ABRFC Drought Update (6/30/2008)

.........Tale of two hydrologic conditions across the ABRFC...............................
.........Flooding in the east to D4 drought in the west.........................................

Late Spring/Early Summer storms continue to bring heavy rainfall to much of the eastern half of the ABRFC area during the last several weeks. Periodic flooding occurred across northeast Oklahoma and eastern Kansas during May and June. It's been a much different story across the western ABRFC areas. Drought conditions very quickly intensified across northeast New Mexico, southeast Colorado, southwest Kansas, and much of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. While 12"-20" of rainfall fell across southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma, some areas of the western Oklahoma Panhandle received less than 0.50" during the past 30 days(Figure 1). A similar precipitation pattern was common across much of the ABRFC during the past several months. Much drier than normal conditions prevailed across the western ABRFC, while the eastern half of the area was normal to much-above-normal. An animation of the most recent 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, and 180-day Percent of Normal precipitation across the ABRFC is shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 shows a 6-week animation of how drought conditions have evolved across the ABRFC, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In the past two months, the Drought Monitor's depiction of conditions across the Panhandles, northeast New Mexico, southeast Colorado, and southwest Kansas changed from D2 (Moderate Drought) to D4 (Exceptional Drought). This is the most severe classification for drought, and indicates conditions of near-historic proportions. Some locals in that area have compared the current drought situation to that of the 1930's Dust Bowl droughts. Figure 4 shows the latest Drought Severity Index map from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC).

The CPC also generates the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook (Figure 5). The outlook calls for possible improvement in the drought conditions across eastern Colorado, western Kansas, northeast New Mexico, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The CPC's 3-month Precipitation Outlook (Figure 6) shows equal chances for below, near, and above normal precipitation during the next three months.

Most reservoirs in eastern Oklahoma are at or above their normal pool levels on the Arkansas River (Figure 7) and the Red River (Figure 8).

Real-time river gage data from the USGS can be linked from Figure 9.

To view charts of the running precipitation total for 2008 compared to normal for several locations across the ABRFC click here.

Fig. 1: 30-day precipitation image ending 12Z on 6/30/08 .

Fig. 2: Percent of Normal loop showing 30-day, 60-day, 90-day, and 180-day precipitation as of 12Z on 6/30/08.

Fig. 3: 6-week animation of previous Drought Monitor maps. Click here for direct link.

Fig. 4 CPC's Long-term Drought Severity Index. Click here for direct link.

Fig. 5: CPC Seasonal Drought Outlook. Click here for direct link.

Fig. 6: CPC 3-month Precipitation Outlook. Click here for direct link.

Fig. 7: Tulsa District Corps of Engineers Percent of Conservation Pool for Lower Arkansas River

Fig. 8: Tulsa District Corps of Engineers Percent of Conservation Pool for Lower Red River

Fig. 9: Real-time USGS Streamflow Map. Click here for direct link.