DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
700 AM MDT TUE AUG 5 2008
...DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSIST...
SYNOPSIS...
IN THE JULY 29TH RELEASE OF THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...WESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE TRI STATE AREA CONTINUED TO SHOW DROUGHT CONDITIONS
RANGING FROM MODERATE TO SEVERE. THE WORST CONDITIONS WERE OCCURRING
WEST OF HIGHWAY 25 AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 40. IMPACTS FROM THIS
DROUGHT WERE PRIMARILY AGRICULTURAL. NO DROUGHT WAS INDICATED IN THE
EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE TRI STATE AREA.
THE DROUGHT MONITOR FOCUSES ON BROAD-SCALE CONDITIONS. LOCAL
CONDITIONS MAY VARY.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
ON JUNE 11TH...KANSAS GOVERNOR KATHLEEN SEBELIUS DECLARED A DROUGHT
WARNING IN FIVE SOUTHWEST KANSAS COUNTIES...AND A DROUGHT WATCH IN
EIGHT COUNTIES. THE DROUGHT WATCH INCLUDED GREELEY AND WICHITA
COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST KANSAS. THE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR 60 DAYS OR
UNTIL REVISED OR RESCINDED.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
DROUGHT LEVELS...
D0 -- ABNORMALLY DRY OR RECOVERING FROM DROUGHT
D1 -- MODERATE DROUGHT
D2 -- SEVERE DROUGHT
D3 -- EXTREME DROUGHT
D4 -- EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT
PERCENT NORMALS OF PRECIPITATION ARE THE AVERAGE ACROSS A COUNTY FOR
THE INDICATED PERIOD. LOCAL CONDITIONS MAY VARY. A VALUE OF 100
PERCENT WOULD BE THE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL...A VALUE OF 50 PERCENT
WOULD BE HALF OF NORMAL AND CONSIDERED DRY...WHILE A VALUE OF 200
PERCENT WOULD BE TWICE NORMAL AND CONSIDERED VERY WET.
DROUGHT LEVEL AS OF JULY 29 2008.
PRECIPITATION ENDING JULY 31 2008.
| PERCENT NORMAL OF PRECIPITATION |
----------------------------------
| | | MAY 2008 | AUG 2007 |
| DROUGHT | | THROUGH | THROUGH |
COUNTY | LEVEL | JUL 2008 | JUL 2008 | JUL 2008 |
------------ ---------- ---------- ------------ ----------
YUMA | D0-D1 | 90 | 90 | 95 |
KIT CARSON | D0-D1 | 95 | 70 | 75 |
CHEYENNE CO | D1-D2 | 100 | 60 | 65 |
DUNDY | D0 | 80 | 90 | 85 |
CHEYENNE KS | D0 | 70 | 65 | 75 |
SHERMAN | D0-D1 | 80 | 50 | 70 |
WALLACE | D1-D2 | 120 | 60 | 75 |
GREELEY | D2-D3 | 90 | 50 | 70 |
HITCHCOCK | D0 | 50 | 95 | 95 |
RAWLINS | D0 | 80 | 95 | 95 |
THOMAS | D0 | 100 | 85 | 85 |
LOGAN | D0-D2 | 120 | 70 | 75 |
WICHITA | D1-D2 | 80 | 60 | 65 |
RED WILLOW | D0 | 50 | 110 | 100 |
DECATUR | D0 | 80 | 105 | 95 |
SHERIDAN | NONE | 95 | 115 | 90 |
GOVE | NONE | 100 | 120 | 100 |
NORTON | NONE | 140 | 150 | 110 |
GRAHAM | NONE | 100 | 130 | 100 |
PRECIPITATION IN JULY WAS MORE OR LESS UNIFORM ACROSS THE
AREA...WITH GENERALLY 2 TO 3 INCHES MEASURED. THERE WERE SOME
OUTLIERS...SOUTHERN PARTS OF RED WILLOW COUNTY NEBRASKA WERE BELOW
NORMAL AS WELL AS PARTS OF WICHITA COUNTY KANSAS. MEANWHILE HEAVY
RAIN FELL OVER NORTHERN THOMAS AND SOUTHERN RAWLINS COUNTY WHERE
OVER 6 INCHES WAS ESTIMATED BY RADAR. OUTSIDE OF THOSE
EXTREMES...RAINFALL WAS GENERALLY NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL FOR
THE MONTH. UNFORTUNATELY LONG AND SHORT TERM RAIN DEFICITS CONTINUED
AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTED OR EVEN SLIGHTLY EXPANDED IN THE
LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR.
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
THE LATEST OUTLOOKS WERE MADE BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER ON
JULY 31.
ONE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...VALID AUGUST 2008...EQUAL CHANCES FOR
BELOW...ABOVE...OR NEAR NORMAL.
ONE MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK...VALID AUGUST 2008...EQUAL CHANCES
FOR BELOW...ABOVE...OR NEAR NORMAL.
THREE MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...VALID AUGUST 2008 THROUGH OCTOBER
2008....EQUAL CHANCES FOR BELOW...ABOVE...OR NEAR NORMAL.
THREE MONTH PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK...VALID AUGUST 2008 THROUGH
OCTOBER 2008...ABOVE NORMAL.
SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK...VALID THROUGH OCTOBER 2008...SOME
IMPROVEMENT IS FORECAST IN THE ONGOING DROUGHT. IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL
MONTHS OF NORMAL AND ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL TO REVERSE THE LARGE
DEFICITS WHICH HAVE ACCUMULATED SINCE LATE LAST YEAR IN DROUGHT
AREAS.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
DATA VALID AUGUST 4 2008.
STORAGE CONTENT
---------------
END OF MONTH | LAST MONTH
RESERVOIR (ACRE-FEET) | (ACRE-FEET) TREND
--------------- ------------ ------------ -----
BONNY RESERVOIR 8426 | 8924 FALLING
SWANSON LAKE 53691 | 55216 FALLING
KEITH SEBELIUS LAKE 16367 | 18561 FALLING
HARRY STRUNK LAKE 33900 | 38261 FALLING
ENDERS RESERVOIR 16025 | 16733 FALLING
HUGH BUTLER LAKE 26166 | 28177 FALLING
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS LOCAL DROUGHT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND THE FIRST OF EACH
MONTH...OR MORE FREQUENTLY IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
RELATED WEB SITES...
A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS DROUGHT STATEMENT...
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/?n=/climate/droughtmonitor.php
LOCAL WEATHER...CLIMATE AND WATER INFORMATION...
http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=gld
US DROUGHT MONITOR...
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...
http://www.drought.noaa.gov/
HIGH PLAINS REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER...
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/
ADDITIONAL RIVER...LAKE AND RESERVOIR INFORMATION...
USGS - http://water.usgs.gov/
COE - http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/
BUREAU OF RECLAMATION - http://www.usbr.gov/gp/water/rflow.cfm
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
DROUGHT OUTLOOK...
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html
KANSAS CROP WEATHER...
http://www.nass.usda.gov/weather/cpcurr/ks-crop-weather
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...
THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING NOAA'S
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND 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 OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION SERVICES...THE USDA...COE AND USGS.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT...
JERRY KILLINGSWORTH
DROUGHT FOCAL POINT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
920 ARMORY ROAD
GOODLAND KS 67735
TELEPHONE 785-899-6412
Jerry.Killingsworth@noaa.gov
JDK