Hydrologic Outlook for West Central Texas
Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 10:09 am
Code: Select all
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
809 AM CDT MON AUG 16 2004
...NORMAL AGRICULTURAL AND HYDROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS...
SYNOPSIS...
OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS...THE WEATHER PATTERN OVER WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS HAS BEEN FAVORABLE WITH NUMEROUS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
TOLERABLE AUGUST TEMPERATURES. WITH THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
REMAINING SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF THE REGION...WEST CENTRAL TEXAS
REMAINS IN A NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN WITH PERIODIC SLIGHT CHANCES FOR
RAIN.
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...ISSUED THROUGH THE NATIONAL DROUGHT
MITIGATION CENTER ON AUGUST 10...INDICATES THAT MOST OF WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS IS EXPERIENCING NORMAL HYDROLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL
CONDITIONS.
FROM AUGUST 1 THROUGH 16...THE SAN ANGELO REGIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVED
0.55 OF AN INCH OF RAIN. FOR THE MONTH OF JULY...SAN ANGELO RECEIVED
2.18 INCHES OF RAIN. THE MONTHLY NORMAL RAINFALL FOR JULY IS 1.10
INCHES. FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY THROUGH JULY...SAN ANGELO RECEIVED
13.39 INCHES OF RAIN. THE AVERAGE RAINFALL FOR SAN ANGELO FOR THE
PERIOD JANUARY THROUGH JULY IS 11.30 INCHES.
FROM AUGUST 1 THROUGH 16...THE ABILENE REGIONAL AIRPORT RECEIVED 0.48
OF AN INCH OF RAIN. FOR THE MONTH OF JULY...ABILENE RECEIVED 1.55
INCHES OF RAIN. THE MONTHLY NORMAL RAINFALL FOR JULY IS 1.70 INCHES.
FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY THROUGH JULY...ABILENE RECEIVED 18.19 INCHES
OF RAIN. THE AVERAGE RAINFALL FOR ABILENE FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY
THROUGH JULY IS 12.77 INCHES.
HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS...
EVEN THOUGH THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS HAVE BEEN WET FOR WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...RUNOFF TO THE CREEKS AND RIVERS WAS MINOR. THE USGS
WATERWATCH INDICATES THAT PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH CONCHO RIVER IS
REPORTING BELOW NORMAL STREAMFLOW COMPARED TO HISTORICAL CONDITIONS.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF LAKE BROWNWOOD...MOST OF THE RESERVOIRS LOCATED
ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS ARE WELL BELOW THEIR CONSERVATION CAPACITY.
THE SUMMER MONTHS TAKE A TOLL ON OUR RESERVOIRS AS THEY DRY OUT DUE
TO EVAPORATION AND MUNICIPAL WATER USE. THE WATER LEVEL IN TWIN
BUTTES RESERVOIR REMAINS BELOW THE USGS DATA COLLECTION EQUIPMENT
THAT PROVIDES READINGS OF THE POOL ELEVATION.
RESERVOIR CONDITIONS AS OF AUGUST 14...
/ CURRENT CONSERVATION CURRENT %
/ ELEVATION CAPACITY CAPACITY CONSERVATION
RESERVOIR (FT) (AC-FT) (AC-FT) CAPACITY
FORT PHANTOM HILL 1622.82 70036 30410 43
LAKE STAMFORD 1412.16 51570 31560 61
HUBBARD CREEK 1165.45 318070 123750 39
HORDS CREEK LAKE 1884.56 8800 2760 31
LAKE BROWNWOOD 1423.73 131428 126470 96
E.V. SPENCE 1837.90 517272 35830 7
TWIN BUTTES BELOW EQUIPMENT
O.C. FISHER 1855.70 119200 1800 2
O.H. IVIE 1522.90 554340 169600 31
FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...
CURRENTLY ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS...CONCHO...COKE...CALLAHAN...HASKELL... MENARD AND TAYLOR
COUNTIES HAVE AN ESTABLISHED COUNTY WIDE BURN BAN. TO ASSESS FIRE
POTENTIAL...THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE USES THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT
INDEX...WHICH IS A NUMERICAL INDEX CALCULATED DAILY FOR EACH COUNTY.
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 AUGUST 15...THE KEETCH-BYRAM
DROUGHT INDEX SHOWS THAT THE FIRE POTENTIAL ACROSS MUCH OF WEST
CENTRAL TEXAS IS LOW AND FALLS WITHIN THE 0 TO 400 RANGE. PORTIONS
OF WESTERN CONCHO VALLEY AND EASTERN HEARTLAND FALL WITHIN THE 400 TO
600 RANGE. THESE AREAS ARE CHARACTERIZED AS DRYING AND BEGINNING TO
CONTRIBUTE TO FIRE INTENSITY.
AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS...
THE CROP MOISTURE INDEX MONITORS SHORT TERM MOISTURE CONDITIONS
ACROSS MAJOR CROP PRODUCING REGIONS. THE INDEX IS NOT USED FOR
MONITORING EXTENDED DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THE CROP MOISTURE INDEX
ISSUED BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER ON AUGUST 7...INDICATES THAT
SHORT TERM CONDITIONS ARE ABNORMALLY MOIST OVER PORTIONS OF THE BIG
COUNTRY...NORTHERN HEARTLAND AND NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CONCHO
VALLEY. THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS IS DEPICTED AS
EXPERIENCING NEAR NORMAL CONDITIONS. THE CURRENT ISSUE REFLECTS THE
BENEFICIAL RAINS MUCH OF THE AREA RECEIVED DURING THE END OF JULY AND
EARLY AUGUST.
OUTLOOK...
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOK INDICATES THAT WEST CENTRAL
TEXAS HAS AN EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL...NORMAL...OR BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE FOR SEPTEMBER...OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER.
KEEP UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST DROUGHT INFORMATION AT THE FOLLOWING
WEBSITES...
www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/ssd/html/drought.htm
www.drought.noaa.gov
www.texasweatherinfo.net/monitoring/meteorological/drought/index.htm
________________________________________________________________________