086
AXUS74 KMAF 221515
DGTMAF
NMC015-025-TXC003-033-043-103-109-115-135-165-173-227-243-301-317-
329-335-371-377-383-389-415-443-461-475-495-231315-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
1000 AM CDT FRI MAR 22 2013 /900 AM MDT FRI MAR 22 2012/
...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW
MEXICO...
SYNOPSIS...
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR (USDM)...ISSUED IN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE
NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER...USDA...AND NWS ON 19
MARCH...SHOWS THAT DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED LITTLE OVER THE
PAST MONTH OR SO IN SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS. IN
SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...ONLY EXTREME NORTHWEST LEA COUNTY REMAINED IN
EXTREME DROUGHT. MOST OF THE REST OF THE COUNTIES WERE IN SEVERE
DROUGHT...AND SOUTHEAST EDDY AND SOUTH LEA COUNTIES WERE IN MODERATE
DROUGHT TO NO DROUGHT. IMPACTS OF EXTREME AND SEVERE DROUGHT
CONDITIONS INCLUDE CROP OR PASTURE LOSSES LIKELY...WATER SHORTAGES
COMMON...AND WATER RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED. IMPACTS OF MODERATE
DROUGHT CONDITIONS INCLUDE SOME DAMAGE TO CROPS AND PASTURES. IN
WEST TEXAS...EXTREME DROUGHT HAS DEVELOPING IN EASTERN SCURRY AND
MITCHELL COUNTIES. WESTERN CULBERSON...JEFF DAVIS...AND NORTHWEST
PRESIDIO COUNTIES WERE IN SEVERE DROUGHT...AS WERE PORTIONS OF THE
WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS...EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN...AND EASTERN
TERRELL COUNTY. THE REST OF WEST TEXAS WAS IN MODERATE DROUGHT TO
NO DROUGHT.
RAINFALL OVER THE PAST 30 DAYS HAS BEEN MEAGER...AND SO WATER
SHORTAGES REMAIN...AND MANDATORY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS REMAIN IN
PLACE IN SOME LOCATIONS.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS.
AS OF 22 MARCH...ALL OF WEST TEXAS REMAINS UNDER AN OUTDOOR BURN
BAN EXCEPT BREWSTER...DAWSON...ECTOR...MIDLAND...AND REEVES COUNTIES.
THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE USES THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX (KBDI)
AS A SYSTEM FOR RELATING CURRENT AND RECENT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO
POTENTIAL OR EXPECTED FIRE BEHAVIOR. IT IS A NUMERICAL INDEX
CALCULATED DAILY. EACH NUMBER IS AN ESTIMATE OF THE AMOUNT OF
PRECIPITATION...IN HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH...NEEDED TO BRING THE SOIL
BACK TO SATURATION. THE INDEX RANGES FROM 0 TO 800...WITH 0
REPRESENTING A SATURATED SOIL AND 800 A COMPLETELY DRY SOIL. AS OF
21 MARCH...THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX SHOWED VALUES RANGING FROM
NEAR 300 IN THE PERMIAN BASIN AND GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 600 IN
THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS AND LOWER TRANS PECOS. THE 400 TO 600 RANGE IS
TYPICAL OF LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL. IN THIS RANGE...LOWER LITTER
AND DUFF LAYERS CONTRIBUTE TO FIRE INTENSITY AND WILL BURN
ACTIVELY. NOTE THAT FIRE DANGER CAN CHANGE QUICKLY FROM DAY TO DAY
AS WINDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VARY. THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE
ADVISES TO WATCH OUT FOR KEY CRITICAL WEATHER THRESHOLDS OF WINDS
ABOVE 15 MPH AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY BELOW 25 PERCENT. WHEN THESE
THRESHOLDS ARE MET OR EXCEEDED...FIRE DANGER WILL BE ELEVATED.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS CROP WEATHER REPORT ISSUED 19 MARCH BY THE
TEXAS A&M AGRICULTURE PROGRAM...IN FAR WEST TEXAS...CONDITIONS WERE
WARM...WINDY AND DRY...WITH THE DANGER OF WILDFIRE HIGH AND BURN
BANS STILL IN PLACE. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS HAD COOLER
TEMPERATURES...WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S AND LOWS DIPPING
INTO THE TEENS. IN OTHER AREAS...HIGHS WERE IN THE 80S. FARMERS
CONTINUED PREPARING FIELDS FOR SPRING PLANTING. ALFALFA GROWERS
BEGAN TAKING THEIR FIRST CUTTING.
IN THE SOUTH PLAINS...THE REGIONS WEATHER WAS WINDY AND MOSTLY
WARM...THOUGH TEMPERATURES FLUCTUATED FROM A LOW OF 24 DEGREES ON
MARCH 11 TO A HIGH OF 88 DEGREES ON MARCH 15. THERE WAS NO RAIN
REPORTED FOR THE MONTH TO DATE. FARMERS CONTINUED PREPARING FIELDS
FOR PLANTING...APPLYING FERTILIZER AND HERBICIDES...AND LISTING
ROWS. WHEAT WAS JOINTING. DRYLAND WHEAT WAS IN FAIR
CONDITION...WITH SOME IRRIGATED FIELDS LOOKING GOOD. CATTLE
REMAINED MOSTLY IN FAIR TO GOOD CONDITION...WITH RANCHERS HAVING TO
PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL FEED ON COLDER DAYS BECAUSE OF LIMITED GRAZING.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
RAINFALL FOR THE YEAR IS AT OR ABOVE NORMAL FROM A SWATH OF LAND
EXTENDING FROM SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY ALONG THE PECOS RIVER TO FORT
STOCKTON...AND IN ISOLATED POCKETS ALONG THE RIO GRANDE. EVERYWHERE
ELSE IN WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO IS BELOW NORMAL. EDDY
COUNTY...CULBERSON COUNTY...WEST JEFF DAVIS COUNTY...AND WESTERN
PRESIDIO COUNTY FARED THE WORST...WITH LOCATIONS HAVING RECEIVED
JUST 5 PERCENT OR LESS OF NORMAL SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
SINCE 1 JANUARY...THE FOLLOWING PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WERE REPORTED:
MIDLAND HAS RECEIVED 1.53 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. NORMAL IS 1.66
INCHES.
CARLSBAD HAS HAD 0.86 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. NORMAL IS AROUND
1.25 INCHES.
MARFA HAS HAD 0.64 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. NORMAL IS AROUND 1.25
INCHES.
FORT STOCKTON HAS HAD 2.19 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. NORMAL IS
AROUND 1.56 INCHES.
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
ACCORDING TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...OR CPC...ENSO-NEUTRAL
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUMMER.
THE CPC OUTLOOK FOR APRIL THROUGH JUNE FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST
NEW MEXICO FORECASTS BELOW-NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND ABOVE-NORMAL
TEMPERATURES.
THE LATEST U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK...ISSUED 21 MARCH BY THE
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...INDICATES DROUGHT CONDITIONS LIKELY TO
PERSIST OR INTENSIFY ACROSS WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY...
RESERVOIR CONDITIONS AS OF 22 MARCH:
POOL 24-HR % CONSERVATION
TDY CHG. CAPACITY
LAKE JB THOMAS 2202.75 -0.07 1
LAKE COLORADO CITY 2052.50 -0.01 35
CHAMPION CREEK RESERVOIR 2038.17 0.02 11
NATURAL DAM SALT LAKE 2447.34 -0.01 49
MOSS CREEK LAKE 2321.02 -0.09 39
BRANTLEY RES...CARLSBAD 3240.95 0.42 28
LAKE AVALON - 3N CARLSBAD 3175.82 0.01 70
RED BLUFF DAM 2801.79 0.00 14
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS STATEMENT WILL BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY IN RESPONSE TO
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS.
&&
RELATED WEB SITES...
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND
AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
OUR LOCAL DROUGHT WEB PAGE:
HTTP://WWW.SRH.WEATHER.GOV/MAF/VERSION.PHP?PIL=DGTMAF&CWI=1&N=0
U.S. 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...HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS/
NWS AHPS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/AHPS/
USGS: HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/
USACE: HTTP://WWW.MVR.USACE.ARMY.MIL/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/: HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION:
HTTP://WWW.IBWC.STATE.GOV
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...
THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE IBWC...THE USDA...STATE AND
REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION
CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS
AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...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
2500 CHALLENGER DRIVE
MIDLAND TEXAS 79706
PHONE: 432.563.5006
$$
DEBERRY
