DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 1125 AM CDT THU JUL 30 2009 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS... ...COLLEGE STATION RECEIVES FIRST MEASURABLE RAIN SINCE MAY 24 2009... SYNOPSIS... SOME MINOR IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST DURING THE LAST HALF OF JULY. THE PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SUMMERS RECORD HEAT AND DROUGHT SHIFTED WEST. THIS ALLOWED A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO RETROGRADE INTO TEXAS. THE UPPER TROUGH BROUGHT SOME SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES A BRIEF RAINY PERIOD BEGINNING AROUND JULY 16TH AND CONTINUING THROUGH JULY 26TH. EVEN THOUGH RAIN RETURNED...MANY LOCATIONS ARE STILL SUFFERING THROUGH ONE OF THE DRIEST PERIODS IN RECORDED HISTORY. COLLEGE STATION ENDURED 56 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITHOUT RAIN. THIS TIES THE LONGEST SUCH STREAK IN RECORDED HISTORY. COLLEGE STATION CONSECUTIVE DAYS ENDING DATE 56 07/19/2009 56 08/20/1993 55 10/09/2005 51 07/25/1934 49 08/23/1948 HERE ARE THE DRIEST MAY 1 THROUGH JULY 29 FOR OUR THREE PRIMARY CLIMATE SITES: MAY 1 THROUGH JULY 29 RAIN TOTALS HOUSTON COLLEGE STATION GALVESTON 3.13 IN 2009 0.84 IN 1998 1.95 IN 1956 4.28 IN 1931 1.31 IN 1934 2.38 IN 1958 4.56 IN 1998 2.17 IN 1925 2.42 IN 1897 4.58 IN 1932 2.72 IN 1917 2.50 IN 1948 4.70 IN 1915 3.49 IN 2009 2.71 IN 1971 3.23 IN 2009# # CURRENTLY EIGHTH DRIEST HOW HAS EACH CLIMATE SITE FARED PER MONTH IN 2009? BELOW IS A LIST OF WHERE EACH MONTH STACKS UP IN THE RECORD BOOKS: HOUSTON COLLEGE STATION GALVESTON JAN 6TH DRIEST JAN 16TH DRIEST 4TH DRIEST FEB 27TH DRIEST FEB 12TH DRIEST 23RD DRIEST MAR 27TH WETTEST MAR 15TH WETTEST 33RD WETTEST APR 3RD WETTEST APR 18TH WETTEST 23RD WETTEST MAY 8TH DRIEST MAY 12TH DRIEST 12TH DRIEST JUN 4TH DRIEST JUN 1ST DRIEST# 9TH DRIEST # TIES PREVIOUS RECORD BELOW IS A TABLE WITH RAINFALL AND RAINFALL DEFICITS (THROUGH JULY 29TH) 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 2.48 -0.50 83.2 PERCENT TOTAL 19.60 -7.50 72.3 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 3.52 -0.60 85.4 PERCENT TOTAL 25.25 -4.73 84.2 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 2.10 +0.30 116.7 PERCENT TOTAL 16.07 -6.31 71.8 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 2.72 -0.51 84.2 PERCENT TOTAL 13.58 - 9.40 59.1 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 2.73 -0.70 TOTAL 10.10 -20.03 THE DROUGHT HAS BEEN MADE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE HARSH DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT THAT HAS PLAGUED SOUTHEAST TEXAS SINCE EARLY JUNE. THE AVERAGE JULY HIGH TEMPERATURE AT COLLEGE THROUGH JULY 29TH HAS BEEN 101.1 DEGREES. 23 DAYS DURING JULY HAVE REACHED OR EXCEEDED 100 DEGREES AT EASTERWOOD FIELD. SO FAR THIS SUMMER...THE TEMPERATURE HAS REACHED OR EXCEED 100 DEGREES 34 TIMES. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN HOUSTON HAS BEEN 97.0 DEGREES. AT HOBBY AIRPORT...THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE IN JULY HAS BEEN 96.2 DEGREES. THE NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURE IN HOUSTON IN JULY IS 93.6 DEGREES AND IN COLLEGE STATION IS 95.6 DEGREES. THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE FOR THE PRIMARY CLIMATE SITES HAS REMAINED AT A TORRID PACE. JULY 2009 WILL EITHER BE THE WARMEST OR SECOND WARMEST JULY EVER RECORDED FOR HOUSTON AND COLLEGE STATION. HERE ARE THE FIVE WARMEST JULY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES: HOUSTON COLLEGE STATION GALVESTON HOU HOBBY 87.5 IN 1980 89.5 IN 2009 87.4 IN 1875 86.7 IN 2009 87.4 IN 2009 88.6 IN 1998 86.6 IN 1995 86.6 IN 1998 86.6 IN 1957 87.9 IN 1996 86.3 IN 1876 86.1 IN 1980 86.5 IN 1892 87.7 IN 1925 86.2 IN 1871 85.4 IN 1957 86.1 IN 1962 87.5 IN 1980 86.1 IN 2009 85.3 IN 1997 AS OF JULY 29 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT CONDITIONS HAVE DETERIORATED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPANDED EASTWARD AND EXTENDED UP THE COAST. U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATIONS EXCEPTIONAL EXTREME SEVERE MODERATE JACKSON BRAZORIA GALVESTON CHAMBERS MATAGORDA WASHINGTON MONTGOMERY WHARTON FORT BEND WALKER COLORADO BRAZOS HOUSTON BURLESON HARRIS TRINITY GRIMES SAN JACINTO AUSTIN POLK WALLER LIBERTY MADISON 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 SEVERELY 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 AREA RESERVOIRS BUT THE INTENSE HEAT AND STRONGER WINDS HAVE INCREASED EVAPORATIVE EFFECTS AND LAKE LEVELS HAVE FALLEN SLIGHTLY SINCE THE LAST DROUGHT STATEMENT. WATERSHED CAPACITY LAKE LIVINGSTON 98 PERCENT LAKE CONROE 94 PERCENT HOUSTON COUNTY LAKE 91 PERCENT LAKE HOUSTON 100 PERCENT LAKE SOMERVILLE 77 PERCENT LAKE TEXANA 61 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 29TH...RAINS FROM LAST WEEK HAVE HELPED TO IMPROVE THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDICES OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. KBDI VALUES REMAINED NEAR CRITICAL VALUES OVER FAR WESTERN COUNTIES DUE TO TEMPERATURES ABOVE 100 DEGREES AND THE LACK OF RAINFALL. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH KBDI VALUES (07/29/2009): 700-800 600-700 500-600 300-400 SAN JACINTO POLK HARRIS GALVESTON COLORADO WALKER HOUSTON MONTGOMERY TRINITY WASHINGTON CHAMBERS JACKSON WHARTON COLORADO AUSTIN WALLER MADISON GRIMES FORT BEND MATAGORDA BRAZOS BURLESON LIBERTY (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 30 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. 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... RAIN IS FALLING ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE REGION THIS MORNING. MOST AREAS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 105 RECEIVED BETWEEN A HALF AND ONE INCH OF RAIN WITH A FEW LUCKY SPOTS IN THE BRAZOS VALLEY PICKING UP CLOSE TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN. A WEAK BOUNDARY WILL GRAZE THE REGION ON FRIDAY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE OF RAIN. THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST LOOKS TO BE UNSEASONABLY WARM AND DRY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING DOMINATES AREA WEATHER. THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE BE ISSUED ON OR AROUND AUGUST 6 2009. $$