DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
851 PM CST SUN FEB 20 2011
...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...
...NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE REGION STILL ENDURING
MODERATE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS...
...DRY WEATHER RETURNS TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS...
SYNOPSIS...
FEBRUARY STARTED OUT ON A FRIGID NOTE AND THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE
MONTH WERE UNSEASONABLY COLD. THE LAST WEEK HAS TRENDED MUCH
WARMER. OVERALL...FEBRUARY HAS BEEN DRY WITH ALL OF THE PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY CLIMATE SITES REPORTING RAINFALL UNDER AN INCH. BELOW ARE
TWO TABLES WITH RAINFALL FOR THE CLIMATE SITES FOR FEBRUARY AND
RAINFALL FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 17 THROUGH FEBRUARY 20. THE NORMAL
RAINFALL FOR THIS TIME PERIOD IS AROUND 3.25 INCHES OVER THE
NORTHWEST PART OF THE REGION TO AROUND 4.00 INCHES CLOSER TO THE
COAST.
SITE FEBRUARY RAIN JAN 17 - FEB 20 RAIN
IAH 0.67 2.70#
HOU 0.34 2.81#
CLL 0.48 0.56
GLS 0.66 1.83
SGR 0.74 2.14
UTS 0.35 1.16
CXO 0.54 2.12
DWH 0.26 0.72
PSX 0.67 2.18
LVJ 0.34 2.36
# IAH 1.94 INCHES OF RAIN ON 1/24 HOU 2.40 INCHES OF RAIN ON 1/24
OVER THE LAST 27 DAYS...BOTH INTERCONTINENTAL AND HOBBY AIRPORT
RECEIVED LESS THAN AN INCH OF RAIN.
OTHER RAINFALL TOTALS FOR COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOR THE
PERIOD JANUARY 17TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 20TH:
COMMUNITY RAIN
ANAHUAC 2.42
BAYTOWN 3.15
BELLVILLE 0.95
BRENHAM 1.02
CLEVELAND 3.92
COLUMBUS 0.98
CROCKETT 1.46
DANEVANG 1.95
KATY 1.11
MADISONVILLE 2.64
RICHMOND 1.12
SOMERVILLE 0.45
WASH STATE PARK 0.97
WHARTON 1.99
AS OF FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 15TH 2011...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR
SHOWED MUCH OF THE NORTHERN THIRD OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS IN EXTREME
DROUGHT OR D-3. SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXTENDED SOUTH INTO PARTS
OF THE TRINITY RIVER BASIN AND PARTS OF THE BRAZOS RIVER BASIN. THE
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION RECEIVED SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN IN
JANUARY AND IS NOW CLASSIFIED AS ABNORMALLY DRY.
BELOW IS A LIST OF COUNTIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE CLASSIFICATION AS
DESIGNATED BY THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR AS OF FEBRUARY 15TH:
D-3 D-2 D-1 D-0
EXTREME SEVERE MODERATE ABNORMALLY
DROUGHT DROUGHT DROUGHT DRY
BRAZOS AUSTIN LIBERTY BRAZORIA
BURLESON COLORADO MONTGOMERY GALVESTON
GRIMES POLK JACKSON
HOUSTON SAN JACINTO WHARTON
MADISON WALLER
TRINITY
WALKER
WASHINGTON
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATIONS
BELOW IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH DROUGHT CLASSIFICATION:
D4 EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT - EXCEPTIONAL OR WIDESPREAD CROP/PASTURE LOSS
A SHORTAGE OF WATER IN RESERVOIRS AND STREAMS CREATING
A WATER EMERGENCY.
D3 EXTREME DROUGHT - MAJOR CROP OR PASTURE LOSSES. WIDESPREAD WATER
SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS.
D2 SEVERE DROUGHT - CROP OR PASTURE LOSSES LIKELY. SOME WATER
SHORTAGES COMMON AND SOME WATER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED.
D1 MODERATE DROUGHT - SOME DAMAGE TO CROPS AND PASTURES. RESERVOIRS
OR WELLS LOW. VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED.
D0 ABNORMALLY DRY - SHORT TERM DRYNESS. PLANT GROWTH SLOWS. MINOR
WATER DEFICITS.
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.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN QUITE DRY SINCE OCTOBER 2008. THE OVERALL TREND
FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS WILL BE DRIER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS
THROUGH SPRING AND WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES THIS SUMMER.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
COLD WEATHER DAMAGED WINTER ANNUAL GRASSES...VEGETABLES AND CITRUS
CROPS. LIVESTOCK WERE QUICKLY DEPLETING HAY SUPPLIES AND PRODUCERS
WERE BRINGING IN ALFALFA HAY. SPRING CROPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
PLANTED IN A FEW WEEKS. WHEAT WAS IN FAIR CONDITION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE HTTP://AGNEWS.TAMU.EDU (ALL LOWER CASE).
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
100 HOUR FUEL MOISTURE WAS LESS THAN 50 PERCENT GENERALLY NORTH OF
THE INTERSTATE CORRIDOR. THE MOISTURE CONTENT IN 1000 HOUR DEAD FUEL
WAS LESS THAN 20 PERCENT WEST OF CROCKETT TO HUNTSVILLE TO PALACIOS.
GREATER THAN 20 PERCENT ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE DAILY
FIRE MAP AND FIVE DAY AVERAGES SHOW A MODERATE RISK IN PLACE WEST OF
A CLEVELAND TO BAY CITY LINE.
COOLER WEATHER AND RAIN EARLIER IN THE MONTH HAS HELPED TO LOWER
KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. VALUES BETWEEN
700 AND 800 ARE CRITICAL AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THERE ARE NO
COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS WITH A KBDI VALUE OVER 600. THE 8 TO 14
DAY PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK SHOWS CONDITIONS TO REMAIN WARM AND DRY SO
THE KBDI VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE THROUGH THE END OF THE
MONTH. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH KBDI VALUES (2/20/2011):
500-600 400-500 300-400 200-300
BRAZOS AUSTIN MONTGOMERY BRAZORIA
BURLESON COLORADO TRINITY FORT BEND
GRIMES WHARTON HARRIS
HOUSTON LIBERTY
MADISON MATAGORDA
WALKER POLK
WALLER SAN JACINTO
WASHINGTON
(SEE THE LINK...ALL LOWER CASE HTTP://WEBGIS.TAMU.EDU/TFS/
KBDI_DAILY/ KBDICOUNTY.PNG).
RESTRICTIONS/ACTIONS...
BURN BANS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK DUE TO DRY GROUND FUELS. ON THURSDAY
FEBRUARY 17TH...A GRASS FIRE CONSUMED 100 ACRES NEAR ORCHARD TEXAS
IN FORT BEND COUNTY. VEGETATION KILLED BY THE FRIGID TEMPERATURES IN
EARLY FEBRUARY HAVE DRIED AND ARE THE PERFECT TINDER.
ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE WEB SITE ON FEBRUARY 20
2011...(HTTP://TFSFRP.TAMU.EDU/WILDFIRES/ DECBAN.PNG)...A BURN BAN
IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:
AUSTIN...BRAZOS...GRIMES...MADISON...WALLER AND WASHINGTON.
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.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
RIVER LEVELS HAVE BEGUN TO FALL AND AREA RESERVOIRS LOCATED IN THE
WESTERN HALF OF THE REGION HAVE BEGUN TO DROP.
WATERSHED CAPACITY
LAKE LIVINGSTON 100.0 PERCENT
LAKE CONROE 93.3 PERCENT
HOUSTON COUNTY LAKE 97.0 PERCENT
LAKE HOUSTON 100.0 PERCENT
LAKE SOMERVILLE 86.3 PERCENT
LAKE TEXANA 79.9 PERCENT
WATER RESTRICTIONS...NONE AT THIS TIME.
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH SOUTHEAST TEXAS EARLY TUESDAY
MORNING WITH ANOTHER WEAK COLD FRONT FOR NEXT FRIDAY. NEITHER SYSTEM
IS TERRIBLY STRONG AND MOISTURE IS LIMITED. EACH FRONT WILL TRIGGER
SCATTERED SHOWERS BUT WIDESPREAD RAIN IS NOT EXPECTED. RAINFALL
THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH WILL PROBABLY AVERAGE A TENTH OF AN
INCH OR LESS WITH MANY LOCATIONS REMAINING RAIN FREE. THE UPPER FLOW
IS NEARLY ZONAL SO THERE WILL NOT BE AN INTRUSION OF COLD AIR FOR
THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS.
THE NEXT DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED...IF NEEDED...DURING THE
FIRST WEEK OF MARCH.
$$
CR
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