Provided by - NWS Southern Region HQ - Print 000 AXUS74 KHGX 190909 RRA DGTHGX TXZ229>234-239>247-122300- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 408 AM CDT FRI JUN 19 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 -3.40 TOTAL 16.85 -5.32 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 -3.29 TOTAL 21.27 -1.97 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 -2.54 TOTAL 13.97 -5.36 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 -2.18 TOTAL 10.86 -7.35 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 0.61 -2.61 TOTAL 7.36 -18.67 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 22.17 85.8 PCNT 55.3 PERCENT (14.46) (9.32) HOU 21.27 23.24 86.1 PCNT 70.3 PERCENT (18.31) (14.95) CLL 13.97 19.33 80.0 PCNT 41.1 PERCENT (11.18) (5.74) GLS 10.86 18.21 82.5 PCNT 44.5 PERCENT (8.96) (4.83) DON`T BE DECEIVED BY THE ANNUAL 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 SEVEN DAYS...DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL WORSEN. HOUSTON HOBBY AIRPORT ENDURED IT`S WETTEST APRIL IN RECORDED HISTORY AND YET STILL SUFFERS A RAINFALL DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR BECAUSE EVERY OTHER MONTH OF THE YEAR HAD BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. AS OF JUNE 18 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF JACKSON...MATAGORDA... BURLESON AND BRAZOS 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...GRIMES...MADISON...WALKER AND HOUSTON COUNTIES. MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE IMPACTING PARTS OF TRINITY AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS COVERED THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. 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 ABNORMALLY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...WITH EXCESSIVELY DRY CONDITIONS WEST OF THE COLORADO RIVER. THE JUNE 17TH TEXAS A & M TEXAS CROP AND WEATHER REPORT INDICATED THAT PRODUCERS WERE FEEDING HAY BUT SUPPLIES WERE SHORT. MANY HAY GROWERS QUICKLY SOLD THEIR FIRST CUTTING. CROPS CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM THE HEAT AND DROUGHT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RICE. LIVESTOCK WERE DOING WELL. POND LEVELS HAD DROPPED. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE HTTP://AGNEWS.TAMU.EDU (ALL LOWER CASE). HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS... RAINFALL NORTH OF THE REGION HAS ALLOWED RIVERS TO STAY NEAR BANKS. THIS HAS ALLOWED AREA RESERVOIRS TO STAY NEAR CAPACITY. WATERSHED CAPACITY LAKE LIVINGSTON 100 PERCENT LAKE CONROE 97 PERCENT HOUSTON COUNTY LAKE 97 PERCENT LAKE HOUSTON 100 PERCENT LAKE SOMERVILLE 90 PERCENT LAKE TEXANA 69 PERCENT FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... A MODERATE FIRE DANGER EXISTS OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS. HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL ALLOW FOR SOME RECOVERY AT NIGHT. THE THREAT FOR WILD FIRES HAS INCREASED DUE TO VERY DRY GROUND FUELS. AS OF JUNE 18TH...THE HIGHEST KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES (500 TO 600) WERE LOCATED OVER MUCH OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. ONLY HOUSTON... TRINITY...POLK...MATAGORDA...GALVESTON...CHAMBERS...AUSTIN AND WALLER COUNTIES 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 18 2009... (HTTP://TFSFRP.TAMU.EDU/WILDFIRES/DECBAN.PNG)...A BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT FOR MADISON...WALKER...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...GALVESTON... MATAGORDA AND COLORADO COUNTIES. 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 5 TO 7 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...IT APPEARS THAT THE UPPER RIDGE WILL EXERT INFLUENCE OVER TEXAS WEATHER THROUGH THE END OF JUNE. RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN LOW AND TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE BE ISSUED ON OR AROUND JULY 1 2009. $$ CR