Epi Week #35 - 2015 General Statements

West Nile Virus activity increased this week, with 17 new arbovirus-positive mosquito pools, bringing the total for the season to 116. Of the 17, 13 were from the Culex pipiens/restuans complex, 2 were from Culex salinarius, and one was from Culiseta melanura. EEEv still remains undetected.

Weather

Hot and dry weather conditions continue to drive the WNV cycle. There were barely any rain events recorded across the state this past week, and those that occurred left less than half an inch each. More than half of the state is currently categorized as “Abnormally Dry” by the US Drought Monitor.

After a break in the heat near the end of Epi Week 36 that will be accompanied by much-needed precipitation, expect a return to abnormally high temperatures for Epi Week 37 (the norm is around 74’F). MDAR’s weather specialist is predicting that this September will be one of the top 5 warmest on record. The tropics remain active, with 8 named storms so far this season, but El Niño is feeding westerly winds that are tearing apart these storms once they reach the central Atlantic Ocean.