Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

9/27 Drought Monitor; TX Range "Improves" From 98% P/VP To 96% P/VP; Minor Rain Relief In Eastern OK

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Environment/Energy Donate to DU
 
hatrack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-29-11 08:47 AM
Original message
9/27 Drought Monitor; TX Range "Improves" From 98% P/VP To 96% P/VP; Minor Rain Relief In Eastern OK
Edited on Thu Sep-29-11 08:48 AM by hatrack


National Drought Summary -- September 27, 2011

The discussion in the Looking Ahead section is simply a description of what the official national guidance from the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction is depicting for current areas of dryness and drought. The NWS forecast products utilized include the HPC 5-day QPF and 5-day Mean Temperature progs, the 6-10 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, and the 8-14 Day Outlooks of Temperature and Precipitation Probability, valid as of late Wednesday afternoon of the USDM release week. The NWS forecast web page used for this section is: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/.

A number of rain events moved across the country again this Drought Monitor week. While the West remained mostly dry, areas of the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast saw areas of much above normal precipitation.

The Southeast: Large areas of rain moved through the Southeast this week with some areas seeing rain almost every day. The most intense precipitation fell from September 22-24 and spread from Alabama and Georgia, across much of the Carolinas and into the Mid-Atlantic. This rain improved areas of Abnormal Dryness (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) in northern Alabama, as well as widespread improvement in Abnormal Dryness (D0), Moderate Drought (D1), and to a lesser extend Severe Drought (D2) across the Carolinas. Southern Virginia saw an improvement in Moderate Drought (D1). Conditions continued to improve in Kentucky with this week’s rainfall reflected in reductions in Abnormal Dryness (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1).

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: Adequate rains fell this week the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. No changes were made in the drought status in this area.

The South: Oklahoma was the lucky recipient of multiple rain events this week, something that has not happened in quite a while. While these events did lead to minor improvement in Extreme Drought (D3) in eastern Oklahoma, the precipitation deficits remain large and the impacts wide-spread. No improvement was made in the rest of the state. This same series of storms also moved through Arkansas and southern Missouri. While it did improve short and long-term precipitation deficits some, impacts, especially to agriculture, are still extreme. Despite the rain, recent impact information led to the elimination of improvements made last week in this area. Conditions in Kansas degraded slightly in the central part of the state with a slight expansion of Abnormal Dryness (D0), Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) Drought. In Texas, mounting dryness in the south, around Brownsville and Beaumont, led to slight degradation of drought conditions. In Texas, 96% of the Pasture and Range land is considered to be in Poor or Very Poor condition, an slight change from last week’s 98%. In Oklahoma, the total is 90% (94% last week).

The Plains and Midwest: Conditions in the Northern Plains deteriorated some this week while in the Midwest, conditions improved slightly. Minnesota saw expansion of Abnormal Dryness (D0) in the southern part of the state. Additional beneficial precipitation this week led to wide improvement in Abnormal Dryness (D0), Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) Drought across Illinois and Indiana.

The West: The West was generally dry this week with the exception of the extreme Northwest and isolated thunderstorm activity across the region. Drought conditions remain unchanged this week.

Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico: Drought conditions remained unchanged in Alaska and Puerto Rico this week. In Hawaii, mounting agricultural impacts led to the introduction of Extreme Drought (D3) in the northwest of the Big Island and the introduction of Moderate Drought (D1) in western Oahu.

Looking Ahead: During the September 28 – October 3, 2011 time period, there is an enhanced probability of precipitation limited to the Northeast, the Northwest, and the extreme Southwest, early in the period. Later, the above-normal probability of precipitation encompasses most of the West and is eliminated in the Northeast. Below normal temperatures are expected in the eastern part of the country early in the period. Later, the chances shift to near-normal. In the West and central part of the country, temperatures are expected to be above normal throughout the period.

For the ensuing 5 days (October 4 – October 8, 2011), the odds favor cooler-than-normal conditions over much of the Southeast and along the West Coast. Warmer-than-normal to normal conditions are expected across the West, through the Plains and into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The odds of above-normal precipitation are limited to the West and primarily in the Northwest. Normal to below-normal precipitation is expected across the Southwest, through the center of the country and along the East Coast. In Alaska, the odds favor above normal precipitation across the southern part of the state. Below–normal temperatures are expected in the same part in the southern part of the state. The northern part of the state is expecting above-normal temperatures.

Author: Michael Brewer, National Climatic Data Center, NOAA

Dryness Categories

D0 ... Abnormally Dry ... used for areas showing dryness but not yet in drought, or for areas recovering from drought.

Drought Intensity Categories
D1 ... Moderate Drought
D2 ... Severe Drought
D3 ... Extreme Drought
D4 ... Exceptional Drought

Drought or Dryness Types
A ... Agricultural
H ... Hydrological



Updated September 28, 2011
EDIT/END

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
Refresh | +3 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
OKIsItJustMe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-29-11 08:53 AM
Response to Original message
1. Meanwhile…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/29/ap/business/main20113215.shtml
September 29, 2011 6:21 AM

The nations weather

AP) Another round of rainy weather is anticipated in Lower Great Lakes, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic Thursday as the lingering low in the Ohio Valley finally lifts northeastward.

Bands of heavy rain and thunderstorms will move through the already saturated areas of northeastern Pennsylvania and central New York through the day. Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches will be possible.

Areas experiencing prolonged showers and storms may have heavier amounts of rainfall. Excessive precipitation in these regions will translate into more localized flooding and chances of flash flooding.

Meanwhile, the Mid-Atlantic will also see some showers and periods of heavy rain as a cold front approaches the coast. This rain may result in some flooding along the coast.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
Uben Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-29-11 10:12 AM
Response to Original message
2. Eastern OK still has burn ban
I called Beaver's Bend a couple of days ago to see if the burn ban was still in effect since they got a little rain. The gal on the phone said it was a drop in the bucket and that the ban was still in effect. I was thinking about a nice weekend there, but no campfire is a deal breaker for me. I'll just wait out this drought. I live about 150 miles SW of there, and we haven't had any run-off rain since May. The lake that I live at is now inaccessible. The launch ramps are high and dry. We usually get at least one hurricane that soaks the area this time of year, but that isn't happening either.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
Viking12 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-29-11 10:58 AM
Response to Original message
3. I guess the prayers worked.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
Fledermaus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-29-11 03:16 PM
Response to Original message
4. I stand in a plastic tub when I shower. I use the water keep my trees alive.
Edited on Thu Sep-29-11 03:17 PM by Fledermaus
I have been thinking of showering in the back yard in a swimsuit. Less work and it would be more efficient.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Sun Dec 22nd 2024, 03:05 AM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Environment/Energy Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC