DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1201 PM CDT FRI JUN 12 2009 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSEN OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS... SYNOPSIS... A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS SHUNTED STORM SYSTEMS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAIN TO AFFECT THIS AREA OCCURRED DURING APRIL. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CROSSED THE AREA IN EARLY JUNE BUT COVERAGE WAS SPOTTY AND RAINFALL TOTALS WERE LIGHT. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH RAINFALL AND RAINFALL DEFICITS FOR A FEW SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS: HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT MONTH RAIN DEP JAN 0.49 -3.19 FEB 1.52 -1.46 MAR 4.08 +0.72 APR 10.38 +6.78 MAY 0.38 -4.77 JUN TRACE -2.09 TOTAL 16.85 -4.01 HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT MONTH RAIN DEP JAN 0.37 -3.88 FEB 1.18 -1.83 MAR 2.52 -0.67 APR 15.61 +12.15 MAY 0.66 -4.45 JUN 0.93 -1.61 TOTAL 21.27 -0.29 COLLEGE STATION MONTH RAIN DEP JAN 0.70 -2.62 FEB 0.68 -1.70 MAR 5.07 +2.23 APR 6.11 +2.91 MAY 1.41 -3.64 JUN TRACE -1.64 TOTAL 13.97 -4.46 GALVESTON MONTH RAIN DEP JAN 0.34 -3.74 FEB 1.05 -1.56 MAR 3.73 +0.97 APR 5.23 +2.67 MAY 0.19 -3.51 JUN 0.32 -1.20 TOTAL 10.86 -6.37 BELOW IS A TABLE WITH THE ANNUAL RAINFALL...NORMAL RAIN AND THE PERCENT OF RAIN WHICH FELL IN MARCH AND APRIL AND THE PERCENT OF THE ANNUAL RAINFALL WHICH FELL DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF APRIL. THE VALUE IN PARENTHESES IS THE INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED DURING THE RESPECTIVE TIME PERIODS. SITE 2009 RAIN NORMAL PERCENT PERCENT RAIN MAR/APR 4/15 4/30 IAH 16.85 20.86 85.8 PCNT 55.3 PERCENT (14.46) (9.32) HOU 21.27 21.56 86.1 PCNT 70.3 PERCENT (18.31) (14.95) CLL 13.97 18.43 80.0 PCNT 41.1 PERCENT (11.18) (5.74) GLS 10.86 17.23 82.5 PCNT 44.5 PERCENT (8.96) (4.83) DON`T BE DECEIVED BY THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL. A WHOPPING 86 PERCENT OF THE 2009 ANNUAL RAINFALL FELL IN MARCH AND APRIL AND 55 PERCENT OF THE ANNUAL RAINFALL FELL DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF APRIL. ONLY 0.40 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN AT INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT SINCE APRIL 29TH. THE RAIN IN APRIL HELPED TO RECHARGE AREA RESERVOIRS...BUT THE DROUGHT LAST FALL COUPLED WITH THE EARLY SUMMER DROUGHT IS LEAVING YARDS AND FARMS PARCHED. WITH NO OR VERY LIMITED RAIN CHANCES EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS...DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL WORSEN. HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT ENDURED IT`S WETTEST APRIL IN RECORDED HISTORY AND YET STILL SUFFERS A RAINFALL DEFECIT FOR THE YEAR BECAUSE EVERY OTHER MONTH OF THE YEAR HAD BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. AS OF JUNE 11 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING JACKSON...MATAGORDA AND BURLESON COUNTIES. SINCE JANUARY 1 2009...EDNA HAS ONLY RECEIVED 2.37 INCHES OF RAIN ALTHOUGH OTHER AREAS OF JACKSON COUNTY HAVE RECEIVED SOME HEAVIER RAINFALL TOTALS. SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF WHARTON...COLORADO...FORT BEND...BRAZORIA...BRAZOS... GRIMES...MADISON AND HOUSTON COUNTIES. MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE IMPACTING PARTS OF TRINITY...WALKER AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY DETERIORATE OVER THE 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 MILDLY DRY TO ABNORMALLY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...WITH EXCESSIVELY DRY CONDITIONS WEST OF THE COLORADO RIVER. THE JUNE 10TH TEXAS A & M TEXAS CROP AND WEATHER REPORT INDICATED THAT PASTURES WERE GETTING SHORT AND CROPS REMAINED STRESSED IN MANY COUNTIES. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE HTTP://AGNEWS.TAMU.EDU (ALL LOWER CASE). FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... A LOW TO MODERATE FIRE DANGER EXISTS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL ALLOW FOR SOME RECOVERY AT NIGHT. THE THREAT FOR WILD FIRES WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE DUE TO VERY DRY GROUND FUELS AND A BURGEONING DROUGHT. AS OF JUNE 12TH...THE HIGHEST KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES (500 TO 600) WERE LOCATED OVER JACKSON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES. THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAVE KEETCH-BYRAM VALUES OF BETWEEN 400 AND 500. (SEE THE LINK...ALL LOWER CASE HTTP://WEBGIS.TAMU.EDU/TFS/ KBDI_DAILY/ KBDICOUNTY.PNG). INDICES WILL LIKELY INCREASE THIS WEEK IF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL CONTINUES. RESTRICTIONS/ACTIONS... ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE WEB SITE ON JUNE 12 2009... (HTTP://TFSFRP.TAMU.EDU/WILDFIRES/DECBAN.PNG)...A BURN BAN REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR GALVESTON COUNTY. 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 REMAIN ANCHORED OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND TEXAS. THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE TO SHUNT WEATHER MAKERS TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE 7 TO 8 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMALS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. RAIN CHANCES WILL BE VERY LOW. THE PLACEMENT OF THE UPPER RIDGE WILL DETERMINE WHEN RAIN WILL RETURN TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AT THIS TIME...THE RIDGE LOOKS LIKE IT WILL MOVE WEST INTO NEW MEXICO. THIS WILL ALLOW A NORTHWEST FLOW TO DEVELOP BY JUNE 21ST. THIS WILL ALLOW CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS THAT DEVELOP OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE TO SLIDE SOUTHEAST AND AFFECT THE REGION. IF THE RIDGE REMAINS CLOSE TO TEXAS...RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN LOW AND TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT IF NEEDED WILL BE BE ISSUED AROUND JULY 1 2009. $$ CR