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Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
000
AXUS75 KRIW 152240
DGTRIW
WYC003-013-017-019-023-025-029-033-035-037-039-041-043-152245-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
440 PM MDT MON APR 15 2013
...MARCH 2013 - 5TH DRIEST OVER LAST 119 YEARS IN WYOMING...
...LAST 12 MONTHS REMAIN THE DRIEST ON RECORD...
SYNOPSIS...
WYOMING HAD THE FIFTH DRIEST MARCH ON ITS 119 YEAR RECORD WITH A
STATEWIDE AVERAGE OF 0.43 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. THE 20TH
CENTURY AVERAGE IS 2.26 INCHES. THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2013
RANK AS THE 4TH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR WYOMING WITH 1.35 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION...AND APRIL 2012 THROUGH MARCH 2013 RANK AS THE
DRIEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR THIS ONE YEAR PERIOD.
THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR FOR WYOMING RELEASED ON APRIL 9TH SHOWED
LITTLE OR NO CHANGE SINCE THE BEGINNING MARCH...AND LITTLE CHANGE
ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN WYOMING SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY.
EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT /D4/ COVERED 9.3 PERCENT OF THE STATE...OR
MOST OF GOSHEN...NIOBRARA AND WESTON COUNTIES...CREEPING INTO
EASTERN CONVERSE AND SOUTHEAST CAMPBELL COUNTIES. EXTREME DROUGHT
/D3/ COVERED MOST OF CENTRAL WYOMING...WITH EXTREME OR EXCEPTIONAL
DROUGHT COVERING 54.0 PERCENT OF WYOMING. SEVERE /D2/ DROUGHT
REMAINED ACROSS THE NORTHEAST...SOUTHEAST CORNERS OF THE STATE AS
WELL AS PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. SEVERE
DROUGHT OR WORSE COVERED 83.6 PERCENT OF WYOMING. MODERATE DROUGHT
/D1/ PREVAILED ACROSS WESTERN UINTA COUNTY...THE STAR VALLEY
...NORTHWEST SUBLETTE COUNTY NORTH THROUGH THE TOGWOTEE PASS AREA.
ABNORMALLY DRY /D0/ CONDITIONS COVERED YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK
AND MOST OF TETON COUNTY.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
RIVER AND STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS.
USGS WYOMING DROUGHT-WATCH 28-DAY MAP OF BELOW AVERAGE STREAMFLOW
SHOWED BELOW NORMAL STREAM FLOW OR MODERATE HYDROLOGIC DROUGHT ACROSS
SOUTHERN WYOMING AS WELL AS BELLE FOURCHE RIVER BASIN IN NORTHEAST
WYOMING. BELOW NORMAL STREAMFLOW WAS ALSO OBSERVED IN THE TONGUE
RIVER BASIN IN SHERIDAN COUNTY AND THE SHOSHONE AND CLARKS FORK
RIVER BASINS IN NORTHWEST WYOMING.
FIRE WEATHER IMPACTS.
NO FUELS WERE CLASSIFIED AS CRITICAL IN ANY AREAS ACROSS WEST AND
CENTRAL WYOMING. MOST FUELS RECEIVED ADDITIONAL SNOW DURING
THE FIRST HALF OF APRIL WITH LOWER SLOPES BEGINNING TO GREEN UP. CONTACT
YOUR LOCAL COUNTY OFFICIALS FOR THE LATEST BURNING RESTRICTIONS.
THE SIGNIFICANT WILDLAND FIRE POTENTIAL OUTLOOK SHOWED NORMAL
LIKELIHOOD...OR AS WOULD USUALLY BE EXPECTED...FOR WILDFIRE
OCCURRENCE AND BECOME SIGNIFICANT EVENTS THROUGH JULY 2013.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
BELOW ARE THE CUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FROM SELECTED
LOCATIONS ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL WYOMING FOR THE CURRENT WATER
YEAR...OCTOBER 2012 THROUGH MARCH 2013.
LOCATION PRECIPITATION % AVERAGE
OCT 2012-MAR 2013
-------- ------------- -----------
AIRPORTS
* BIG PINEY 0.62 29
* BUFFALO 2.29 64
+ CASPER 3.06 72
^ EVANSTON 3.11 65
+ GREYBULL 0.09 46
+ LANDER 3.97 81
+ RIVERTON 1.83 66
* ROCK SPRINGS 0.32 (M) M
* SHERIDAN 4.56 96
+ WORLAND 1.71 80
M - ROCK SPRINGS MISSING PCPN DATA JAN-MAR 2013.
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER STATIONS
^ AFTON 7.85 95
* BILLY CREEK 2.79 (M) 94
+ BITTER CREEK 4 NE 2.01 83
* FOSSIL BUTTE
NATIONAL MONUMENT 5.36 114
* GREEN RIVER 4.12 131
+ JEFFREY CITY 2.14 61
MOOSE 11.05 86
OLD FAITHFUL 12.42 93
* POWELL FIELD STATION 0.99 66
+ RIVERTON (DOWNTOWN) 2.06 77
* THERMOPOLIS 2.68 64
+ LOCATION IN EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/
* LOCATION IN SEVERE DROUGHT /D2/
^ LOCATION IN MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/
(M) MISSING PRECIPITATION DATA IN RECORD
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS...
THE ONE MONTH AND THREE MONTH OUTLOOKS WILL BE UPDATED ON THE
THIRD THURSDAY OF THE CURRENT MONTH FOR THE NEXT MONTH AND THREE
MONTH OUTLOOKS.
THE THREE MONTH OUTLOOK FOR APRIL...MAY AND JUNE SHOWS A GREATER
THAN EQUAL CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL WYOMING OR SOUTH OF A GILLETTE TO AFTON LINE. NORTH OF
THIS LINE...THERE ARE EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW...OR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES. THE PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK FOR THIS THREE MONTH
PERIOD SHOWS A BETTER THAN EQUAL CHANCE FOR BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST CORNER...MAINLY UINTA COUNTY.
THE REST OF WYOMING HAS EQUAL CHANCES FOR ABOVE...BELOW OR NORMAL
PRECIPITATION OR NO SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE SIGNAL.
DEVELOPMENT OF EL NINO CONDITIONS STALLED OUT IN SEPTEMBER IN THE
PACIFIC OCEAN. ENSO NEUTRAL CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED THROUGH
WINTER 2012-13 INTO EARLY SPRING. ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO SUMMER 2013.
THE U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK RELEASED ON APRIL 4TH SHOWED
THAT DROUGHT CONDITIONS WILL EXPECTED TO PERSIST ACROSS ALL AREAS
IN WYOMING CURRENTLY CLASSIFIED WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS...OR ALL
AREAS EXCEPT YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK AND MOST OF TETON
COUNTY...THROUGH THE END OF JUNE 2013.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
SNOWPACK DATA FOR APRIL 14TH -
DRAINAGE BASIN PERCENT OF AVERAGE PERCENT CHANGE
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT SINCE MARCH 22ND
(BASED ON 1981-2010 NORMALS)
SNAKE RIVER 96 +4
MADISON 95 +2
YELLOWSTONE 97 +4
WIND RIVER 84 +5
BIG HORN BASIN 97 +1
SHOSHONE RIVER 93 +2
POWDER 105 +7
TONGUE 87 -2
BELLE FOURCHE 112 +41
CHEYENNE 103 +10
UPPER NORTH PLATTE 84 +3
SWEETWATER 75 +4
LOWER NORTH PLATTE 73 +7
LARAMIE 86 +4
SOUTH PLATTE 95 +13
LITTLE SNAKE RIVER 77 -5
UPPER GREEN 85 +2
LOWER GREEN 99 +14
UPPER BEAR 84 +8
_____________________________________________
RESERVOIR DATA FOR APRIL 14TH -
RESERVOIR PERCENT FULL
CENTRAL WYOMING
BOYSEN 71.6
BUFFALO BILL 67.8
BULL LAKE 51.6
PATHFINDER 40.3
UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN
BIG SANDY 28.0
FONTENELLE 39.0
FLAMING GORGE 80.0
UPPER SNAKE RIVER BASIN
GRASSY LAKE 87.0
JACKSON LAKE 75.0
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON APRIL 25 2013 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/...
TO REPORT EFFECTS OF THE DROUGHT IN YOUR AREA...PLEASE GO TO THE
DROUGHT IMPACT REPORTER AT...
HTTP://DROUGHTREPORTER.UNL.EDU/
...AND CLICK ON SUBMIT A REPORT.
INFORMATION FOR THE MEDIA MAY BE FOUND AT...
HTTP://DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/NEWSOUTREACH/INFORMATIONFORMEDIA.ASPX
NWS RIVERTON DROUGHT PAGE...
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/RIW/?N=DROUGHT
USGS WYOMING DROUGHT WATCH...
HTTP://WY.WATER.USGS.GOV/PROJECTS/DROUGHT/
U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.GOV
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE...HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER /CPC/...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV
ADDITIONAL RIVER AND RESERVOIR INFORMATION...
NWS ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE /AHPS/...
HTTP://WWW.WATER.GOV/AHPS2/INDEX.PHP?WFO=RIW
NRCS WYOMING...HTTP://WWW.WY.NRCS.USDA.GOV
USGS...HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/
USBR...HTTP://WWW.USBR.GOV/
WATER RESOURCE DATA SYSTEM (WRDS)...HTTP://WWW.WRDS.UWYO.EDU
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...USACE AND USGS.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT...
ARTHUR MEUNIER
CLIMATE/DROUGHT FOCAL POINT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
12744 WEST US HIGHWAY 26
RIVERTON, WY 82501
TELEPHONE...307-857-3898
............800-211-1448
EMAIL...ARTHUR.MEUNIER@NOAA.GOV
$$
- National Weather Service
- Western and Central Wyoming Weather Forecast Office
- 12744 West U.S. Hwy 26
- Riverton, WY 82501
- 307-857-3898
- Page Author: RIW Webmaster
- Web Master's E-mail: w-riw.webmaster@noaa.gov
- Page last modified: May 1st, 2013 15:32 UTC