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AXUS74 KLUB 241310
DGTLUB
TXC017-045-069-075-079-101-107-125-153-169-189-191-219-263-269-
279-303-305-345-369-433-437-445-501-071315-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
810 AM CDT FRI MAY 24 2013

...LITTLE RELIEF TO THE DROUGHT AS SPRING RAINFALL DISAPPOINTS...

SYNOPSIS...

EXTREME AND EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT LEVELS EXPANDED YET AGAIN ACROSS
MUCH OF THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS...ROLLING PLAINS...AND EXTREME
SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE DURING THE MIDDLE OF MAY. RAINFALL FROM
EARLY THROUGH MID MAY RANGED MOSTLY FROM A TENTH TO A HALF INCH...
OR ONE TO TWO INCHES SHORT OF NORMAL. MID MAY TYPICALLY IS THE
TIME OF YEAR WHEN RAINFALL TOTALS AND FREQUENCY INCREASE
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION AND THUS FAR THAT HAS NOT OCCURRED.

CLIMATE SUMMARY...

NEUTRAL OCEANIC TEMPERATURES LATE IN THE SPRING...AS HAS BEEN
OCCURRING THIS SEASON...TYPICALLY FAVOR DRY AND WARM EPISODES
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS REGION. THE COLD TEMPERATURES OBSERVED
EARLY IN MAY SUDDENLY REVERSED WITH SEVERAL DAYS NEAR OR JUST
ABOVE 100 DEGREES STARTING IN MID MAY. RAINFALL WAS SIGNIFICANT
ONLY IN A FEW SMALLER LOCATIONS WHILE TOTALS WERE NOTABLY LACKING
FOR THE MAJORITY.

PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

IN GENERAL...MOST SIGNALS CONTINUED TO FAVOR A LACK OF PRECIPITATION
AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES HOLDING THROUGH THE SUMMER. THIS DOES NOT
ELIMINATE THE CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT SHOWERY PERIODS...BUT ONLY
SIGNIFIES THAT ODDS SLIGHTLY FAVOR LESS RAIN THAN NORMAL.

SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...

FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS HAVE BEEN INFREQUENT THIS SEASON DUE TO A
VERY REDUCED FUEL LOAD AFTER THREE YEARS OF DROUGHT AND MINIMAL
GROWTH. WIND STORMS HAVE TAPERED OFF AS NORMAL...ALTHOUGH
OCCASIONALLY DRY AND WINDY PERIODS STILL HAVE LED TO ELEVATED FIRE
WEATHER CONCERNS. ENERGY RELEASE COMPONENTS DEVELOPED BY THE TEXAS
FOREST SERVICE HAVE REMAINED VERY HIGH ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS AND
ROLLING PLAINS...WHILE THE KEETCH-BYRAM DROUGHT INDEX FROM THE
TEXAS FOREST SERVICE INDICATES MOST OF THE HIGH PLAINS REMAINING
IN SEVERE DROUGHT WITH LEVELS BETWEEN 600 AND 800...WHILE THE
ROLLING PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS
PANHANDLE REPORTED DROUGHT LEVELS BETWEEN 400 AND 600. NO
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IS ANTICIPATED FOR THE COMING TWO WEEKS.
AS A RESULT...THERE REMAINS RISK FOR RAPID BURN AND SPREAD TO
DEVELOP IN THE WEEKS AHEAD OVER AREAS WITH CONTIGUOUS FUEL LOADING
AS PERIODIC STRONG WIND AND OR DRY LIGHTNING DEVELOPS. FIRE WEATHER
CONCERNS WILL EVENTUALLY EASE ONCE A CONCLUSIVE GREEN-UP OCCURS.

AGRICULTURE CONCERNS

IN SPITE OF THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND ONSET OF SUMMER LIKE
TEMPERATURES...MANY PRODUCERS WERE PROCEEDING WITH SPRING
PLANTING. WINTER WHEAT HAS MOSTLY BEEN EITHER CHOPPED FOR SILEAGE
OR BALED FOR HAY. PASTURES HOWEVER WERE INCREASINGLY IN POOR
CONDITION FOR LACK OF MOISTURE. THE TOLL ON LIVESTOCK AND WELLS
WAS CONTINUING WITH WATER HAULING OR DRILLING DEEPER WELLS BEING
DONE WHILE HAY SUPPLIES WERE DWINDLING FAST FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
CONSIDERABLE RAIN IS NEEDED OVER THE COMING FEW WEEKS.

PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...

IN GENERAL...MOST SIGNALS CONTINUED TO FAVOR A LACK OF
PRECIPITATION AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH MOST OF THE
SUMMER. THIS DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT SHOWERY
PERIODS...BUT ONLY SIGNIFIES THAT THE ODDS SLIGHTLY FAVOR LESS
RAIN THAN NORMAL.

HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...

AREA RESERVOIRS HAVE SHOWN A CONTINUED SLOW DECLINE THROUGH MAY. THE
FOLLOWING RESERVOIR CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED MAY 23RD:

RESERVOIR SUMMARY CONSERVATION POOL   24-HR  MAXIMUM PERCENT OF  RAIN
                      POOL    TODAY  CHANGE  DEPTH  CONSERVATION
                                             (FEET)  CAPACITY
  MACKENZIE LAKE      3100   3005.8   -0.03    56        7       0.00
  WHITE RIVER LAKE    2370   2340.8   -0.04    14        1       0.00
  LAKE ALAN HENRY     2220   2207.4   -0.04    64       68       0.00
  LAKE MEREDITH       2936   2840.4   -0.02  27.4      -11       0.00

NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON JUNE 6TH OR SOONER IF NECESSARY
IN RESPONSE TO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CONDITIONS.

&&

RELATED WEB SITES...

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND
AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

DROUGHT MONITOR:
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML

NOAA DROUGHT PAGE:
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV/

OFFICE OF THE TEXAS STATE CLIMATOLOGIST:
HTTP://WWW.MET.TAMU.EDU/OSC/

NWS PRECIPITATION:
HTTP://WWW.WATER.WEATHER.GOV/PRECIP/

USGS:
HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/

USACE:
HTTP://WWW.MVR.USACE.ARMY.MIL/

CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/:
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/

USDA:
HTTP://WWW.USDA.GOV/OCE/WEATHER/

TEXAS AGRILIFE EXTENSION AGENCY CROP AND WEATHER REPORT:
HTTP://TODAY.AGRILIFE.ORG

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...

THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE 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 OBSERVATIONS SITES...
THE TEXAS TECH/WEST TEXAS MESONET...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...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
2579 SOUTH LOOP 289 SUITE 100
LUBBOCK TEXAS  79423
PHONE: 806-745-4260
SR-LUB.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV

$$