Weather scientist: East Coast weather bad but Western drought a problem 

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — The eastern United States is experiencing more snow this winter, causing short-term problems, but the drought in the western states may cause problems for agriculture this spring, Matthew Reardon, an atmospheric scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions, told the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau annual meeting here last week. 

But weather is still hard to predict, Reardon said. The summer of 2024 was supposed to be dry, but Iowa experienced its wettest July, he said. 

He added that weather forecasting has improved since 1981 and artificial intelligence is likely to make it even more accurate. 

There have been fewer hail storms in the last 10 years, but the biggest fear in weather is a derecho, a word that was developed in 2008 to describe something that has more impact than a big thunderstorm.

There has been less drought in the last four years than in the 80 years prior, but there has been an increase in fall drought, which causes barges on the Mississippi to be stalled.

Reardon also analyzed a series of superstitions about weather and which ones have some validity.