000 AXUS71 KLWX 232109 DGTLWX DCC001-MDC001-005-013-021-025-027-031-033-043-510-VAC013-015-043- 047-059-061-069-091-107-113-139-153-157-165-171-187-510-600-610- 840-WVC003-023-027-031-037-057-065-071-072115- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 509 PM EDT THU APR 23 2009 ...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVING... SYNOPSIS... RECENT RAINFALL HAS CAUSED DRY CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE RECENTLY...AND THE INTERAGENCY DROUGHT INFORMATION CENTER HAS RECATEGORIZED PARTS OF MARYLAND AND NORTHERN AND WESTERN VIRGINIA AS BEING ABNORMALLY DRY INSTEAD OF IN A MODERATE DROUGHT. MODERATE DROUGHT WAS INDICATED FOR MUCH OF MARCH UNTIL THIS WEEK. RIVER FLOW ON THE POTOMAC JUST ABOVE WASHINGTON DC WAS MEASURED AT 36700 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND. THE LONG TERM MEAN DISHCHARGE FOR APRIL 23 IS 11600 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND. ON THE RAPPAHANNOCK AT FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA FLOW TODAY WAS 2230 CUBIC FEET PER SECOND VERSUS A MEAN OF 1560. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... STREAMFLOW AND SOIL MOISTURE HAVE RETURNED TO LEVELS CLOSER TO NORMAL. THE DRIEST CONDITIONS...AS REPRESENTED BY THE PALMER DROUGHT INDEX IS OVER LOWER SOUTHERN MARYLAND AND LOWER RAPPAHANNOCK BASIN IN VIRGINIA. CLIMATE SUMMARY... RAINFALL TOTALS ARE ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL...BUT REMAIN SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL FOR 2009. AT REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT...4.11 INCHES HAS FALLEN THIS MONTH. THIS IS 2 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH ENDING YESTERDAY. FOR THE YEAR...TOTALS ARE 2.33 BELOW THE NORMAL OF 11.44 INCHES. AT BALTIMORE/BWI AIRPORT...NUMBERS ARE SIMILAR. RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH IS 2.17 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL BUT FOR THE YEAR SO FAR...1.82 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. MARTINSBURG WEST VIRGINIA HAS RECEIVED 3.51 INCHES IN APRIL...VERSUS A NORMAL OF 2.23. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... THE NEXT CHANCE FOR RAIN APPEARS TO BE THE MID PART OF NEXT WEEK. THE 30 AND 90 DAY OUTLOOKS FOR PRECIPITATION SHOW NO STRONG INDICATIONS OF DRIER OR WETTER CONDITIONS THAN NORMAL HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED IF AND WHEN MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS OR WORSE ARE ONCE AGAIN IN PLACE OVER THE REGION. && RELATED WEB SITES... ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/... U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION... NWS...HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS USGS...HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/ USACE...HTTP://WWW.MVR.USACE.ARMY.MIL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA/S 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...US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT THE BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON FORECAST OFFICE. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 44087 WEATHER SERVICE RD STERLING, VA 20166 PHONE...703-996-2200 LWXWEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV $$