How dry is our rainforest? Southeast's rare drought could threaten plants, animals, your power bill [View all]

Essentially the entirety of Southeast Alaska is in some state of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

That’s the result of less precipitation over the better part of the past two years in what is normally one of the wettest parts of the state. Things are most severe in the southernmost portion of Southeast, including Prince of Wales Island and the Ketchikan area, but even Juneau and Yakutat are considered abnormally dry, according to the monitor.

“This is unusual for us, not unheard of, but unusual,” said Wayne Owen, director of wildlife for the Alaska Region for the USDA Forest Service, in a phone interview with the Empire.

What makes it even more unusual is that big-picture predictions expect Southeast Alaska to be getting wetter in the future.

Read more: https://www.juneauempire.com/news/how-dry-is-our-rainforest-southeasts-rare-drought-could-threaten-plants-animals-your-power-bill/


This map shows drought conditions in Alaska. Nearly all of Southeast Alaska is in some sort of drought condition as of the week of June 6, 2019. (Courtesy Photo | U.S. Drought Monitor)