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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
When will Memphis get relief from the heat? What fall forecast predicts for the Mid-South
Much of the Mid-South has been under a heat wave that seems to have no end in sight. Unfortunately, fall is not predicted to cool us off much. According to predictions from the Old Farmer's Almanac, the entire Southern United States region is expected to experience a warm, dry fall in 2025. Last year, the area saw above-average temperatures with slightly above-average precipitation. In Memphis, 2024 brought above-average temperatures in October and November by about 4 to 6 degrees. The fall months of September, October, and November also saw higher-than-normal rainfall. August in the Mid-South is expected to be near normal, with an equal chance of being slightly above or slightly below average temperatures. Here's when Memphis can expect to see some relief from the heat. Memphis heat wave will continue through next week Memphis and most of the Mid-South are expected to see heat indices in the 100s through July 31. The maximum heat index for the Mid-South ranges between 109 degrees and 116 degrees. Here are the maximum heat indices for Memphis through next week: July 25: 106 degrees July 26: 105 degrees July 27: 109 degrees July 28: 110 degrees July 29: 114 degrees July 30: 113 degrees July 31: 107 degrees August 1: 98 degrees More: Dangerous heat' will continue next week. 5 ways to stay cool When is the first day of fall? The first day of fall can be debated, depending on whether you follow the astrological date or the meteorological date. Fall officially begins on Sept. 22, based on the astrological calendar and the autumn equinox. The astrological date is based on the position of the sun in relation to the Earth. According to the meteorological calendar, fall begins earlier in the month on Sept. 1. The meteorological date is based on the 12-month calendar and the annual temperature cycle. How cool will fall 2025 be in Memphis? Unfortunately, the Mid-South is not expected to receive much relief from the heat this fall. The Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting a warm and dry fall season for the entire state. The almanac lists the South as a region that can expect warmer-than-average weather this time of year. "September and October will be warmer than normal, with below-average rainfall," The Old Farmer's Almanac writes. The South is predicted to have an average temperature of 78 degrees in September, which is about 3 degrees above normal, and 4 inches of rain, about an inch below normal. October is predicted to have an average temperature of 64 degrees, one degree below normal, and 1.5 inches of rain, 1.5 inches below normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that fall, spanning from September to November, has a 33% to 40% chance of being above normal in terms of temperatures. What was fall like in Memphis in 2024? Overall, Tennessee experienced fairly consistent temperatures and precipitation amounts in 2024. As expected, the temperatures were about equal to the daily normals for each month; however, there was significantly more precipitation than the state typically receives. In 2024, Memphis had an average temperature of 67.1 degrees for the three months of meteorological fall. September averaged 75.2 degrees, October averaged 68 degrees and November averaged 58 degrees. In the same three months, there was an average of 5.37 inches of rain. September totaled 9.89 inches, October totaled 0.76 inches and November totaled 5.46 inches. When does it usually cool off in Memphis? Memphis typically begins its journey into lower temperatures in late August, with the peak daily high dropping from 92 degrees to 91 degrees. After that, temperatures should start to drop steadily, as the average temperature in September ranges from 80 degrees at the start to 71 degrees at the end of the month. When examining meteorological fall, which spans from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30, the normal daily maximum temperature starts at 90 degrees on Sept. 1 and finishes at 57 degrees on Nov. 30. In Memphis, the average temperature in September is 76 degrees, with a normal total precipitation of 3.03 inches. October has a normal average temperature of 64.6 degrees, with a total precipitation normal of 3.98 inches. November in Memphis has an average temperature of 52.7 degrees and a total rainfall of 4.69 inches. Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Old Farmer's Almanac fall forecast predicts about Memphis heat Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's How Much You Must Make To Afford a Home in the South's Most Livable Cities
The southern United States offers numerous locales with high livability scores and relatively reasonably priced homes compared to the rest of the country. Minimum salaries needed to afford a home vary widely across the South, however, so prospective buyers should do their homework. Check Out: Learn More: To help you get started, GOBankingRates has compiled a list of the South's most livable cities, along with the minimum salary needed for homeownership in each. The list blends data from AreaVibes, Sperling's BestPlaces, the U.S. Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Zillow and the Federal Reserve. Here's the full list, along with the median household income and some additional information about each location. Blacksburg, Virginia Livability score: 89 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $53,036 Median household income: $48,070 The home of Virginia Tech, Blacksburg is located in Montgomery County. Blacksburg's median income of $48,070 is the second lowest among AreaVibes' most livable cities, topping only Bowling Green, Kentucky (69th most livable with a median income of $46,719. The average value of a single-family home in Blacksburg is about $411,000. Also See: Find Out: Seminole, Florida Livability score: 89 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $56,053 Median household income: $77,335 You'll find the town of Seminole about 25 miles west of Tampa. Seminole is popular with the retired set – about a third of its 20,000 residents are age 65+. The average single-family home in Seminole is worth about $433,000. See More: Dr. Phillips, Florida Livability score: 89 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $66,369 Median household income: $101,540 Named after citrus industry pioneer Philip Phillips, the unincorporated Dr. Phillips neighborhood is a suburb of Orlando. The total cost of living in Dr. Phillips is $5,531 a month, and the average single-family home is worth $568,000. Springfield, Virginia Livability score: 89 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $78,732 Median household income: $123,69 Springfield is located about 15 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Single-family homes in Springfield are worth more than $700,000. The cost of living comes in around $6,600 a month. Purcellville, Virginia Livability score: 89 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $90,222 Median household income: $162,981 The town of Purcellville is located in Loudon County, about 50 miles northwest of Washington D.C. Homes aren't cheap here, with average values approaching $900,000. Purcellville is also a relatively young town, with only 9% of its 9,000 residents age 65+. Explore More: Cary, North Carolina Livability score: 90 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $68,474 Median household income: $129,399 Cary is located just west of Raleigh, the state capital. Part of North Carolina's Research Triangle region, it has a population of about $177,000. An average single-family home in Cary is worth around $630,000. Lynchburg, Virginia Livability score: 91 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $40,621 Median household income: $59,808 You'll find Lynchburg in central Virginia, about two hours east of Richmond by car. Single-family homes in Lynchburg are worth about $250,000 on average. Lynchburg's average monthly cost of living (about $3,400) is among the lowest among AreaVibes' 100 most livable cities. Fort Thomas, Kentucky Livability score: 91 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $47,820 Median household income: $100,819 Fort Thomas is located near the Kentucky-Ohio border near Cincinnati. Compared to other locales in AreaVibes' most livable list, Fort Thomas offers relatively inexpensive single-family homes ($336,000 on average). The average monthly cost of living in Fort Thomas is just under $4,000. Discover More: Wilton Manors, Florida Livability score: 91 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $78,021 Median household income: $79,390 Part of the Miami metro area, Wilton Manors is located just north of Fort Lauderdale. Wilton Manors is a popular spot for retirees, with more than a quarter of its 11,000 residents age 65 and up. The average value of a single-family home here is $721,000. Bellevue, Kentucky Livability score: 92 Salary needed (annual cost of living): $40,277 Median household income: $67,143 You'll find Bellevue just east of Cincinnati, along the Kentucky-Ohio state line. In addition to its strong livability rating, Bellevue offers relatively inexpensive single-family homes ($230,000 on average) and monthly living costs ($3,356). Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed cities across the United States with the highest livability scores, as sourced from AreaVibes. The 30 most livable cities in each state were identified. To qualify for this study, each city had to have all data points available and a total population of at least 5,000. All relevant data was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, Sperling's BestPlaces, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey, Zillow Home Value Index and Federal Reserve Economic Data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 14, 2025. More From GOBankingRates 25 Places To Buy a Home If You Want It To Gain Value This article originally appeared on Here's How Much You Must Make To Afford a Home in the South's Most Livable Cities Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tariffs give the U.S.'s only native caffeinated plant a shot at stardom
When the Sons of Liberty dumped over 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of the passage of the wildly unpopular Tea Act of 1773, colonial Americans knew the political performance wouldn't force them to kick their caffeine habit. While they still hadn't found a way to successfully cultivate their beloved Camellia sinensis - the scientific name for the tea plant- on American soil, they had another locally grown option: yaupon. Long used by Indigenous groups across the Southern United States, yaupon is North America's only native caffeinated plant. Known by many Indigenous and colonized names, including cassina, asi, Carolina tea and Christmas berry, the yaupon plant is a landrace, evergreen holly variety that can grow up to 30 feet tall, appearing from North Carolina to East Texas. But even as it grows right under their noses and in their backyards, most Americans have probably never heard about yaupon. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. That may start to change. Thanks to President Donald Trump's tariffs, the modern-day yaupon industry is ready and waiting for the plant's potential resurgence. Two and a half centuries ago, yaupon became part of a political movement. The Townshend Revenue Acts, which taxed a variety of common imports in the 1770s and allowed the British Parliament to meddle with the free market, brought colonial unrest to a boiling point. In that era of political boycott, colonists turned to tea alternatives made with a variety of herbs, fruits and indigenous plants, including yaupon. These 'liberty teas' proved perfectly acceptable substitutes, until the American Revolution ended, the global tea trade returned, and yaupon was suddenly out of style again. Starting in April 2025, the Trump administration rolled out a slew of steep protective tariffs on nearly all goods imported to the United States, including tea, which carried its highest tariff rate since the Tea Act of 1773. Although modern-day America is usually considered a coffee-drinking nation, we also import hundreds of millions of dollars worth of tea each year, largely from countries such as China and India. The United States can't grow tea to the scale it consumes. In a letter to Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials involved in trade decisions, Peter Goggi, president of the Tea Association of the USA, expressed deep concern over the impact of tariffs. 'The United States is not a tea producing nation,' Goggi writes. 'There is no commercially grown tea that requires protection via tariffs, nor are there any tea-related farm-based jobs that would be protected by these tariffs.' Meanwhile, with such a steady, sustainable supply grown right here in the United States, yaupon stands to be the only tariff-proof source of caffeine for American consumers. 'When I saw the news around tea and coffee,' says Christine Folch, cultural anthropologist at Duke University and author of 'The Book of Yerba Mate,' 'I thought, maybe this is yaupon's moment in the sun.' The modern-day yaupon industry includes a small, tight-knit group of farmers, producers and wild harvesters, known internally as 'yauponers.' Abianne Falla, owner of CatSpring Yaupon in Cat Spring, Texas, and founder of the American Yaupon Association, sources native-grown yaupon through partnerships with local ranches. 'It's a 20-million-acre problem in Texas,' says Falla, referring to the belief held by many Texas landowners that yaupon is a nuisance in need of fixing. Founded in 2011, CatSpring was one of the earliest yaupon producers on the market, offering dark and green roasts (similar to black and green tea flavor profiles) in loose leaf and bagged options. A few states over in Crescent City, Florida, Yaupon Brothers uses more traditional agricultural methods to grow yaupon on a 124-year-old organic citrus farm (the oldest in the state). Much like other crops, their yaupon grows in tidy rows, which helps the company scale production and maintain some control over the naturally occurring plant. Yaupon Brothers founders Bryon and Kyle White found that the methodologies for growing yerba mate, another caffeinated Ilex plant native to South America, work similarly for its botanical cousin yaupon. While Yaupon Brothers and other commercial farmers do not grow yerba mate in the United States, they rely on similar pruning and harvesting techniques. Their yaupon trees are capped at six to seven feet and harvested three times a year, after which it 'comes back in a matter of months,' says White. Much like traditional tea, yaupon tea is made with dried yaupon leaves that are chopped and roasted to suit different tastes, including the familiar green and black flavor profiles of the tea-drinking world. Unlike other traditional tea importers, Harney & Sons has embraced yaupon and sources the raw ingredient from CatSpring Yaupon. The company sells a loose-leaf blend as well as a ready-to-drink bottle sold exclusively at the popular salad chain Sweetgreen. But winning over the general tea-drinking public remains an issue for yaupon farmers and importers who might add yaupon to their offerings. 'America is an on-the-go culture,' says Ahmed Rahim, founder of traditional tea importer Numi Tea, adding that he's still 'trying to find ways to get the American mindset wrapped around tea.' Despite yaupon's long history in the region, a large part of the industry still revolves around educating the public about the plant and how to drink it. For many generations, yaupon was considered invasive and burned down to its hearty roots when land needed clearing. Its Westernized botanical name, Ilex vomitoria, has also spurred erroneous beliefs that yaupon induces vomiting if consumed and has flattened interpretations to the indigenous rituals to which it was once a central ingredient. The threat of tariffs spurred small-scale yaupon farmer Crystal Stokes to pivot to education. Through her organization Project CommuniTea, Stokes travels around and teaches her Richmond community about the history and benefits of yaupon, plant identification, and how to grow yaupon at home. 'I knew that changes in administration were coming and that consumers would be less likely to purchase a plant beverage that most would be trying for the first time,' says Stokes. Despite the tariffs, traditional tea purveyors aren't overly worried. According to Paul Harney of Harney & Sons, 'there's always some degree of chaos. It's always something, the pandemic, shipping, something.' The tariffs motivated Harney & Sons to find tea grown in countries with fewer trade issues, such as Mozambique and Kenya. For Numi, Rahim sources from dozens of countries, and much of the company's production process is in Canada. Numi is the largest fair trade importer of tea and herbs in the United States, but Rahim says he's not panicked or anxious about the impact of tariffs and plans to 'wait and see what's going to happen.' Darren Hartford, the owner of Oliver Pluff & Co., which sells history-inspired beverages, including 'the story of what was dumped in the Boston harbor,' is staying optimistic. The company is set to open its retail location in Charleston this summer and is busy prepping for collaborations related to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of America. Understanding its historical relevance, Oliver Pluff & Co. tried yaupon, but it turned out to be 'a fringe item.' After the current tariffs started, another yaupon farmer reached out to Hartford, curious if he wanted to now incorporate more of the tea alternative in his offerings. Yaupon was never a big seller for Hartford, who remains hesitant to take a chance on the tea alternative again during a tumultuous market. While the yaupon industry's raw material is not impacted by tariffs, some producers' packaging and other materials are sourced from tariff-heavy regions. Most businesses, especially small ones, 'can't simply decouple from a global supply chain,' explains White. After the first wave of tariffs went into effect, the price of Yaupon Brothers' Chinese-made packaging doubled overnight. Nonetheless, the tense economic situation has spurred the company to pivot to find new packaging, switching to American-made materials, which they hope will eventually reduce consumer costs overall. CatSpring Yaupon already used packaging sourced from U.S.-based manufacturers, but is using this moment to rebrand and double down on its messaging that yaupon is made in America. With a growing push for American-grown products and production, the yaupon industry is poised for growth. CatSpring Yaupon has added manufacturing jobs back to their rural community in Texas and sends out so much mail they were able to keep their local post office open. CatSpring Yaupon collaborates with other small companies and restaurants across the nation. 'Anytime we're added to the menu, we're replacing an imported product,' says Falla. 'On paper, we're perfect for this administration.' As Duke University's Folch puts it, yaupon could benefit from the current turmoil. 'The tariffs give us an opportunity to ask really deep questions about who we are and what we bring to the table,' she said. If yaupon is indeed able to navigate the new realities of an American-made tea culture and, once again, help us rethink what 'made in America' really means, it would be an epic, 250-year comeback. Related Content He may have stopped Trump's would-be assassin. Now he's telling his story. He seeded clouds over Texas. Then came the conspiracy theories. How conservatives beat back a Republican sell-off of public lands
