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. $$