DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
950 AM CDT MON JUL 13 2009
...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...
...UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES PERSIST OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
...RAIN CHANCES INCREASE NEXT WEEKEND...
SYNOPSIS...
STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGING HAS REMAINED VIRTUALLY LOCKED OVER THE
SOUTHERN PLAINS SINCE EARLY MAY. THE CENTER OF THE HIGH HAS SHIFTED
WEST AND THEN SHIFTED EAST BUT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO
SOUTHEAST TEXAS TO PROVIDE SUBSIDENCE...RECORD WARMTH AND LIMITED
RAINFALL. SOUTHEAST TEXAS DID RECEIVE VERY WELCOME RAINFALL ON
TUESDAY JULY 7TH BUT THE AMOUNTS AND DURATION WERE NOT SUFFICIENT TO
END THE LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER DROUGHT. THE DROUGHT HAS BEEN
MADE MORE INTENSE BY THE UNSEASONABLY WARM (HOT) TEMPERATURES THAT
HAVE PLAGUED THE REGION. THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY HAS AVERAGED 2 TO 3
DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL ALONG THE COAST AND A MIND BLOWING 5 TO 6
DEGREES WARMER THAN NORMAL INLAND. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE
FIRST 12 DAYS OF JULY IN COLLEGE STATION WAS 90.0 DEGREES. THIS IS
2.2 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE FIRST 12 DAYS OF JULY 1980. IN HOUSTON...
JULY 2009 IS AVERAGING 88.4 DEGREES WHICH IS ONLY 0.3 DEGREES COOLER
THAN THE SCORCHING HOT JULY 1980.
HOW DRY HAS IT BEEN? COLLEGE STATION HAS NOW GONE A STAGGERING 49
CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN. THIS TIES FOR 4TH LONGEST
STRETCH OF DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN IN RECORDED HISTORY.
EARLIER THIS SUMMER HOUSTON WENT 31 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT
MEASURABLE RAIN. BELOW IS A LIST OF THE LONGEST STRETCH OF DAYS
WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN FOR COLLEGE STATION:
COLLEGE STATION
CONSECUTIVE DAYS ENDING DATE
56 08/20/1993
55 10/09/2005
51 07/25/1934
49 07/12/2009 (AND COUNTING)
49 08/23/1948
HERE ARE THE DRIEST MAY 1 THROUGH JULY 12 FOR OUR THREE PRIMARY
CLIMATE SITES:
MAY 1 THROUGH JULY 12 RAIN TOTALS
HOUSTON COLLEGE STATION GALVESTON
1.02 IN 1931 0.19 IN 1998 0.77 IN 2009
2.13 IN 2009 0.52 IN 1934 1.71 IN 1897
3.17 IN 1998 1.41 IN 2009 1.90 IN 1956
3.18 IN 1915 2.05 IN 1925 2.07 IN 2008
3.21 IN 1901 2.42 IN 1917 2.18 IN 1958
COLLEGE STATION ONLY RECEIVED A TRACE OF RAIN IN JUNE WHICH TIED FOR
THE DRIEST JUNE IN RECORDED HISTORY. COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST
TEXAS THAT RECEIVED ZERO RAINFALL IN JUNE INCLUDE BELLVILLE...
BRENHAM...FREEPORT...HOUSTON BARKER...KATY...MATAGORDA...
TOMBALL AND WASHINGTON STATE PARK. ANGLETON...BAY CITY AND EDNA HAVE
YET TO RECEIVE 10 INCHES OF RAIN THIS YEAR. MAY AND JUNE ARE
TYPICALLY TWO OF THE WETTEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR SO THIS EXTENDED
DROUGHT IS OF GREAT CONCERN.
BELOW IS A TABLE WITH RAINFALL AND RAINFALL DEFICITS (THROUGH JULY
8TH) FOR A FEW SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. PLEASE NOTE THE APRIL
RAINFALL COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE MONTHS.
HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT
MONTH RAIN DEP PERCENT OF NORMAL
JAN 0.49 -3.19 13.3 PERCENT
FEB 1.52 -1.46 51.0 PERCENT
MAR 4.08 +0.72 121.4 PERCENT
APR 10.38 +6.78 288.3 PERCENT
MAY 0.38 -4.77 7.5 PERCENT
JUN 0.27 -5.08 5.0 PERCENT
JUL 1.48 +0.07 105.0 PERCENT
TOTAL 18.60 -6.93 72.9 PERCENT
HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT
MONTH RAIN DEP PERCENT OF NORMAL
JAN 0.37 -3.88 8.7 PERCENT
FEB 1.18 -1.83 39.2 PERCENT
MAR 2.52 -0.67 70.5 PERCENT
APR 15.61 +12.15 451.1 PERCENT
MAY 0.66 -4.45 12.9 PERCENT
JUN 1.39 -5.45 20.3 PERCENT
JUL 1.20 -0.78 61.0 PERCENT
TOTAL 22.93 -4.91 82.3 PERCENT
COLLEGE STATION
MONTH RAIN DEP PERCENT OF NORMAL
JAN 0.70 -2.62 21.1 PERCENT
FEB 0.68 -1.70 28.6 PERCENT
MAR 5.07 +2.23 158.4 PERCENT
APR 6.11 +2.91 190.9 PERCENT
MAY 1.41 -3.64 27.9 PERCENT
JUN TRACE -3.79 0.0 PERCENT
JUL TRACE -0.85 0.0 PERCENT
TOTAL 13.97 -7.46 65.2 PERCENT
GALVESTON
MONTH RAIN DEP PERCENT OF NORMAL
JAN 0.34 -3.74 8.3 PERCENT
FEB 1.05 -1.56 40.2 PERCENT
MAR 3.73 +0.97 135.1 PERCENT
APR 5.23 +2.67 204.2 PERCENT
MAY 0.19 -3.51 5.1 PERCENT
JUN 0.32 -3.72 7.9 PERCENT
JUL 0.26 -1.11 23.4 PERCENT
TOTAL 11.12 -9.37 52.7 PERCENT
ANGLETON
MONTH RAIN DEP
JAN 0.25 -4.51
FEB 0.43 -4.33
MAR 1.57 -3.19
APR 3.40 -0.37
MAY 1.10 -3.66
JUN 0.62 -4.14
JUL 0.33 -0.50
TOTAL 7.70 -20.91
AS OF JULY 7 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF JACKSON...
BURLESON...COLORADO...MATAGORDA AND WHARTON COUNTIES. EXTREME
DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF BRAZOS...GRIMES...
MADISON...WALLER...WASHINGTON...HARRIS AND FORT BEND COUNTIES.
SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF TRINITY...
HOUSTON...WALKER...MONTGOMERY...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...GALVESTON AND
SAN JACINTO COUNTIES. THE NEXT FEW DAYS LOOK DRY AND UNSEASONABLY
WARM BUT THERE IS HOPE FOR RAIN OVER THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK.
FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION...SEE EITHER (ALL LINKS IN LOWER CASE)
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/DM_STATE.HTM?TX.S OR FOR THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY SEE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
THE LATEST SOIL MOISTURE ANOMALY GRAPHIC FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION
CENTER SHOWS EXCESSIVELY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS. THE JULY 7TH TEXAS A & M TEXAS CROP AND WEATHER REPORT
INDICATED THAT CATTLE PRODUCERS WERE AGGRESSIVELY CULLING COW HERDS
AND MARKETING CALVES EARLY. THE CONDITION OF CORN AND SORGHUM
CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE. POND LEVELS CONTINUE TO DROP. FOR MORE
INFORMATION...SEE HTTP://AGNEWS.TAMU.EDU (ALL LOWER CASE).
HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS...
RECENT RAINFALL HAS HELPED TO REPLENISH LAKE LIVINGSTON AND LAKE
HOUSTON BUT DRIER CONDITIONS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS HAS ALLOWED LAKE
LEVELS TO DROP AT LAKE SOMERVILLE AND LAKE TEXANA.
WATERSHED CAPACITY
LAKE LIVINGSTON 100 PERCENT
LAKE CONROE 96 PERCENT
HOUSTON COUNTY LAKE 93 PERCENT
LAKE HOUSTON 100 PERCENT
LAKE SOMERVILLE 80 PERCENT
LAKE TEXANA 64 PERCENT
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
A HIGH FIRE DANGER EXISTS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HIGH RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES WILL ALLOW FOR SOME RECOVERY AT NIGHT BUT EXTREME
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES...AVERAGING 4 TO 6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WILL
INCREASE THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT. DRY GROUND FUELS WILL ALSO
INCREASE THE THREAT FOR WILD FIRES.
AS OF JULY 12TH...RAINS FROM LAST WEEK HAVE HELPED TO IMPROVE THE
KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. KBDI
VALUES DETERIORATED OVER FAR WESTERN COUNTIES DUE TO TEMPERATURES
ABOVE 100 DEGREES AND THE LACK OF RAINFALL. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH
KBDI VALUES (07/12/2009):
700-800 600-700 500-600 400-500
BURLESON MATAGORDA BRAZORIA GALVESTON
WASHINGTON JACKSON FORT BEND
WHARTON MONTGOMERY
COLORADO SAN JACINTO
AUSTIN CHAMBERS
WALLER
HARRIS
LIBERTY
HOUSTON
TRINITY
POLK
MADISON
BRAZOS
GRIMES
WALKER
(SEE THE LINK...ALL LOWER CASE HTTP://WEBGIS.TAMU.EDU/TFS/
KBDI_DAILY/ KBDICOUNTY.PNG).
RESTRICTIONS/ACTIONS...
ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE WEB SITE ON JULY 13 2009...
(HTTP://TFSFRP.TAMU.EDU/WILDFIRES/DECBAN.PNG)...A BURN BAN IS IN
EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
MADISON...WALKER...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...MATAGORDA...HOUSTON...
BRAZORIA...HARRIS...AUSTIN...BRAZOS...POLK...SAN JACINTO...
WHARTON... MONTGOMERY...WALLER...AUSTIN...WASHINGTON...GRIMES...
JACKSON...TRINITY...FORT BEND...GALVESTON AND COLORADO COUNTIES.
WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SOME COMMUNITIES INCLUDING
PEARLAND...THE WOODLANDS...CONROE...BAYOU VISTA...LEAGUE CITY...
SUGARLAND AND LA MARQUE.
RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT WHEN DOING ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
WHICH INVOLVE FIRE OR SPARKS...BY MAKING SURE WATER IS QUICKLY
AVAILABLE IF AN UNWANTED FIRE OR SMOLDERING BEGIN. FINALLY...
MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DISCARD LIGHTED CIGARETTES FROM THEIR VEHICLES.
OUTLOOK...
A PERSISTENT AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL
WEAKEN SLIGHTLY AND SHIFT WESTWARD TOWARD NEXT WEEKEND. HOT
TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO MORE NORMAL LEVELS BY NEXT WEEKEND.
MOISTURE LEVELS ARE PROGGED TO INCREASE AS WELL. WEAKER RIDGING
COUPLED WITH MORE MOISTURE SHOOULD SET THE STAGE FOR HIGHER RAIN
CHANCES BEGINNING OVER THE WEEKEND AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT
WEEK.
THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE BE ISSUED ON OR AROUND
JULY 17 2009.
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