DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX 140 PM CDT WED AUG 5 2009 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS... ...ANGLETON 20 INCHES BELOW NORMAL SINCE JANUARY 1 2008... ...PALACIOS OVER 20 INCHES BELOW NORMAL SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 2008... SYNOPSIS... SOME MINOR IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS OCCURRED OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS 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. ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS ROLLED THROUGH THE REGION ON JULY 31ST. EVEN THOUGH RAIN RETURNED...MANY LOCATIONS ARE STILL SUFFERING THROUGH ONE OF THE DRIEST PERIODS IN RECORDED HISTORY. THE FIRST FIVE DAYS OF AUGUST HAVE BEEN DRY AND WITH UPPER LEVEL RIDGING REASSERTING ITSELF OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE POSITION OF THE RIDGE WILL REMAIN A KEY PLAYER FOR RAIN CHANCES. THERE IS SOME HOPE THAT THE RIDGE WILL SLIDE FAR ENOUGH EAST OVER THE WEEKEND TO BRING HIGHER RAIN CHANCES. BELOW IS A TABLE WITH RAINFALL AND RAINFALL DEFICITS (THROUGH AUGUST 4TH) FOR A FEW SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. PLEASE NOTE THE APRIL RAINFALL COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE MONTHS. COLLEGE STATION RECEIVED ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL IN JULY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL BUT ALL THE OTHER PRIMARY CLIMATE SITES STILL SUFFERED BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. GALVESTON AND ANGLETON ARE NOW SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT ANNUAL RAINFALL DEFICITS. CONDITIONS DETERIORATE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE HOUSTON/GALVESTON COUNTY WARNING AREA. ANGLETON IS NOW OVER 20 INCHES BELOW THEIR NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE YEAR AND HAS YET TO HAVE A MONTH WITH ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL THIS YEAR. IN FACT...THE LAST TIME ANGLETON RECEIVED ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL WAS SEPTEMBER OF 2008. ANGLETON IS SUFFERING A RAINFALL DEFICIT OF 28.43 INCHES SINCE OCTOBER 1 2008. FURTHER DOWN THE COAST...PALACIOS IS SUFFERING A SIMILAR FATE. SINCE SEPTEMBER 1 2008...RAINFALL AT PALACIOS HAS BEEN A PALTRY 20.22. THIS IS 22.06 INCHES BELOW NORMAL OR ROUGHLY 48 PERCENT OF THE EXPECTED RAINFALL. 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 2.84 -0.34 89.3 PERCENT AUG 0.00 -0.41 0.0 PERCENT TOTAL 19.96 -7.75 72.0 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 3.62 -0.74 83.0 PERCENT AUG TRACE -0.51 0.0 PERCENT TOTAL 25.35 -5.38 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 2.42 +0.50 126.0 PERCENT AUG 0.00 -0.25 0.0 PERCENT TOTAL 16.39 -6.31 72.0 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 -0.73 78.8 PERCENT AUG 0.00 -0.44 0.0 PERCENT TOTAL 13.58 -10.06 57.4 PERCENT ANGLETON (ASOS) 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 -1.04 AUG 0.00 -0.48 TOTAL 10.10 -21.72 PALACIOS MONTH RAIN DEP SEP 0.85 -5.73 OCT 1.82 -3.19 NOV 6.14 +2.75 DEC 0.74 -2.34 JAN 0.15 -3.03 FEB 0.72 -1.73 MAR 2.07 -0.63 APR 2.02 -0.78 MAY 5.69 +1.14 JUN 0.02 -4.29 JUL TRACE -3.99 AUG 0.00 -0.24 TOTAL 20.22 -22.06 BELOW IS A LIST VOLUNTEER CO-OP SITES ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. SOME COMMUNITIES RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN IN JULY WHILE OTHERS CONTINUE TO SUFFER. MANY OF THE COMMUNITIES WITH ABOVE NORMAL RAIN IN JULY WERE LOCATED IN THE EXTREME EASTERN PART OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...THUS THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE DROUGHT MONITOR. NOTE HOW DRY CITIES WERE OVER THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE REGION. ANAHUAC RECEIVED MORE RAIN IN APRIL THAN EDNA HAS RECEIVED IN ALL OF 2009. LOCATION JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL ALVIN 0.30 0.80 1.82 7.85 0.61 2.83 3.14 ANAHUAC 0.37 0.50 5.28 20.74 1.23 1.71 3.66 BAY CITY 0.20 0.25 1.57 3.89 0.33 0.90 0.90 BAYTOWN 0.40 1.73 2.55 13.15 2.90 0.96 2.68 BELLVILLE 0.51 0.58 2.96 9.64 4.06 0.00 0.28 BRENHAM 0.79 1.20 3.33 9.53 0.73 0.00 1.00 CALDWELL 0.63 0.95 3.95 4.85 2.05 0.52 5.23 CLEVELAND 0.92 2.70 6.30 8.81 4.11 0.22 1.72 COLUMBUS 0.52 0.21 2.46 7.03 1.96 0.10 0.70 CONROE 0.68 1.72 5.12 9.24 1.30 0.33 4.28 CROCKETT 1.39 1.71 4.78 5.54 1.03 0.70 2.26 DACUS 1.45 1.81 4.00 6.80 0.31 0.26 3.52 DANEVANG 0.16 0.69 1.87 4.16 0.54 0.55 0.82 DEER PARK 0.00 2.52 2.30 9.18 0.30 0.45 3.63 EDNA 0.15 0.53 3.36 3.11 0.96 0.16 NA EL CAMPO 0.19 0.80 2.73 5.88 1.76 0.32 2.68 FREEPORT 0.13 0.66 2.62 5.57 2.53 0.00 3.59 HOU HEIGHTS 0.39 1.51 4.46 14.66 0.65 0.50 4.68 HOU PORT 1.07 1.84 1.74 6.11 0.40 0.00 3.05 HOU WSTBURY 0.41 1.65 3.78 9.90 0.59 0.45 2.60 HUNTSVILLE 1.06 1.90 4.85 12.14 2.68 0.25 3.84 KATY 0.45 0.72 1.09 12.22 1.13 0.00 2.26 LIBERTY 0.44 3.49 5.47 11.44 2.85 1.74 7.53 LIVINGSTON 1.59 0.49 5.33 8.52 4.23 0.13 6.91 LIBERTY 0.44 3.49 5.47 11.44 2.85 1.74 7.53 MADISONVLL 1.29 1.04 3.05 5.90 1.96 0.13 4.22 MATAGORDA 0.02 0.14 1.65 2.91 4.79 0.00 0.92 MIDWAY 0.11 1.06 2.85 5.59 2.30 0.21 2.08 MONTGOMERY 0.66 1.17 4.51 7.58 0.58 0.00 2.33 NEW CANEY 0.17 1.42 4.39 10.64 1.63 0.20 4.48 PIERCE 0.05 1.36 3.12 5.92 1.07 0.42 NA RICHARDS 1.06 0.51 3.25 10.24 0.96 0.25 NA RICHMOND 0.44 0.97 2.82 6.95 0.11 1.14 0.84 SOMERVILLE 0.61 0.66 3.51 7.75 0.77 0.29 NA THOMPSONS 0.31 0.85 2.89 12.42 0.00 0.00 0.73 TOMBALL 0.57 1.36 4.44 11.89 1.32 0.00 3.15 WASHINGTON 0.83 0.61 3.82 13.04 1.69 0.00 0.72 W COLUMBIA 0.37 0.73 1.35 5.49 1.73 1.42 3.29 WHARTON 0.23 1.24 3.07 6.45 0.92 0.25 NA AS OF AUGUST 5 2009...THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATED THAT CONDITIONS HAVE MARGINALLY IMPROVED OVER THE EAST-NORTHEAST PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO IMPROVEMENT IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE REGION. U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR CLASSIFICATIONS EXCEPTIONAL EXTREME SEVERE MODERATE JACKSON BRAZORIA TRINITY MONTGOMERY MATAGORDA FORT BEND WALKER SAN JACINTO WHARTON AUSTIN LIBERTY COLORADO WALLER CHAMBERS BURLESON WASHINGTON GALVESTON SW HARRIS NE HARRIS BRAZOS GRIMES MADISON HOUSTON POLK COUNTY WAS CLASSIFIED AS ABNORMALLY DRY. RAINFALL IN JULY AT LIVINGSTON WAS 6.91 INCHES. THE NORMAL RAINFALL FOR JULY IN LIVINGSTON IS 3.55 INCHES. THE GOOD FORTUNE THAT HAS SMILED UPON POLK COUNTY HAS SPREAD TO LIBERTY COUNTY BUT HAS YET TO REACH THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION. THERE CAN ALSO BE A LARGE VARIANCE IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS A COUNTY...PARTICULARLY LARGER COUNTIES SUCH AS HARRIS AND HOUSTON COUNTIES. A QUICK LOOK AT HARRIS COUNTY SHOWS EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST PART OF THE COUNTY AND MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS OVER THE NORTHEAST. THE EASTERN TWO THIRDS OF HARRIS COUNTY AVERAGED BETWEEN 3 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN IN JULY WHILE THE WESTERN THIRD RECEIVED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE MONTH. IN HOUSTON COUNTY...DROUGHT CLASSIFICATIONS RANGE FROM ABNORMALLY DRY TO EXTREME DROUGHT. BELOW IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH DROUGHT CLASSIFICATION: D4 EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT - EXCEPTIONAL OR WIDESPREAD CROP/PASTURE LOSS A SHORTAGE OF WATER IN RESERVOIRS AND STREAMS CREATING A WATER EMERGENCY. D3 EXTREME DROUGHT - MAJOR CROP OR PASTURE LOSSES. WIDESPREAD WATER SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS. D2 SEVERE DROUGHT - CROP OR PASTURE LOSSES LIKELY. SOME WATER SHORTAGES COMMON AND SOME WATER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED. D1 MODERATE DROUGHT - SOME DAMAGE TO CROPS AND PASTURES. RESERVOIRS OR WELLS LOW. VOLUNTARY WATER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED. D0 ABNORMALLY DRY - SHORT TERM DRYNESS. PLANT GROWTH SLOWS. MINOR WATER DEFICITS. 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 MODERATELY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER THE EXTREME EAST AND NORTHEAST WITH SEVERELY DRY SOIL CONDITIONS OVER THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THE AUGUST 4TH TEXAS A & M TEXAS CROP AND WEATHER REPORT INDICATED THAT RECENT RAINS HAVE HELPED AND THERE WAS A SECOND CUTTING OF HAY IN MADISON COUNTY. LIVESTOCK WERE DOING CONSIDERABLY BETTER AND POND LEVELS HAD RISEN OVER EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN PARTS OF THE REGION. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE HTTP://AGNEWS.TAMU.EDU (ALL LOWER CASE). HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS... HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTH TEXAS HAS HELPED TO MAINTAIN RIVER LEVELS AND RECENT POCKETS OF HEAVY RAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS HAS ALSO HELPED TO REPLENISH AREA RESERVOIRS. INTENSE HEAT AND STRONGER WINDS HAVE INCREASED EVAPORATIVE EFFECTS AND LAKE LEVELS HAVE CONTINUED TO FALL OVER THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN HALF OF THE REGION. LAKE TEXANA LOCATED IN JACKSON COUNTY HAS FALLEN CONSIDERABLY SINCE THE LAST DROUGHT STATEMENT. WATERSHED CAPACITY LAKE LIVINGSTON 100.0 PERCENT LAKE CONROE 94.8 PERCENT HOUSTON COUNTY LAKE 87.8 PERCENT LAKE HOUSTON N/A LAKE SOMERVILLE 76.8 PERCENT LAKE TEXANA 55.0 PERCENT FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... RECENT RAINS IN LATE JULY HAVE REDUCED THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT BUT THE AREA HAS BEGUN TO DRY AGAIN. A MODERATE TO HIGH FIRE DANGER PERSISTS OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE AREA. DUE TO HEAVIER RAIN OVER THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE REGION...THE BURN BAN PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT FOR POLK COUNTY HAS BEEN LIFTED. HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL ALLOW FOR SOME RECOVERY AT NIGHT BUT EXTREME DAYTIME TEMPERATURES...AVERAGING 3 TO 4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WILL INCREASE THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT. AS OF AUGUST 4TH...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 (08/04/2009): 700-800 600-700 500-600 400-500 JACKSON BRAZORIA HARRIS GALVESTON COLORADO MATAGORDA CHAMBERS TRINITY FORT BEND WALKER WHARTON SAN JACINTO AUSTIN HOUSTON WALLER WASHINGTON BRAZOS GRIMES MADISON MONTGOMERY 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 AUGUST 5 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...SAN JACINTO... WHARTON... WALLER...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... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL SHIFT EAST OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL ALLOW DEEPER MOISTURE TO RETURN TO SOUTHEAST TEXAS. A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL INTERACT WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE TO BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BACK TO THE REGION BEGINNING SATURDAY AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE WIDESPREAD RAIN OR HEAVY RAINFALL TOTALS BUT ANY RAIN WOULD BE WELCOME. THE ADDITIONAL MOISTURE SHOULD ALSO AID IN CLOUD DEVELOPMENT WHICH SHOULD HELP KEEP TEMPERATURES AT LEAST A LITTLE COOLER. THE NEXT DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE BE ISSUED ON OR AROUND AUGUST 13 2009. $$ CR