DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1100 AM CDT FRI JUN 27 2008 ...DROUGHT STILL PERSISTING ACROSS PORTIONS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE... SYNOPSIS... THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR SHOWS VARYING DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE...WITH 59 PERCENT OF THE STATE EXPERIENCING AT LEAST ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS...43 PERCENT EXPERIENCING AT LEAST MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS...29 PERCENT EXPERIENCING AT LEAST SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS...AND JUST UNDER 2 PERCENT OF THE STATE EXPERIENCING EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THE SEVERE DROUGHT STILL REMAINS ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU...AFFECTING COFFEE...CUMBERLAND...GRUNDY...VAN BUREN... WARREN...AND WHITE COUNTIES IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. THE AREAS EXPERIENCING THE EXTREME DROUGHT ARE COUNTIES IN EASTERN TENNESSEE ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA BORDER. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... STATE AND LOCAL ACTIONS. NO KNOWN STATE OR LOCAL ACTIONS ARE CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE...HOWEVER SOME MUNICIPALITIES MAY STILL HAVE WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES IN PLACE DUE TO THE LINGERING DROUGHT CONDITIONS. SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS. ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE...SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS VARY WITH LOCATIONS NORTH AND WEST OF NASHVILLE SEEING ABOVE NORMAL AMOUNTS DUE TO THE ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL FROM THIS PAST WINTER AND SPRING. AT OR BELOW NORMAL SOIL MOISTURE CONDITIONS ARE BEING EXPERIENCED IN LOCATIONS SOUTH AND EAST OF NASHVILLE...ESPECIALLY IN THE SEVERE DROUGHT AREAS WHERE PRECIPITATION FROM THIS PAST WINTER AND SPRING HAS BEEN ABOUT 70 TO 80 PERCENT OF NORMAL. RIVER AND STREAM FLOW CONDITIONS... MOST OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE IS EXPERIENCING NORMAL RIVER AND STREAM FLOW CONDITIONS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. HOWEVER...BELOW NORMAL RIVER AND STREAM FLOWS CAN BE FOUND ALONG THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU WHERE PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN BELOW NORMAL AS OF LATE. DROUGHT DEFINITIONS. ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS MEAN GROWTH OF CROPS...PLANTS...OR PASTURES MAY BE SLOWED...AND THE FIRE RISK MAY BE ELEVATED. MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITIONS MEAN CROPS...PLANTS...OR PASTURES MAY HAVE SOME DAMAGE...THE FIRE RISK CONTINUES TO BE ELEVATED...WATER LEVELS IN AREA RIVERS...CREEKS...AND STREAMS ARE BELOW NORMAL...AND WATER SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS MAY DEVELOP. A SEVERE DROUGHT MEANS AGRICULTURAL LOSSES MAY OCCUR...THE FIRE RISK IS VERY HIGH...AND WATER SHORTAGES ARE COMMON AND RESTRICTIONS MAY BE IMPOSED. A SIGN OF EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE SIGNIFICANT AGRICULTURAL LOSSES...EXTREME FIRE DANGER...AND WIDESPREAD WATER SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS ARE COMMON. IN AN EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT...WATER SHORTAGES AND RESTRICTIONS ARE WIDESPREAD AND THERE ARE MAJOR AGRICULTURAL LOSSES. THE DROUGHT CATEGORIES IN DEGRADING ORDER ARE ABNORMALLY DRY... MODERATE...SEVERE...EXTREME AND EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT. CLIMATE SUMMARY... RAINFALL FROM THIS PAST WINTER AND SPRING HAS BEEN ABOVE NORMAL FOR MOST AREAS WHICH HAS ALLOWED FOR SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT TO THE DROUGHT. BELOW ARE SOME PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS IN INCHES FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS...MARCH THROUGH MAY...THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL...AND THE PERCENT OF NORMAL FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS...6 MONTHS...9 MONTHS...AND 12 MONTHS: COUNTY % OF NORMAL LOCATION PRECIP DEP 3 MO 6 MO 9 MO 12 MO --------------------------------------------------------------------- BEDFORD SHELBYVILLE 13.85 -1.95 88% 80% 75% 78% CANNON WOODBURY 12.20 -3.75 76% 71% 72% 73% CHEATHAM KINGSTON SPRINGS 20.28 +5.25 135% 114% 104% 90% COFFEE TULLAHOMA 15.77 -1.18 93% 80% 71% 70% CUMBERLAND CROSSVILLE AIRPORT 16.35 +0.20 101% 88% 90% 82% DAVIDSON NASHVILLE INTL AIRPORT 18.30 +4.43 132% 113% 115% 99% OLD HICKORY DAM 19.43 +5.68 141% 117% 117% N/A DE KALB SMITHVILLE 12.51 -2.89 81% 71% 70% 67% DICKSON DICKSON 21.59 +5.29 132% 117% 114% 101% FENTRESS ALLARDT 14.28 -0.94 94% 86% 89% 93% JAMESTOWN 14.39 -1.39 91% 82% 79% 80% GILES PULASKI 16.69 +1.16 107% 90% 82% 79% HICKMAN CENTERVILLE 21.68 +5.56 134% 118% 117% N/A JACKSON GAINESBORO 13.91 -1.07 93% 92% 87% 85% LAWRENCE LAWRENCEBURG 22.07 +4.81 128% 102% 92% 85% MACON LAFAYETTE 16.02 +0.32 102% N/A N/A N/A MARSHALL LEWISBURG 16.13 -0.03 100% 86% 80% 82% MAURY COLUMBIA 16.28 -0.39 98% 88% 89% 81% MONTGOMERY CLARKSVILLE 21.29 +6.61 145% 134% 135% 114% OVERTON LIVINGSTON 13.92 -0.75 95% 88% 86% 83% PERRY LINDEN 23.89 +7.41 145% 113% 113% 98% PUTNAM COOKEVILLE 14.81 -1.23 92% 78% 75% 73% MONTEREY 15.06 -1.94 89% 79% 79% N/A RUTHERFORD MURFREESBORO 14.95 -0.36 98% 89% 89% 85% SMITH CARTHAGE 12.47 -2.37 84% 68% 71% 64% STEWART DOVER 21.96 +7.12 148% 131% 133% N/A SUMNER BETHPAGE 16.02 +0.63 104% 98% 96% 88% PORTLAND 20.19 +4.90 132% 114% 106% 92% WARREN MC MINNVILLE 11.79 -3.35 78% 69% 67% 68% WAYNE WAYNESBORO 17.78 +0.04 100% 93% 96% 92% WHITE SPARTA 14.93 -0.96 94% 78% 77% 72% WILLIAMSON FRANKLIN 18.11 +2.28 114% 104% 106% 95% WILSON LEBANON 17.66 +2.92 120% 96% 93% 80% PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK... THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE... BELOW...OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE IN JULY. THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK FOR JULY...AUGUST...AND SEPTEMBER INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW...OR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY OUTLOOK... THE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION DECREASES SLIGHTLY FOR EACH MONTH DUE TO THE MORE CONVECTIVE...SPOTTY NATURE OF THE SUMMER THUNDERSTORMS. THIS MAY LEAD TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR SOME AREAS AND A DEGRADATION OF THE ONGOING DROUGHT...OR NEW DEVELOPMENT WHERE NO DROUGHT IS CURRENTLY DEPICTED. THE LATEST TROPICAL STORM OUTLOOK FOR THE ATLANTIC CALLS FOR ABOVE NORMAL ACTIVITY WHICH MAY BRING PRECIPITATION TO THE MID-SOUTH IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER...BUT AT THIS TIME THERE ARE NO STORMS DEVELOPING. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY FRIDAY JULY 11 OR SOONER IF NECESSARY DUE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS. RELATED WEB SITES...
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
STATE DROUGHT MONITOR
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/dm_state.htm?tn,s
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER SOIL MOISTURE
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/soilmst/w.shtml
USGS RIVER AND STREAM FLOWS
http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/?m=dryw&r=tn
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE
http://www.weather.gov/nashville/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS... THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY...AND STATE AND REGIONAL CLIMATOLOGISTS. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICES...THE USDA...AND USGS. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT PLEASE CONTACT... JAMES LAROSA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 500 WEATHER STATION ROAD OLD HICKORY, TN 37138 615-754-8500 EXT. 228 James.LaRosa@noaa.gov LAROSA