000 FGUS72 KTAE 102010 AAA ESFTAE ALC031-045-061-067-069-FLC005-013-029-037-039-045-059-063-065-067- 073-077-079-123-129-131-133-GAC007-017-019-027-037-061-071-075-087- 095-099-131-155-173-177-185-201-205-239-243-253-273-275-277-287- 321-180000- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 410 PM EDT MON SEP 10 2007 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND FLORIDA PANHANDLE... ...EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT PERSISTS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA... ...SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONTINUES ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE... ...MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT EXISTS OVER THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA... SYNOPSIS... SCATTERED MAINLY DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SOME IMPROVEMENT TO THE ONGOING DROUGHT DURING THE PAST WEEK...ESPECIALLY IN PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND. RAINFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM AS MUCH AS FOUR INCHES ALONG COASTAL AREAS OF GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES...TO LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. ANNUAL RAINFALL DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR THE TALLAHASSEE HYDROLOGIC SERVICE AREA RANGED FROM 10 TO 27 INCHES. THE FOLLOWING TABLE SHOWS THE OBSERVED RAINFALL...30-YEAR NORMALS ...DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL...AND PERCENT OF NORMAL FROM JANUARY 1 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 8 FOR SELECTED SITES ACROSS THE REGION. SEASONAL STATISTICS ARE SHOWN FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 1 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 8. STATION OBSERVED 30-YEAR DEPARTURE PERCENT RAINFALL NORMAL FROM NORMAL OF NORMAL TALLAHASSEE FL SINCE JANUARY 1 33.51 48.54 -15.03 69 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 2.09 1.55 0.54 135 APALACHICOLA FL SINCE JANUARY 1 22.68 40.10 -17.42 57 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 3.93 2.00 1.93 197 PANAMA CITY FL SINCE JANUARY 1 21.98 48.37 -26.39 45 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 0.41 1.84 -1.43 22 CHIPLEY FL SINCE JANUARY 1 23.12 42.60 -19.48 54 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 12.87 17.54 -4.67 73 CROSS CITY FL SINCE JANUARY 1 19.12 45.87 -26.75 42 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 0.73 2.03 -1.30 36 GENEVA AL SINCE JANUARY 1 33.07 43.77 -10.70 76 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 0.01 1.20 -1.19 1 CAMILLA GA SINCE JANUARY 1 25.05 40.79 -15.74 61 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 0.10 1.25 -1.15 8 ALBANY GA SINCE JANUARY 1 29.45 40.67 -11.22 72 SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 1.87 1.08 0.79 173 HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS... WELL BELOW NORMAL STREAM FLOWS CONTINUED IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA... WITH NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL FLOWS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. STREAM FLOWS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE WERE LOW...WITH MOST MONITORED SITES BELOW THE 10TH PERCENTILE. ON SEPTEMBER 4...NEW DAILY RECORD LOW FLOWS WERE ESTABLISHED ON THE CHIPOLA RIVER NEAR ALTHA AND APALACHICOLA RIVER NEAR SUMATRA FLORIDA. ACROSS THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SUWANNEE RIVER BASIN...FLOWS CONTINUED AT BELOW TO WELL BELOW NORMAL LEVELS. GROUND WATER CONDITIONS... GROUND WATER LEVELS MAINTAINED A GENERAL DOWNWARD TREND ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA...INCLUDING THE PANHANDLE. SCATTERED RAINFALL STABILIZED OR INCREASED AQUIFER LEVELS IN A FEW AREAS. WATER LEVELS IN THE FLORIDAN AQUIFER REMAINED AT OR NEAR RECORD LOW LEVELS. ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...GROUND WATER LEVELS REMAINED QUITE LOW. MOST MONITORING WELLS IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA WERE AT THEIR AVERAGE ANNUAL MINIMUM WATER TABLES...WHICH NORMALLY OCCUR DURING THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. VERY LOW GROUND WATER LEVELS CONTINUED THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT THE PAST WEEK...WITH SEVERAL MONITORING WELLS AT OR APPROACHING NEW MONTHLY RECORD LOWS. FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES (KBDI)/FIRE DANGER RANGED FROM 550 TO 700/HIGH TO VERY HIGH ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...TO 450 TO 600/MODERATE TO HIGH ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALABAMA...THE FLORIDA BIG BEND...AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS... FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND BIG BEND...TOPSOIL MOISTURE RANGED FROM VERY SHORT TO ADEQUATE. PASTURE AND LIVESTOCK CONDITIONS RANGED FROM VERY POOR TO GOOD. PEANUT DIGGING SLOWLY INCREASED IN JACKSON COUNTY...WITH MOST DRYLAND ACREAGE FIVE TO TEN DAYS BEHIND SCHEDULE. RAINS IN SOME PANHANDLE AREAS AIDED THE GROWTH OF PEANUTS AND COTTON. SOME STOCK PONDS WERE STILL VERY LOW. SOUTHERN GEORGIA...TOPSOIL MOISTURE WAS SHORT TO VERY SHORT OVER SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...AND SHORT TO ADEQUATE IN SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA. CROP CONDITIONS SHOWED SOME IMPROVEMENT FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK AS A RESULT OF SCATTERED RAINFALL. COTTON...SOYBEANS AND PEANUTS WERE AT A CRITICAL STAGE AND RECENT SHOWERS WERE BENEFICIAL. IN SOME AREAS...PASTURES HAVE BEGUN TO RECOVER. DUE TO HAY SHORTAGES...BEEF PRODUCERS CONTINUED TO REDUCE THEIR HERDS. SOUTHERN ALABAMA...TOPSOIL MOISTURE WAS SHORT TO VERY SHORT. LIVESTOCK CONDITION WAS GENERALLY POOR. PECAN TREES THAT WERE ACTIVELY MANAGED PRODUCED A LARGE CROP...AND WERE ENTERING THE FINAL PHASE OF NUT DEVELOPMENT. FALL ARMYWORMS INVADED HAYFIELDS AND PASTURES...JUST AS THEY BEGAN TO EXHIBIT SIGNS OF RELIEF FROM THE DROUGHT AND BLISTERING HEAT EXPERIENCED LAST MONTH. SOCIETAL IMPACTS... A PHASE ONE WATER SHORTAGE ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT BY THE SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT...WITH VOLUNTARY WATER CONSERVATION ACTIONS REQUESTED. THERE ARE NO WATER RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT. A WATER SHORTAGE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT BY THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT FOR RESIDENTS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND WESTERN FLORIDA BIG BEND. THESE RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REDUCE WATER USE AND CONSERVE WATER TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE. THUS FAR...NO WATER RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN ENFORCED. THE DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR WATER RESOURCES AND WILL WORK WITH WATER UTILITY COMPANIES AND OTHER USERS TO IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION MEASURES. A STATEWIDE LEVEL-2 OUTDOOR WATER-USE SCHEDULE REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GEORGIA. A FIRE ALERT REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA: COFFEE...DALE...GENEVA...HENRY AND HOUSTON. OUTLOOK... THE LATEST 6-10 DAY OUTLOOK ISSUED SEPTEMBER 9 BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 15-19 CALLS FOR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. THE 8-14 DAY OUTLOOK ISSUED SEPTEMBER 9 FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 17-23 CALLS FOR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL. THE MONTHLY OUTLOOK ISSUED AUGUST 31 FOR SEPTEMBER PREDICTS ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL. FINALLY...THE SEASONAL OUTLOOK FOR SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER PREDICTS NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL. DESPITE THE ANTICIPATED IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS...COMPLETE ERADICATION OF THE DROUGHT IS UNLIKELY AS RAINFALL DEFICITS ACCUMULATED SINCE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR HAVE EXCEEDED A FOOT AT MANY LOCATIONS. DURING AUGUST 2007...NEGATIVE SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES IN THE EASTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC EXPANDED FROM THE WEST COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA TO THE INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE. CONSISTENT WITH THIS ADDITIONAL COOLING...THREE OF THE NINO INDICES REMAINED COOLER THAN -0.5 DEGREES CELSIUS LAST MONTH. NEARLY ALL OF THE DYNAMICAL EL NINO/SOUTHERN OSCILLATION MODELS FORECAST THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF LA NINA CONDITIONS THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR. TYPICALLY...LA NINA FALL SEASONS BRING WETTER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST. ALSO DURING PAST LA NINA YEARS...THERE HAS BEEN A NOTICEABLE INCREASE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF TROPICAL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...CARRIBEAN SEA...AND GULF OF MEXICO. THESE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED. CREDITS... INFORMATION FOR THIS REPORT WAS PROVIDED COURTESY OF THE WEEKLY DROUGHT MONITOR REPORT...UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...WEEKLY WEATHER AND CROP BULLETIN...UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE...DEPARTMENTS OF FORESTRY FOR ALABAMA...FLORIDA AND GEORGIA...THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER...CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT...THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGIC SURVEY AND THE NATIONAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE. $$ JAMSKI