951 AXUS74 KLUB 151656 DGTLUB TXC017-045-069-075-079-101-107-125-153-169-189-191-219-263-269- 279-303-305-345-369-433-437-445-501-291700- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1156 AM CDT THU AUG 15 2013 ...BENEFICIAL RAINFALL FOR MOST OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AREA HAS RESULTED IN SOME IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS... SYNOPSIS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR FOR AUGUST 13TH HAS SHOWN IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...ROLLING PLAINS...AND EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE NOW LIMITED TO A BAND JUST TO EITHER SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE 27 CORRIDOR FROM TULIA TO TAHOKA...ALTHOUGH BENEFICIAL RAINS HAVE FALLEN IN THAT CORRIDOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHTS. MOST OF THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN PANHANDLE ARE NOW LISTED IN SEVERE DROUGHT WHILE THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN PANHANDLE AND THE ROLLING PLAINS ARE IN MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT. RAINFALL ACROSS THE AREA HAS BEEN SCATTERED BUT FREQUENT SINCE THE LAST DROUGHT STATEMENT WRITTEN ON AUGUST 1ST. SINCE THAT DATE ALMOST THE ENTIRE AREA HAS RECEIVED AT LEAST 0.50 INCHES OF RAIN. THE WETTEST AREAS INCLUDED THE INTERSTATE 27 CORRIDOR...SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS... AND THE WEST CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS. THE AREAS TO MISS OUT ON THE MORE BENEFICIAL RAINFALL DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS INCLUDE THE NORTHEASTERN ROLLING PLAINS AND THE EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN PANHANDLE. AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS... RECENT RAINFALL HAS ALLOWED COTTON...PEANUTS...PEAS...SUNFLOWERS... SORGHUM...AND CORN TO CONTINUE TO MATURE. THE RAINS HAVE RESULTED IN A FLUSH OF WEEDS WITH MORE HOEING CREWS BEING USED THIS YEAR. VERTICILLIUM WILT WAS REPORTED IN SOME COTTON FIELDS. RAINS HAVE IMPROVED PASTURES AND RANGELAND WITH RANGELAND AND CATTLE MOSTLY IN GOOD CONDITION. HOWEVER...LAKES...PONDS...AND STOCK TANKS ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS REMAINED LOW. FIRE WEATHER IMPACTS... RECENT RAINFALL AND GREENING ACROSS MUCH OF THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS...AND ROLLING PLAINS WILL KEEP THE FIRE WEATHER DANGER LOW THROUGH THE UPCOMING COUPLE OF WEEKS. NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE HAS KEPT FUELS FROM BECOMING CONDUCIVE FOR THE IGNITION AND SPREAD OF WILDFIRES...ALTHOUGH LIGHTNING HAS BEEN THE CAUSE FOR TWO RECENT QUICKLY CONTAINED FIRES. ONE OF THESE DESTROYED TWO SALT WATER TANKS SOUTH OF ASPERMONT...WHILE ANOTHER OCCURRED IN A FIELD JUST WEST OF PADUCAH. ENERGY RELEASE COMPONENT VALUES RANGING FROM 26-30 ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST PANHANDLE TO 41-50 IN THE EXTREME SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS ARE FURTHER EVIDENCE OF UNSUPPORTIVE FUELS FOR RANGELAND WILDFIRES. LIGHT WINDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WELL ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS ARE EXPECTED ALONG WITH SLIGHTLY BELOW TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES HEADING INTO THE LATTER HALF OF AUGUST. THE NUMBER OF COUNTIES UNDER BURN BANS HAS DECREASED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS TO 7 OF THE 24 COUNTIES IN THE NWS LUBBOCK COUNTY WARNING AREA. CLIMATE SUMMARY... HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE SOUTHERN CONTINENTAL U.S. HAS BEEN JUST FAR ENOUGH WEST OF WEST TEXAS TO ALLOW MONSOON MOISTURE TO BE PULLED INTO THE REGION. THIS HAS RESULTED IN DROUGHT RELIEF ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE WITH WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS RANGING FROM ONE TO THREE INCHES. THE ROLLING PLAINS AND SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE HAS SEEN GOOD RAIN COVERAGE WITH TOTALS RANGING FROM ONE QUARTER TO ONE INCH. THIS PRECIPITATION SHOULD HELP SIGNIFICANTLY WITH THE SHORT TERM FIRE SITUATION AND PROVIDE SOME MODEST LONG TERM IMPROVEMENT...PARTICULARLY WEST OF THE CAPROCK ESCARPMENT. PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... THE RECENT ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN PRODUCED BY A PERIOD WITH NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CEASE THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL TAKE HOLD ON THE REGION AND SUBSEQUENTLY SUPPRESS WIDESPREAD RAIN CHANCES. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN AROUND OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL GIVEN THE LACK OF ANY DESERT AIRMASS INTRUSIONS AND WET SOILS RESULTING FROM RECENT RAINFALL. WITH PEAK TROPICAL CYCLONE SEASON ON THE HORIZON... CHANCES FOR ANY WIDESPREAD RAINFALL STREAMING IN FROM THE PACIFIC OR GULF OF MEXICO WILL PEAK IN THE NEXT MONTH. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... AREA RESERVOIRS REMAINED THE SAME OR ROSE SLIGHTLY DUE TO RECENT RUNOFF. THE FOLLOWING RESERVOIR CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED ON 15 AUGUST: RESERVOIR SUMMARY CONSERVATION POOL 2-WEEK MAXIMUM PERCENT OF POOL TODAY CHANGE DEPTH CONSERVATION (FEET) CAPACITY MACKENZIE LAKE 3100 3004.9 +1.0 55 7 WHITE RIVER LAKE 2370 2340.4 -0.5 13 1 LAKE ALAN HENRY 2220 2207.5 0.0 65 69 NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON AUGUST 29TH 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/: DROUGHT MONITOR: HTTP://WWW.DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU/ NOAA DROUGHT PAGE: HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV/ OFFICE OF THE TEXAS STATE CLIMATOLOGIST: HTTP://CLIMATEXAS.TAMU.EDU/ NWS PRECIPITATION: HTTP://WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV/PRECIP/ USGS: HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/ USACE: HTTP://WWW.MVR.USACE.ARMY.MIL/ CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/: HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/ USDA: HTTP://WWW.USDA.GOV/OCE/WEATHER/ TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION AGENCY CROP AND WEATHER REPORT: HTTP://TODAY.AGRILIFE.ORG ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE 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 OBSERVATIONS SITES... THE TEXAS TECH/WEST TEXAS MESONET...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 2579 SOUTH LOOP 289 SUITE 100 LUBBOCK TEXAS 79423 PHONE: 806-745-4260 SR-LUB.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV $$