DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 321 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2008
...SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...
...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...
...ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE...
SYNOPSIS...
THE LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR ISSUED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SHOWS SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE.
VERY HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE OCCURRED JUST ABOUT DAILY THIS PAST ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. HIGH TEMPERATURES HAVE REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL. ALL AREAS OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES HAVE RECEIVED BENEFICIAL RAINS LAST WEEK. AMARILLO HAS RECEIVED 4.41 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AS OF AUGUST 20TH. THIS IS 2.45 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR HAS BEEN 16.99 INCHES WHICH IS 2.93 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. BORGER TEXAS HAS RECEIVED 3.21 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AS OF AUGUST 20TH. THIS IS 1.11 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR IS 12.37 INCHES WHICH IS 3.37 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. DALHART TEXAS HAS RECEIVED 2.01 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AS OF AUGUST 20TH. THIS IS 0.06 INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR IS 9.58 INCHES. THIS IS 3.94 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. GUYMON OKLAHOMA HAS RECEIVED 5.23 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION AS OF AUGUST 20TH. THIS IS 3.83 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR IS 11.71 INCHES WHICH IS 0.82 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
THE CURRENT U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR MAP CAN BE FOUND AT... HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML NWS PAGE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV/
HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS...
AREA STREAM AND RIVER LEVELS ROSE THIS PAST WEEK IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT RAINS. A NUMBER OF STREAMS REACHED BANKFUL. LAKE MEREDITH...A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF DRINKING WATER TO THE HIGH PLAINS...CONTINUES TO RISE. THE CURRENT LEVEL IS 47.12 FEET WHICH IS ALMOST 2 FEET ABOVE THE RECENT RECORD LOW LEVEL OF 45.37 FEET ON JULY 13TH. AT 42 FEET... PORTABLE PUMPS MUST BE BROUGHT IN TO HELP WITH PUMPING. THERE ARE NO WATERING RESTRICTIONS IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AT THIS TIME BUT WATER CONSERVATION IS BEING ENCOURAGED ESPECIALLY IN THE AMARILLO AREA WHERE THE "EVERY DROP COUNTS...A GUIDE TO WATER CONSERVATION" CAMPAIGN IS ONGOING.
ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT ... NWS...HTTP://WWW.AHPS.SRH.NOAA.GOV/INDEX.PHP?WFO=AMA USGS...HTTP://WWW.WATERDATA.USGS.GOV/TX/NWIS/CURRENT?TYPE=FLOW
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
RECENT RAINS HAVE HELPED TO SQUELCH THE FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE PANHANDLES. THE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL REMAIN ABOVE CRITICAL LEVELS WHICH WILL HELP WITH ANY FIRES. THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE TELLS US THAT DALLAM...HARTLEY...POTTER...RANDALL...ARMSTRONG AND OCHILTREE COUNTIES HAVE BURN BANS IN EFFECT. THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX THAT IS ISSUED BY THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE COMBINES DROUGHT CONDITIONS WITH EXPECTED FIRE BEHAVIOR. ALL OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE IS IN THE LOW CATEGORY.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
THE SOIL MOISTURE INDEX ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE VARIES IN RATINGS FROM SURPLUS TO SHORT WITH MOST AREAS REPORTING ADEQUATE. CATTLE ARE RATED IN GOOD CONDITION. WHEAT IS RATED POOR TO GOOD WITH MOST AREAS REPORTING FAIR. RANGE CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO BE FAIR TO GOOD. WEED PROBLEMS REPORTED IN SOME AREAS. CORN VARIES IN RATINGS FROM POOR TO GOOD WITH MOST AREAS REPORTING FAIR TO GOOD. MOST AREAS REPORTING TASSELING IN FIELDS WITH A FEW ENTERING THE DOUGH STAGE. COTTON VARIES IN RATING FROM EXCELLENT TO POOR WITH MOST AREAS REPORTING FAIR. THE CROP IS SQUARING WITH A FEW REPORTS OF SETTING BOLLS. PEANUT...SORGHUM AND SOYBEAN ARE RATED GOOD.
OUTLOOK...
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO WARM TO NEAR SEASONABLE LEVELS AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES IN OVER THE PANHANDLES. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL INCREASE TO ABOUT 20 PERCENT THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. THE 6 TO 10 DAY OUTLOOK ISSUED BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECASTS BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION. THE CLIMATE OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST THROUGH OCTOBER SHOWS THE LIKELIHOOD FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE PANHANDLES.
ADDITIONAL CLIMATE PREDICTION INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT /CPC/... HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IA A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER... THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THE 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...
STEPHEN BILODEAU 1900 ENGLISH RD AMARILLO TX 79108 PHONE: 806-335-1121 STEPHEN.BILODEAU@NOAA.GOV
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BILODEAU