At the beginning of July, the weather patterns suggested that the arboretum would experience a drought this summer and fall. On June 30, the U.S. Drought Monitor identified a 'Moderate Drought' for the area of northwest Louisiana where the Centenary College campus is located. This was of special interest for Acorn Watch 2022, as we were curious if the immature acorns would be dropped from our oak trees given drought conditions.
On the last day of July, the drought situation has changed. Interestingly, the U.S. Drought Monitor map for Louisiana shows that Caddo Parish is currently experiencing four different levels of drought intensity: we see red, orange, beige and yellow areas in the northwestern most parish. Luckily for the arboretum, the Centenary College campus is no longer experiencing 'Moderate Drought' conditions; the city of Shreveport is in the yellow area, which signifies 'Abnormally Dry' conditions.
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| This drought map shows that the phrase "we're in a drought" can mean something very different to people just fifty miles away. In North Caddo, such as Rodessa or Vivian, Caddo's citizens are living in "Extreme drought." In southeastern Caddo parish, it is merely dry. Caddo is currently the only parish to have four of the five levels of drought. Thankfully the ultimate level is still off the table. |
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| When taking the bigger picture into account, Louisiana isn't doing bad at all. |
