El Niño Is Coming. But When?

Sep 14, 2015

Climatologists predict the current super-strong El Niño will bring another rain-drenched fall, winter and early spring to Texas.

Okay, that’s fine, but when? Many farmers needing moisture now are wondering when they can expect the promised moisture to arrive, according to weekly reports by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agents.

“It depends upon where you’re at, really,” said Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, state climatologist and Regents Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station. “The effects seem to come sooner in the northern part of the state than in the southern part of the state.”

Unfortunately, September is too soon to expect wetter conditions related to El Niño anywhere in the state, he said.

“But once we get in October/November, the northern two-thirds of the state should generally start to see above-normal rainfall,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “Basically anywhere from the Winter Garden south tends to see delayed effects of El Niño.”

For South Texas, the enhanced wet conditions tend to be concentrated in December, January and February, he said.

“And often times there will be a dry month in the northern part of the state during those months,” Nielsen-Gammon said.

A large part of the state has had drier than normal conditions this summer, he noted.

“We’ve had a dry swath that has run across north central, northeast Texas and down through central Texas, and along the Mexico border as well.”

There’s no sure reason why this dry weather occurred, but one conjecture is that it is connected with “how temperatures evolve when you’re coming out of a drought into something that favors rainfall,” Nielsen-Gammon said.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.