Thanksgiving Foods Battle Extreme Weather In 2011 (INFOGRAPHIC)
share this story
Extreme weather has caused much suffering for people around the globe this year, but what about the food on your Thanksgiving plate? Unfortunately, even this holiday's food didn't escape the storms.
Hurricanes, droughts and freak snowstorms have swept through the country over this past year, leaving their mark on the supply of favorite Thanksgiving foods.
An "extreme pumpkin shortage" was predicted by Darcy Pray, owner of Pray's Family Farms in Keeseville, New York, following Hurricane Irene, according to the Associated Press. According to the AP report in September, the wholesale price for a bin of 32-45 pumpkins had doubled from last year to $150 - $200.
In July, scorching heat waves killed off thousands of poultry -- a Kansas couple lost 4,300 turkeys in just one day, AP reported.
Even a cheap splash of wine could be scarce, as California was delivered a late freeze and early rains this year. However, not all is bleak. As yields are down, the quality is predicted to be high, according to AP: "Without drastic temperature spikes that cause sugar levels to climb too quickly, clusters are spending more time developing flavor nuances on the vine."
Crops also dwindled this year as more than a foot of rain above normal poured over Pennsylvania during the growing season. The Scranton Times Tribune reports this is almost double the normal amounts, according to Dave Nicosia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Binghamton, N.Y.
As some scientists warn these weather extremes will become the "new normal" as the climate changes, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently reported that more "unprecedented extreme weather" caused by global warming is in our future. Let's hope our Thanksgiving favorites can still make it to our plates.
Check out how Thanksgiving battled the elements in 2011, courtesy of Resource Media:
Loading comments… 
First Posted: 11/21/11 05:52 PM ET Updated: 11/21/11 05:54 PM ET