000 AXUS73 KGLD 271830 DGTGLD DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1230 PM MDT WED APR 27 2011 ...MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT CONTINUES IN KANSAS AND COLORADO... .SYNOPSIS... FROM EASTERN COLORADO INTO CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHERN NEBRASKA... ABNORMAL DRYNESS (D0) AND MODERATE (D1) TO SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT CONTINUE. PRECIPITATION OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS HAS BEEN LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN MOST LOCATIONS WITH SOME LESS THAN 20 PERCENT OF NORMAL. AS A RESULT...SOIL MOISTURE IS RUNNING VERY DRY COMPARED TO NORMAL. .LOCAL AREAS AFFECTED... AS OF APRIL 19...ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...AREAS IN NORTHWEST KANSAS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS EXPERIENCING MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT. FURTHER NORTH...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXIST IN NORTHWEST KANSAS NEARLY TO THE NEBRASKA STATE LINE. IN COLORADO...MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS AFFECT ALL OF THE EASTERN PLAINS EXCEPT FOR YUMA COUNTY...WHERE ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS EXIST. FINALLY...NO DROUGHT IS INDICATED IN SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AT THIS TIME...BUT ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE. .SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... ON APRIL 7...KANSAS GOVERNOR SAM BROWNBACK ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER 11-06...DECLARING A DROUGHT WARNING FOR WALLACE COUNTY...LOGAN COUNTY...GOVE COUNTY...GREELEY COUNTY AND WICHITA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST KANSAS. A DROUGHT WATCH WAS DECLARED FOR THE REMAINDER OF NORTHWEST KANSAS. THIS ORDER ESSENTIALLY ENABLED STATE GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTIONS AS OUTLINED IN THE OPERATIONS PLAN OF THE GOVERNORS DROUGHT RESPONSE TEAM. OCCASIONAL WARM...DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT DRY FUELS WILL RESULT IN ABOVE NORMAL SIGNIFICANT FIRE POTENTIAL OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...PRECIPITATION AND SPRING GREEN UP IS EXPECTED TO BRING THE FIRE POTENTIAL BACK INTO THE AVERAGE RANGE IN LATE APRIL AND EARLY MAY. .CLIMATE SUMMARY... SUMMARY OF RECENT PRECIPITATION FOR SELECTED STATIONS ACROSS THE TRI STATE AREA. THE SUMMARY INCLUDES THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTALS...RANKED BY DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. 6 MONTH PRECIP/INCHES NORTHWEST KS OCT-MAR NORMAL DEP NORTON 9SSE 1.32 5.99 -4.67 HILL CITY AIRPORT 1.93 6.18 -4.25 ATWOOD 2SW 2.30 5.76 -3.46 QUINTER 3.02 6.22 -3.20 DENSMORE 2N 2.42 5.50 -3.08 OAKLEY 4W 1.76 4.71 -2.95 MINGO 5E 1.69 4.61 -2.92 COLBY 1SW 1.56 4.47 -2.91 LEOTI 1SE 1.66 4.46 -2.80 SHARON SPRINGS 2.41 5.02 -2.61 WINONA 1.93 4.50 -2.57 MCDONALD 2.96 5.47 -2.51 OBERLIN 3.03 5.45 -2.42 RUSSELL SPRINGS 3N 2.02 4.40 -2.38 GOODLAND AIRPORT 2.17 4.34 -2.17 WALLACE 2.53 4.30 -1.77 TRIBUNE 1W 2.54 4.27 -1.73 ST FRANCIS 8NW 2.82 4.53 -1.71 ATWOOD 8SSE 3.15 4.70 -1.55 GOVE 4W 3.12 4.48 -1.36 SOUTHWEST NE OCT-MAR NORMAL DEP MCCOOK AIRPORT 1.88 5.45 -3.57 TRENTON DAM 2.08 5.25 -3.17 CULBERTSON 2.72 5.36 -2.64 STRATTON 3.37 4.74 -1.37 BENKELMAN 3.67 5.02 -1.35 HAIGLER 3.07 4.19 -1.12 EASTERN CO OCT-MAR NORMAL DEP IDALIA 2.69 4.50 -1.81 JOES 2SE 2.09 3.61 -1.52 CHEYENNE WELLS 1.75 3.11 -1.36 WRAY 3.39 4.18 -0.79 YUMA 3.02 3.42 -0.40 BURLINGTON 4S 3.29 3.66 -0.37 STRATTON 3.47 3.80 -0.33 FLAGLER 1S 4.62 3.50 +1.12 .RIVER AND RESERVOIR CONDITIONS... RESERVOIR LEVELS ACROSS THE TRI STATE AREA AS OF APRIL 26 2011 RESERVOIR PERCENT FULL KEITH SEBELIUS LAKE (NORTON DAM) 63.8% ENDERS DAM 42.2% SWANSON LAKE 67.0% HUGH BUTLER LAKE * 16.4% HARRY STRUNK LAKE 100.0% BONNY RESERVOIR 33.4% * IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT HUGH BUTLER LAKE HAS BEEN DRAWN DOWN TO A LOW LEVEL FOR MAINTENANCE SINCE LAST SUMMER. .PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS... THE LATEST OUTLOOKS WERE MADE BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER ON APRIL 21. ONE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...VALID MAY 2011...ABOVE NORMAL. ONE MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK...VALID MAY 2011...BELOW NORMAL. THREE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...VALID MAY 2011 THROUGH JULY 2011....EQUAL CHANCES FOR ABOVE NORMAL...NEAR NORMAL...OR BELOW NORMAL. THREE MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK...VALID MAY 2011 THROUGH JULY 2011...EQUAL CHANCES FOR ABOVE NORMAL...NEAR NORMAL...OR BELOW NORMAL. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK...VALID THROUGH JULY 2011...DROUGHT TO PERSIST IN THE TRI STATE AREA. .QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: JERRY KILLINGSWORTH CLIMATE SERVICES FOCAL POINT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 920 ARMORY ROAD GOODLAND KS 67735 TELEPHONE 785-899-6412 JERRY.KILLINGSWORTH@NOAA.GOV .RELATED WEB SITES... LOCAL WEATHER...CLIMATE AND WATER INFORMATION... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CLIMATE/INDEX.PHP?WFO=GLD US DROUGHT MONITOR... DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR NOAA DROUGHT PAGE... WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV HIGH PLAINS REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER... WWW.HPRCC.UNL.EDU ADDITIONAL RIVER...LAKE AND RESERVOIR INFORMATION... USGS - WATER.USGS.GOV COE - WWW.NWD-MR.USACE.ARMY.MIL/RCC/INDEX BUREAU OF RECLAMATION - WWW.USBR.GOV/GP/WATER/RFLOW.CFM CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER... WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV DROUGHT OUTLOOK... WWW.CPC.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/EXPERT_ASSESSMENT/SEASONAL_DROUGHT KANSAS CROP WEATHER... WWW.NASS.USDA.GOV/WEATHER/CPCURR/KS-CROP-WEATHER .ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICES...USGS...AND THE CENTRAL NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER AND IRRIGATION DISTRICT. .NEXT ISSUANCE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE ISSUED NEAR THE END OF EACH MONTH WHEN SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING OR FORECAST TO OCCUR IN THE TRI STATE AREA OF NORTHWEST KANSAS...SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHEAST COLORADO. $$ JDK