000 AXUS71 KRLX 141811 DGTRLX KYC019-043-089-127-OHC009-053-079-087-105-115-127-163-167-VAC027- 051-WVC001-005-007-011-013-015-017-019-021-033-035-039-041-043- 045-047-053-059-067-073-075-079-081-083-085-087-091-095-097-099- 101-105-107-109-151815- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV 111 PM EST FRI NOV 14 2008 ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO EASE OVER THE REGION... SYNOPSIS... THE RECENT RAINS DURING THE PAST WEEK AND EXPECTED RAIN AND SNOW THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL EASE CONDITIONS OVER THE AREA. THE CURRENT DROUGHT MONITOR THIS WEEK HAS BASICALLY STAYED THE SAME...BUT WILL SHOW IMPROVEMENT NEXT WEEK FROM THE EXPECTED RAIN AND SNOW. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... FIRE DANGER IMPACTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED DUE TO RECENT RAINS. THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR (USDM)...RELEASED NOVEMBER 13 AND REFLECTING CONDITIONS THROUGH 8 AM ON NOVEMBER 11 SHOWED D2...OR SEVERE DROUGHT HAS BEEN CONFINED TO MAINLY INCLUDE...ALL OR PORTIONS OF 6 WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES...LOGAN...MCDOWELL...MINGO... RALEIGH...WAYNE AND WYOMING. ALL OR PORTIONS OF 2 EASTERN KENTUCKY COUNTIES...CARTER AND LAWRENCE AND ALL OF BUCHANAN AND DICKENSON COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. MODERATE DROUGHT OR DEVELOPING DROUGHT (D1) WAS CONFINED TO INCLUDE...ALL OR PORTIONS OF 9 WEST VIRGINA COUNTIES...BOONE... CABELL...CLAY...FAYETTE...KANAWHA...MASON...NICHOLAS...POCAHONTAS AND PUTNAM. ALL OR PORTIONS OF 3 EASTERN KENTUCKY COUNTIES...BOYD AND GREENUP. ALL OR PORTIONS OF 3 SOUTHEAST OHIO COUNTIES... GALLIA...JACKSON AND LAWRENCE. VERY DRY OR MINOR DROUGHT (D0) CONTINUED TO INCLUDE THE REST OF THE HSA. THE CATEGORIES ON THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR ARE GENERALIZED AND THE LOCAL IMPACTS OF DROUGHT MAY BE MORE OR LESS THAN WHAT IS DEPICTED ON THE MAP. THE CATEGORIES OF DROUGHT ARE EXPLAINED BELOW: D0 IS THE LEAST INTENSE INDICATOR OF DROUGHT ON A SCALE THAT RANGES FROM D0 THROUGH D4. IT IS BASICALLY A DROUGHT WATCH THAT INDICATES A REGION GOING INTO OR COMING OUT OF DROUGHT. D1 IS MODERATE DROUGHT...CONDITIONS THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH D1 INCLUDE SOME CROP DAMAGE...INCREASED FIRE RISK...FALLING RIVER... STREAM...AND RESERVOIR LEVELS AND SOME WATER SHORTAGES. D2 IS SEVERE DROUGHT...CROP OR PASTURE DAMAGE IS LIKELY. FIRE RISK IS POTENTIALLY HIGH...ALONG WITH WATER SHORTAGES AND POSSIBLE WATER RESTRICTIONS. D3 IS EXTREME DROUGHT...MAJOR CROP AND PASTURE LOSSES AND WIDESPREAD WATER SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS. D4 IS EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT...WIDESPREAD CROP AND PASTURE LOSSES... WATER SHORTAGES AND WATER EMERGENCIES. MAY BE THOUGHT OF AS THE 50-YEAR DROUGHT OR THE 2 PERCENT ANNUAL CHANCE OF OCCURRENCE. THE CATEGORIES ARE BASED ON A NUMBER OF KEY INDICATORS: 1) PALMER DROUGHT INDEX (PDSI) 2) CPC SOIL MOISTURE MODEL 3) USGS WEEKLY STREAMFLOW PERCENTILES 4) THE STANDARDIZED PRECIPITATION INDEX AND 5) THE SATELLITE VEGETATION INDEX. CLIMATE SUMMARY... OCTOBER AND THE 1ST PART OF NOVEMBER TO DATE...HAVE BEEN ON THE DRY SIDE...BUT THE RAINS THIS PAST WEEK HAS HELPED AND THE EXPECTED RAINS AND SNOWS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE CONDITIONS. AT THE END OF NOVEMBER 13...BECKLEY HAS RECORDED 0.90 INCHES OF RAIN...WHICH WAS 0.28 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. CHARLESTON RECORDED 0.36 INCHES OF RAIN...WHICH IS 1.13 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. HUNTINGTON RECORDED 0.52 INCHES FOR THE MONTH...WHICH IS 0.87 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. ELKINS RECORDED 0.65 INCHES FOR THE MONTH...WHICH IS 0.74 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE MONTH...AND PARKERSBURG RECORDED 0.51 INCHES FOR THE MONTH...WHICH IS 0.87 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... THE 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK FROM NOVEMBER 21TH TO 27TH CALLS FOR NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES...WHICH SHOULD HELP OUT THE SITUATION. FOR THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK FOR NOVEMBER...DECEMBER 2008 AND JANUARY 2009 CALLS FOR NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... HEADWATER RIVERS AND STREAMS AND TRIBUTARIES TO MAIN STEM RIVERS ARE RUNNING AT MUCH BELOW AND BELOW NORMAL FLOWS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. MAIN STEM RIVERS ARE RUNNING AT NORMAL FLOWS. RESERVOIRS ARE RUNNING AT NORMAL OR BELOW NORMAL POOL ACROSS THE HSA. AS OF NOVEMBER 14TH, 2008....SOME NOTABLE RESERVOIRS IN THE DROUGHT OR DEVELOPING DROUGHT AREAS.... JOHN FLANNAGAN IN VA...IS RUNNING MORE THAN 3 FEET BELOW NORMAL POOL. R.D. BAILEY...EAST LYNN..BEECH FORK..SUMMERSVILLE AND SUTTON IN WV...ARE RUNNING MORE THAN 3 FEET BELOW NORMAL POOL. YATESVILLE IN KY...IS RUNNING BETWEEN 1 TO 3 FEET BELOW NORMAL POOL. GRAYSON IN KY...IS RUNNING MORE THAN 3 FEET BELOW NORMAL POOL. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON OR ABOUT NOVEMBER 28TH OR SOONER IF NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS. && 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 NORTHEAST REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER...HTTP://WWW.NRCC.CORNELL.EDU VERMONT STATE CLIMATE OFFICE...HTTP://WWW.UVM.EDU/~LDUPIGNY/SC NEW YORK STATE CLIMATE OFFICE...HTTP://NYSC.EAS.CORNELL.EDU 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...USACE AND USGS. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 400 PARKWAY ROAD CHARLESTON WV 25309 PHONE...304-746-0180 RLX.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV $$