National Weather Service Text Product Display

Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS North Platte, NE
Versions: 1 2 3
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AXUS73 KLBF 161327
DGTLBF
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-182359-

DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
825 AM CDT THU MAY 16 2013

...NO CHANGE TO THE EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

.SYNOPSIS...

THE WEATHER PATTERN FROM MID APRIL THROUGH MID MAY HAS REMAINED
ACTIVE ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WHICH IS TYPICAL
FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AS THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE CONTINUES ITS
TRANSITION TO SUMMER. SEVERAL STORM SYSTEMS MOVED ACROSS THE PLAINS
IN THE LAST 30 DAYS AND ALLOWED FOR A FEW CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION.
THE LAST PART OF APRIL INTO THE FIRST PART OF MAY CONTINUED TO BE
COOLER THAN AVERAGE HOWEVER...THEREFORE SOME OF THE PRECIPITATION
FELL IN THE FORM OF SNOW EVEN INTO THE FIRST OF MAY IN SOME PARTS OF
THE AREA. HOWEVER...AS WARMER AIR MOVED INTO THE AREA INTO MID
MAY...RAIN WAS THE DOMINATE PRECIPITATION TYPE. SOME AREAS WERE ABLE
TO SEE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL THAT CAME WITH THUNDERSTORMS WHICH
PROVIDED LOCALIZED SHORT TERM DROUGHT RELIEF...THOUGH LONG TERM
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION DEFICITS STILL REMAIN ACROSS ALL OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

.LOCAL AREAS AFFECTED...

AS OF MAY 16...ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR...EXCEPTIONAL
DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT ACROSS
HOOKER...MCPHERSON...PERKINS...EASTERN KEITH...WESTERN LINCOLN AND
EASTERN ARTHUR COUNTIES. ELSEWHERE...EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE
PRESENT.

.CLIMATE SUMMARY...

SUMMARY OF RECENT MONTHLY RAINFALL CONDITIONS FROM SELECTED STATIONS
ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE SUMMARY INCLUDES THE
PREVIOUS 12 MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTALS...MAY 2012 TO APRIL
2013...THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTALS...NOVEMBER 2012 TO
APRIL...THE PREVIOUS 3 MONTH PRECIPITATION TOTALS...FEBRUARY TO
APRIL...AND THE PRECIPITATION TOTALS SO FAR IN MAY...THROUGH MAY 15.

              12 MONTH PRECIP/INCHES       6 MONTH PRECIP/INCHES

LOCATION       MAY-APR  NORMAL   DEP   |  NOV-APR  NORMAL    DEP
NORTH PLATTE     7.23   20.23 -13.00   |    3.46    5.21   -1.75
VALENTINE        9.58   20.02 -10.44   |    5.42    5.05   +0.37
BROKEN BOW *     4.70   23.62 -18.92   |    3.30    6.45   -3.15
IMPERIAL   *     9.00   19.14 -10.14   |    3.15    4.75   -1.12

               3 MONTH PRECIP/INCHES     THRU MAY 15 PRECIP/INCHES

LOCATION       FEB-APR  NORMAL   DEP   |   MAY 15  NORMAL    DEP
NORTH PLATTE     2.80    3.82  -1.02   |    1.39    1.44   -0.05
VALENTINE        4.41    3.77  +0.64   |    0.56    1.43   -0.87
BROKEN BOW *     2.78    4.55  -1.77   |    1.07    1.67   -0.60
IMPERIAL   *     2.30    3.42  -1.12   |    0.83    1.29   -0.46

PRIMARY LOCATION OF PRECIPITATION DATA IS FROM THE AUTOMATED
SENSORS AT THE AIRPORT.
*  PRECIPITATION DATA INCLUDES A COMBINATION OF AUTOMATED SENSORS
   AND COOPERATIVE DATA.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS WERE GENERALLY NEAR
NORMAL OR BELOW NORMAL ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA. APRIL WAS WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA. EXCEPTION WAS
ACROSS FAR NORTHERN NEBRASKA...WHICH WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR FEBRUARY.

                           AVERAGE TEMPERATURE/DEGREE F

LOCATION      FEB  NORMAL  DEP | MAR  NORMAL  DEP | APR  NORMAL  DEP
NORTH PLATTE  28.9  29.0  -0.2 | 36.6  38.0  -1.4 | 42.9  47.6  -4.7
VALENTINE     28.4  27.2  +1.2 | 34.0  36.2  -2.2 | 40.2  46.7  -6.5
BROKEN BOW    27.9  28.0  -0.1 | 33.7  37.7  -4.0 | 42.0  47.8  -5.8
IMPERIAL      31.0  31.5  -0.5 | 38.5  39.8  -1.3 | 44.2  48.5  -4.3

.RIVER AND RESERVOIR CONDITIONS...

DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO IMPACT STREAMFLOWS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA THROUGH THE MONTH OF
MAY....ALTHOUGH IMPROVEMENT IS BEING OBSERVED.

AT MID MAY...THE HIGHEST IMPACTS FROM THE DROUGHT WAS BEING OBSERVED
ACROSS THE NORTH AND SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASINS...AND THE REPUBLICAN
RIVER BASIN. HOWEVER...NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE FIRST HALF
OF MAY HAS HELPED TO BEGIN IMPROVEMENT IN THESE STREAMFLOWS. AT THIS
TIME...THESE AREAS WERE SEEING STREAMFLOWS BEING MEASURED BETWEEN 10
AND 30 PERCENT OF NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

GROUND WATER LEVELS VARY ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.
MUCH OF THE PANHANDLE AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA CONTINUE TO OBSERVE
LEVELS WELL BELOW NORMAL...EVEN THOUGH LEVELS ARE SHOWING SOME
IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PAST MONTH. MANY SITES STILL REMAIN BELOW 50
PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE SANDHILLS HAVE SEEN GROUND WATER LEVELS
RECHARGE OVER THE WINTER AND SPRINGTIME MONTHS...WITH LEVELS
INCREASING TO NEAR NORMAL.

SNOWPACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS IN THE SOURCE REGION OF THE NORTH AND
SOUTH PLATTE RIVERS HAS INCREASED SINCE MID APRIL. HOWEVER...RUNOFF
INTO THESE RIVERS IS FORECAST TO BE 30 TO 55 PERCENT OF NORMAL. IN
ADDITION...CONCERNING FLOW ALONG THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER...WATER
STORAGE FROM RESERVOIRS IS NEAR 45 PERCENT OF NORMAL...THEREFORE
LESS WATER WILL LIKELY BE RELEASED INTO THE RIVER THROUGH THE COMING
MONTHS TO KEEP STREAMFLOWS BELOW NORMAL LEVELS.

.FIRE DANGER IMPACTS...

ELEVATED FIRE CONCERNS CONTINUE LATE THIS SPRING AS AREA FUELS
REMAIN PRIME FOR BURNING.  LOCAL FIRE MANAGEMENT OFFICERS CONTINUE
TO STRESS THAT ALL NATIVE FUELS WOULD CARRY FIRE...ESPECIALLY WITHIN
CURED 1 HR FUELS...WHICH RESPOND RAPIDLY TO CHANGES IN ATMOSPHERIC
MOISTURE.

FIRE ACTIVITY WILL CERTAINLY REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH THE EARLY
SUMMER MONTHS UNLESS SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION WERE TO OCCUR.
EVEN THEN...LARGE FUELS SUCH AS THE PONDEROSA PINES FOUND ALONG THE
PINE RIDGE...MCKELVIE AND NEBRASKA NATIONAL FOREST WOULD REMAIN
PRIME FOR BURNING.  A PROLONGED WET PERIOD WILL BE REQUIRED TO
ENTIRELY ALLEVIATE THE RISK OF EXTREME FIRE SPREAD WITHIN THE LARGE
FUELS.

BOTTOM LINE...ACTIVE FIRE ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO BE A MAJOR
CONCERN THROUGH SUMMER...DESPITE THE LIMITED GREEN UP...UNLESS
SIGNIFICANT WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS REALIZED.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE NORTH PLATTE NWS FIRE WEATHER
WEB SITE PROVIDED BELOW...OR CONTACT THE NORTH PLATTE FIRE WEATHER
FOCAL POINT /SHAWN JACOBS/ DIRECTLY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE NORTH PLATTE NWS FIRE WEATHER
WEB SITE PROVIDED BELOW...OR CONTACT THE NORTH PLATTE FIRE WEATHER
FOCAL POINT /SHAWN JACOBS/ DIRECTLY.

HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LBF/FORECASTS/FIREWX/FIREWX.PHP


.PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS...

ACCORDING TO THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...THE LATEST ONE MONTH
OUTLOOK COVERING THE MONTH OF JUNE...CALLS FOR ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND
NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  THE LATEST THREE MONTH OUTLOOK COVERING
JUNE...JULY AND AUGUST...FORECASTS ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA.

.QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS INFORMATION PLEASE
CONTACT:

CHRIS BUTTLER
CLIMATE SERVICES FOCAL POINT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
NORTH PLATTE NE
CHRISTOPHER.BUTTLER@NOAA.GOV


.RELATED WEB SITES...

LOCAL WEATHER...CLIMATE AND WATER INFORMATION
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LBF

ADDITIONAL RIVER AND RESERVOIR INFORMATION
USGS - HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV
CNPPID - HTTP://CNPPID.COM/LAKE_LEVELS.HTM

U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR
HTTP://DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU

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


.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...

THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...THE USDA...STATE
AND REGIONAL CENTER CLIMATOLOGISTS AND THE DROUGHT MITIGATION
CENTER. INFORMATION FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS
AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...STATE COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
SERVICES...USGS...AND THE CENTRAL NEBRASKA PUBLIC POWER AND
IRRIGATION DISTRICT.


.NEXT ISSUANCE...

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE ROUTINELY ISSUED ON THE THIRD THURSDAY OF THE
MONTH UNLESS DROUGHT CONDITIONS RELAX OR INTENSIFY. THE NEXT ROUTINE
ISSUANCE WILL BE JUNE 20 2013...BUT MAY BE SOONER IF CONDITIONS
CHANGE.

$$

CLB/SJ/JB/JWS/MM
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
