she said.

There have been less than half a dozen occasions since the late 1800s when drought has been as sparse as it is now, Le Comte said.

Even before this month's massive snowfall totals, relief has come in a number of different ways:

• The West has been helped this winter by a Pacific train of storm systems laden with ample moisture. The storms, caused by the ongoing El Niño climate pattern, brought lots of rain and snow to the Southwest, including the normally arid deserts of Southern California and eastern Arizona, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

• The southern drought (across Texas, Louisiana and Florida) was eased by a very wet fall and winter, said David Miskus, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center."...