DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 810 PM CDT FRI SEP 5 2008 ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AS MORE AREAS ARE REMOVED FROM THE RECENT DROUGHT... SYNOPSIS... ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL DURING THE LAST HALF OF AUGUST CONTINUED TO IMPROVE THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER SOUTH TEXAS. DURING THE PAST TWO WEEKS...WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 INCH OR MORE HAS OCCURRED MAINLY WEST OF INTERSTATE 37...WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL (WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 TO 6 INCHES) OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS IN WEBB AND LA SALLE COUNTIES. MUCH OF THIS RAINFALL WAS THE RESULT OF A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL LOW WEST OF SOUTH TEXAS. THIS HELPED TO ELIMINATE SOME LOCATIONS EXPERIENCING DROUGHT CONDITIONS...AS WELL AS AREAS WITH ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS. IN FACT...ONLY THE NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE HYDROLOGIC SERVICE AREA REMAIN IN MODERATE DROUGHT...WITH SEVERE OR GREATER DROUGHT CONDITIONS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. THE LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR PRODUCT...VALID FOR SEPTEMBER 2 2008 SHOWS THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS OVER SOUTH TEXAS... MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXIST NORTH AND EAST OF A TULETA (IN NORTHEASTERN BEE COUNTY) TO BAYSIDE TO ROCKPORT LINE... ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS EXIST SOUTH AND WEST OF THE MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS LINE...BUT DO NOT INCLUDE AREAS NEAR AND WEST OF A PAWNEE TO SINTON TO PORT ARANSAS LINE. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS. ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE WEB SITE...AS OF SEPTEMBER 5 BURN BANS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...WEBB... LIVE OAK...JIM WELLS...AND REFUGIO. THUS...VICTORIA COUNTY NO LONGER HAS A BURN BAN. RESIDENTS IN COUNTIES NOT IN BURN BANS SHOULD CONTACT COUNTY OFFICIALS TO ENSURE BURNING IS ALLOWED. ALSO... RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT WHEN DOING ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES WHICH INVOLVE FIRE OR SPARKS...BY MAKING SURE WATER IS READILY AVAILABLE SHOULD AN UNWANTED FIRE BEGIN. AT THIS TIME...NO WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT AND NONE ARE ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...TO CONSERVE WATER...LAWNS SHOULD BE WATERED ONLY BETWEEN 6 PM AND 10 AM AND WHEN NEEDED. WATERING LAWNS AND LANDSCAPES DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS WASTES WATER...SINCE MOST OF IT WILL EVAPORATE AND NOT PERCOLATE INTO THE SOIL AND ROOTS. AGRICULTURAL AND SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS. THE LATEST SOIL MOISTURE ANOMALY GRAPHIC FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER SHOWS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW SOIL CONDITIONS NEAR THE MODERATE DROUGHT AREA...WITH NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE. CROP MOISTURE INDICES REMAIN SLIGHTLY DRY/FAVORABLY MOIST OVER THE DROUGHT - STRICKEN AREAS. ACCORDING TO THE SEPTEMBER 3 TEXAS A & M AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM CROP AND WEATHER REPORT...OVER THE COASTAL BEND REGION HARVESTING OF COTTON AND SORGHUM CONTINUED...WITH IMPROVED RANGELAND AND PASTURE AREAS. FARTHER WEST AND SOUTH...HAY BALING AND COTTON HARVESTING WAS HALTED BY RAIN...AND SOME TIME WAS NEEDED FOR SOILS TO DRY OUT FOR FALL PLANTING. ALSO...NATIVE RANGE AND PASTURE AREAS CONTINUED TO IMPROVE FROM THE RAIN...AND HERDS WILL NOT HAVE TO BE REDUCED. FIRE DANGER HAZARDS. ON AVERAGE...A LOW FIRE DANGER EXISTS OVER SOUTH TEXAS. RAINFALL CONTINUED TO REPLENISH SOIL MOISTURE AND ELIMINATE WIDESPREAD DRY FUELS AND PARCHED LANDSCAPES. OVERALL...THE LATEST KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES REMAIN BELOW 500...WITH THE HIGHEST COUNTY AVERAGED INDICES (400 TO 500) OVER GOLIAD...VICTORIA...REFUGIO... ARANSAS AND CALHOUN COUNTIES. RIVER AND HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS. RESERVOIR LEVELS REMAINED RELATIVELY STEADY...AS THE COMBINATION OF RAINFALL AND LOWER WATER USAGE (DUE TO THE RAIN AS LANDSCAPES WERE WATERED LESS FREQUENTLY). AS OF SEPTEMBER 5...THE LEVEL AT CHOKE CANYON DAM WAS 217.3 FEET (88.4 PERCENT CAPACITY)...WITH LAKE CORPUS CHRISTI AT 91.2 FEET (80.6 PERCENT CAPACITY). THE COINED SYSTEM CAPACITY NOW STANDS AT 86.3 PERCENT...WHICH IS 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINTS LOWER THAN ON AUGUST 21. LAKE AMISTAD ROSE TO AROUND 1102.4 FEET...WHILE COLETO CREEK FELL 0.1 FOOT TO 95.1 FEET. RIVERS AND CREEKS IN THE DROUGHT AREAS REMAIN NEAR IF NOT SLIGHTLY BELOW BASEFLOW...WITH RIVERS OUTSIDE THE DROUGHT AREA AT OR ABOVE BASEFLOW. CLIMATE SUMMARY... OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS...2008 RAINFALL DEFICITS HAVE INCREASED OVER THE AREAS IN MODERATE DROUGHT...AS THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS MAINLY BEEN WEST OF INTERSTATE 37. AS OF SEPTEMBER 5...THE 2008 RAINFALL DEFICIT IN VICTORIA INCREASED TO 9.22 INCHES. RAINFALL FOR 2008 AT LAREDO IS NOW NEAR (IF NOT ABOVE) NORMAL...WITH RAINFALL AT CORPUS CHRISTI 2.77 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. AS SOUTH TEXAS CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE AVERAGE RAINFALL VALUES ARE HIGHEST...IT IS HOPED THAT SOME OF THESE RAINFALL DEFICITS WILL BE REDUCED IF NOT ELIMINATED OVER THE DROUGHT - STRICKEN AREAS. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS... OVER THE AREAS EXPERIENCING DROUGHT...THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH A CHANCE FOR RAIN ON FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES SOUTH TEXAS. THE EIGHT TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 13 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 19 INDICATES A GREATER LIKELIHOOD FOR BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE LATEST DROUGHT OUTLOOK PRODUCT...RELEASED SEPTEMBER 4...INDICATES THAT THE DROUGHT SITUATION WILL IMPROVE BY THE END OF NOVEMBER...WITH THE IMPACTS EASED OVER THE DROUGHT - STRICKEN AREAS. FINALLY...THE SOIL MOISTURE OUTLOOK THROUGH THE END OF NOVEMBER EXPECTS NEAR NORMAL SOIL CONDITIONS. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT IS EXPECTED TO BE ISSUED AFTER SEPTEMBER 18TH...BUT ONLY FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... BEE...SAN PATRICIO...ARANSAS...REFUGIO...GOLIAD...VICTORIA AND CALHOUN. BECAUSE THE DROUGHT HAS ENDED OVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTH TEXAS...THIS WILL BE THE LAST DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR THE REMAINING COUNTIES NOT MENTIONED ABOVE. FOR THE COUNTIES OF WEBB...LA SALLE...DUVAL...MCMULLEN...LIVE OAK...JIM WELLS...NUECES AND KLEBERG...THE NEXT DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED WHEN AT LEAST MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS RETURN OVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THAT COUNTY. RELATED WEB SITES...
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR (INCLUDES DROUGHT AND SOIL MOISTURE OUTLOOKS... DROUGHT ARCHIVES AND TEMPERATURE/RAINFALL OUTLOOKS)...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR (INCLUDES ONLY TEXAS)...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/dm_state.htm?tx,s
TEXAS DROUGHT MONITORING SITE...
http://www.txwin.net/monitoring/meteorological/drought/indices.htm
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...
http://www.drought.noaa.gov/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
AGNEWS: TEXAS A & M AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM (CROP AND WEATHER REPORT)...
http://agnews.tamu.edu/
TEXAS INTERAGENCY COORDINATION CENTER (TICC)...
http://www.tamu.edu/ticc/
TEXAS BURN BANS...
http://tfsfrp.tamu.edu/wildfires/decban.png
TEXAS KBDI...
http://webgis.tamu.edu/tfs/kbdi_daily/kbdicounty.png
ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION...
NWS.... http://www.weather.gov/water/
USGS... http://water.usgs.gov/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICES...THE USDA...USACE AND USGS. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 300 PINSON DRIVE CORPUS CHRISTI TX 78406 PHONE: 361-289-0959 SR-CRP.webmaster@noaa.gov GW