737
AXUS74 KLUB 061818
DGTLUB
TXC017-045-069-075-079-101-107-125-153-169-189-191-219-263-269-
279-303-305-345-369-433-437-445-501-201830-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
118 PM CDT THU JUN 6 2013
...MOST AREAS SEE LITTLE RELIEF TO THE DROUGHT THROUGH THE PEAK
WET SEASON...
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS UNCHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS DROUGHT STATEMENT
WRITTEN ON MAY 24TH. EXTREME TO EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONTINUES FOR ALMOST
THE ENTIRETY OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...ROLLING PLAINS...AND EXTREME
SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. MUCH OF THE AREA RECEIVED BETWEEN 0.75 AND 2.5
INCHES OF RAINFALL BETWEEN MAY 24TH AND JUNE 5TH...WITH MUCH OF
THE ROLLING PLAINS FARING BETTER AND POCKETS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS
FARING WORSE. IN PARTICULAR AREAS FROM DIMMITT AND TULIA SOUTHWARD
TO PLAINVIEW AND FLOYDADA RECEIVED LESS THAN 0.50 INCH OF RAIN IN
THAT PERIOD. GIVEN THAT WE HAVE ENTERED THE AREA OF PEAK
CLIMATOLOGICAL RAINFALL THESE TOTALS MOSTLY REPRESENT RAINFALL
TYPICALLY RECEIVED THIS TIME OF YEAR. AS A RESULT...WHILE SOME
BENEFICIAL RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED...NO SIGNIFICANT DENT HAS BEEN MADE
TO EITHER SHORT TERM OR LONG TERM DEFICITS...WITH THE POSSIBLE
EXCEPTION OF PORTIONS OF THE ROLLING PLAINS WHERE SOME AREAS HAVE
RECEIVED 3 TO 5 INCHES OF RAIN DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
RAINFALL WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED FOR AREA FIELDS AND RANGELANDS.
RANGELANDS WERE IN POOR CONDITIONS WITH RANCHERS SHIPPING CATTLE
OFF TO BETTER PASTURES. CORN THAT HAD BEEN PLANTED WAS IN GOOD
CONDITION. WHEAT CROPS WERE NEARLY A TOTAL LOSS AND THE WHEAT
THAT REMAINED WAS IN POOR TO VERY POOR CONDITION. MOST WHEAT WAS
BEING HARVESTED FOR HAY AND SOME REMAINING WHEAT WAS DESTROYED DUE
TO HAIL. PLANTING OF COTTON WAS ONGOING AND SOME CROP WAS ALREADY
EMERGING IN EARLY JUNE. IRRIGATED COTTON WAS GENERALLY IN FAIR
CONDITION BUT SOME COTTON ALREADY HAD TO BE CRUST-BUSTED.
ADDITIONALLY...SOME EARLY EMERGING COTTON HAD TO BE REPLANTED DUE
TO HAIL DAMAGE.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
NEUTRAL ENSO CONDITIONS PERSIST...ALTHOUGH SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES
ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC HAVE COOLED SLIGHTLY IN RECENT WEEKS.
TYPICALLY... ENSO-NEUTRAL AND LA NINA CONDITIONS LEAD TO WARM AND
DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS WEST TEXAS...AND THIS HAS LARGELY BEEN BORNE
OUT WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS. AREAS OF THE ROLLING PLAINS
EXPERIENCED SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY DURING THE LAST WEEK OF
MAY...ALTHOUGH THE HEAVIEST RAIN...ON THE ORDER OF 2-4
INCHES...OCCURRED MAINLY OVER LIMITED AREAS OF STONEWALL AND KENT
COUNTIES. A FEW AREAS OF THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS ALSO RECEIVED
SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL...BUT UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF THE
SOUTH PLAINS REMAINS BELOW NORMAL FOR MAY DURING A CRITICAL PERIOD
FOR AREA FARMERS. MORE RECENTLY...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVED
THROUGH MUCH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS DURING THE
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS OF JUNE 5TH...AND WHILE UNFORTUNATELY
THESE STORMS BROUGHT DAMAGING WINDS TO THE CITY OF LUBBOCK AND
SURROUNDING AREAS...WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FELL
ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. THE ROLLING
PLAINS SAW THE HIGHEST TOTALS...WITH WIDESPREAD AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3
INCHES AND EVEN A FEW LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS. FARTHER WEST RAIN
TOTALS WERE LIGHTER...ALTHOUGH AREAS OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
SOUTH PLAINS SAW TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES. WHILE THIS WILL NOT BE
INCLUDED IN THE LATEST DROUGHT MAP UPDATE...THESE RAINS WILL BE
VERY BENEFICIAL FOR AREA FARMERS AND RANCHERS. HOWEVER...BECAUSE
MAY IS TYPICALLY THE RAINIEST TIME OF YEAR FOR WEST TEXAS...ONLY
MARGINAL IMPROVEMENT TO LONG TERM RAINFALL DEFICITS ARE EXPECTED
FROM THESE RAINS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE ROLLING PLAINS...WHILE
SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST ACROSS MOST OF THE
SOUTH PLAINS.
FIRE WEATHER IMPACTS...
LACK OF PRECIPITATION AND DRY...WINDY CONDITIONS HAVE PROVIDED
SEVERAL DAYS WITH ELEVATED TO SHORT LIVED CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
DAYS DURING LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE. NO WILDFIRES HAVE DEVELOPED
DURING THESE CONDITIONS HOWEVER AS FUELS REMAIN SCARCE DUE TO THE
ONGOING DROUGHT PROVIDING LITTLE PRECIPITATION TO AID IN BRUSH
GROWTH. DESPITE LACK OF FUEL GROWTH...THE THREAT OF WILDFIRE
DEVELOPMENT EXISTS DUE TO THE DRY NATURE OF THE FUELS THAT ARE
PRESENT.
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
AFTER A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EARLY
PORTIONS OF THIS WEEKEND...HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL ENSUE AS A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS IN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES INTO
THE GREAT PLAINS. THIS LOOKS TO BE THE RULE EXTENDING INTO THE NEXT
COUPLE OF MONTHS AS WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TENDS TO BE LIMITED IN THE
SUMMER MONTHS. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL DEVELOP WITH
AFTERNOON HEATING AND PROPAGATION OF THE DRYLINE...BUT THEY WILL
LIKELY BE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN FOR MANY LOCATIONS. HOPEFULLY THE
EARLY ACTIVITY IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL EQUATE TO AN ACTIVE
TROPICAL SEASON TO INCREASE MOISTURE AMOUNTS ACROSS WEST TEXAS.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
AREA RESERVOIRS CONTINUED TO DECLINE THROUGH THE SECOND HALF OF
MAY INTO THE FIRST FEW DAYS IN JUNE. THE FOLLOWING RESERVOIR
CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED ON 5 JUNE:
RESERVOIR SUMMARY CONSERVATION POOL 24-HR MAXIMUM PERCENT OF RAIN
POOL TODAY CHANGE DEPTH CONSERVATION
(FEET) CAPACITY
MACKENZIE LAKE 3100 3005.4 -0.04 55 7 0.00
WHITE RIVER LAKE 2370 2340.4 -0.05 13 0 0.00
LAKE ALAN HENRY 2220 2207.0 -0.05 64 68 0.00
LAKE MEREDITH 2936 2840.1 -0.02 27.1 -11 0.00
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON JUNE 20TH OR SOONER IF NECESSARY IN
RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.
&&
RELATED WEB SITES...
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND
AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
DROUGHT MONITOR:
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE:
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV/
OFFICE OF THE TEXAS STATE CLIMATOLOGIST:
HTTP://WWW.MET.TAMU.EDU/OSC/
NWS PRECIPITATION:
HTTP://WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV/PRECIP/
USGS:
HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/
USACE:
HTTP://WWW.MVR.USACE.ARMY.MIL/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/:
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/
USDA:
HTTP://WWW.USDA.GOV/OCE/WEATHER/
TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION AGENCY CROP AND WEATHER REPORT:
HTTP://TODAY.AGRILIFE.ORG
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...
THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...
THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE
NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS
STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATIONS SITES...
THE TEXAS TECH/WEST TEXAS MESONET...STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
SERVICES...THE USDA...USACE AND USGS.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT
INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
2579 SOUTH LOOP 289 SUITE 100
LUBBOCK TEXAS 79423
PHONE: 806-745-4260
SR-LUB.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV
$$
