PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
646 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 2008

...DROUGHT CONDITIONS INCREASING ALONG THE COAST AND SOUTH OF
I-10...

A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE HAS LIMITED RAIN
ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE RIDGE DEVELOPED IN MAY AND HAS
REMAINED PARKED OVER TEXAS EVER SINCE. THROUGH JUNE 10TH...THE U.S.
DROUGHT MONITOR HAS CATEGORIZED ALL OR PARTS OF THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES IN SEVERE DROUGHT: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...COLORADO...FORT
BEND... GALVESTON...HARRIS...JACKSON...MATAGORDA...WALLER AND
WHARTON. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVED THROUGH THE REGION TUESDAY
JUNE 10TH AND BROUGHT SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN...BUT THE LACK OF RAIN
SINCE THEN COUPLED WITH VERY WARM TEMPERATURES HAS ENHANCED
DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

A MODERATE FIRE DANGER EXISTS OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
MAINLY SOUTH OF I-10. THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX IS BETWEEN
600-700 SOUTH OF I-10. THIS IS INDICATIVE OF VERY DRY GROUND FUEL.
IF THE AREA REMAINS DRY...THIS VALUE COULD SURPASS 700. BURN BANS
ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING SOUTHEAST TEXAS COUNTIES...
AUSTIN...BRAZORIA... JACKSON...MADISON...MATAGORDA AND WHARTON.

HOW DRY HAS IT BEEN? MANY CO-OP VOLUNTEER OBSERVERS HAVE ENDURED
20 TO 25 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT RAIN AND SEVERAL STATIONS HAVE
NOT RECEIVED GREATER THAN TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN IN A 24
HOUR PERIOD SINCE APRIL. MAY AND JUNE ARE TYPICALLY TWO OF THE
WETTER MONTHS ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HERE ARE A FEW STATIONS THAT
HAVE SUFFERED RAINFALL DEFICITS DURING MAY AND EARLY JUNE (THROUGH
JUNE 14TH).

CITY              MAY     JUNE (THROUGH 14TH)

ALVIN             0.02    0.57
ANGLETON (CO-OP)  0.05    0.25
BAY CITY          0.32    0.00
CLODINE           0.27    0.10
COLUMBUS          0.25    0.05
DANEVANG          0.55    0.32
EDNA              0.36    NA
EL CAMPO          1.02    NA
FREEPORT          0.22    0.02
GALVESTON         0.02    0.07
HOUSTON PORT      0.52    2.55
NWSO HGX          1.16    1.77
KATY              1.09    0.00
MATAGORDA         0.27    0.43
PALACIOS          0.16    0.23
RICHMOND          0.17    0.17
WEST COLUMBIA     1.31    NA
WHARTON           0.22    0.15

THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH THE
END OF THE MONTH. THE RIDGE WILL SHIFT EVER SO SLIGHTLY ON
WEDNESDAY. THIS COULD ALLOW A CLUSTER OF STORMS OVER NORTH TEXAS
TO SLIDE SOUTH INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...
SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED ON TUESDAY JUNE 10TH. IF THE AREA DOES
NOT RECEIVE RAIN ON WEDNESDAY THE 18TH...IT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER
SEVEN TO TEN DAYS WITHOUT RAIN. IN ADDITION...TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE TO CLIMB AND 100 DEGREE HIGH TEMPERATURE READINGS WILL BE
POSSIBLE BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

$$