DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1000 AM CDT THU JUN 25 2009 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO 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. THE RIDGE INTENSIFIED EARLY LAST WEEK. THE STRONGER RIDGE HAS PRODUCED UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES...EXCEEDING 100 DEGREES AT TIMES. RAINFALL HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT. ON JUNE 24TH...HOUSTON RECORED A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 104 DEGREES WHICH IS THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE. COLLEGE STATION AND HUNTSVILLE ALSO RECORDED BRUTALLY HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE 24TH... REGISTERING 105 AND 106 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY. CURRENTLY...HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT HAS GONE 31 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN. THE DRIEST STRETCH OF WEATHER EVER RECORDED FOR HOUSTON WAS BACK IN 1904. THERE WAS NO MEASURABLE RAIN BETWEEN JANUARY 8 1904 AND FEBRUARY 16 1904 - 40 DAYS! BELOW IS A TABLE WITH THE DRIEST PERIODS ON RECORD DATE NUMBER OF DRY DAYS 01/08/1904 - 02/17/1904 40 09/11/1917 - 10/17/1917 37 09/20/1963 - 10/25/1963 36 05/01/1937 - 06/03/1937 34 09/22/1978 - 10/24/1978 33 04/25/2009 - 06/24/2009 31* * THIS TIES FOR THE 12TH LONGEST PERIOD WITHOUT MEASURABLE RAIN. THE LAST TIME HOUSTON WENT 31 DAYS WITHOUT RAIN WAS FROM JULY 31 1990 THROUGH AUGUST 30 1990. OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAVE SUFFERED A SIMILAR FATE. COLLEGE STATION...HUNTSVILLE AND CONROE HAVE NOT RECORDED MEASURABLE RAINFALL DURING JUNE. 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 BUILDING DROUGHT IS OF GREAT CONCERN. 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 -4.44 TOTAL 16.85 -6.36 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 -4.67 TOTAL 21.27 -3.35 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 -3.22 TOTAL 13.97 -6.04 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 -3.28 TOTAL 10.86 -8.13 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 -3.39 TOTAL 7.36 -19.45 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 25 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF JACKSON AND BURLESON COUNTIES. EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE AFFECTING PARTS OF MATAGORDA AND BRAZOS COUNTIES. 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...MONTGOMERY...HARRIS... WALLER...AUSTIN...GALVESTON AND CHAMBERS 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 EXCESSIVELY TO ABNORMALLY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE JUNE 24TH TEXAS A & M TEXAS CROP AND WEATHER REPORT INDICATED THAT CROPS CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM THE HEAT AND DROUGHT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF RICE. CORN YIELDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LOW. COASTAL GRASSES WERE BROWN. SECOND HAY CUTTINGS WERE LIMITED. IRRIGATED GRASS FIELD WERE STILL GREEN BUT WITH LIMITED GROWTH. LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTAL FEED. POND LEVELS CONTINUE TO DROP. 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 96 PERCENT LAKE HOUSTON 98 PERCENT LAKE SOMERVILLE 86 PERCENT LAKE TEXANA 66 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 6 TO 8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WILL INCREASE THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT. DRY GROUND FUELS WILL ALSO INCREASE THE THREAT FOR WILD FIRES. AS OF JUNE 24TH...THE HIGHEST KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES (600 TO 700) WERE LOCATED OVER JACKSON...BRAZORIA...MONTGOMERY LIBERTY AND BURLESON COUNTIES. KBDI VALUES BETWEEN 500 AND 600 COVER THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. (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 24 2009... (HTTP://TFSFRP.TAMU.EDU/WILDFIRES/DECBAN.PNG)...A BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT FOR MADISON...WALKER...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...GALVESTON... MATAGORDA...BRAZORIA...HARRIS...AUSTIN...BRAZOS...HOUSTON...POLK... SAN JACINTO...WHARTON AND COLORADO COUNTIES. WATER RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT FOR SOME COMMUNITIES INCLUDING PEARLAND...THE WOODLANDS...CONROE...BAYOU VISTA...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 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