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Drought Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
000 AXUS75 KBOU 172205 DGTBOU COC001-005-013-014-019-031-035-039-047-049-057-059-069-073-075-087- 093-095-115-117-121-123-000031- DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 405 PM MDT FRI MAY 17 2013 ...DROUGHT RELIEF CONTINUES ALONG AND EAST OF THE NORTHERN COLORADO FRONT RANGE... SYNOPSIS... GOOD SPRING MOISTURE AND BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUED IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO IN EARLY MAY. ON THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS /D0/ HAVE REPLACED MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ ALONG THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR INCLUDING BOULDER...BROOMFIELD...CLEAR CREEK...GILPIN... NORTHERN JEFFERSON...WESTERN DENVER...EXTREME WESTERN ADAMS...WESTERN WELD AND EASTERN LARIMER COUNTIES EAST OF THE DIVIDE AS WELL AS EXTREME SOUTHEAST SUMMIT AND GRAND COUNTIES WEST OF THE DIVIDE. SEVERE DROUGHT /D2/ CONTINUED ON THE FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS WITH EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/ IN THE EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF COLORADO. MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ PREVAILED IN JACKSON...GRAND...SUMMIT AND NORTHWEST LARIMER COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. SEVERE DROUGHT /D2/ WAS DOWNGRADED TO MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ IN NORTHERN JACKSON...NORTHERN PARK...DOUGLAS...SOUTHERN JEFFERSON...WESTERN ELBERT...CENTRAL ARAPAHOE AND ADAMS...WESTERN MORGAN AND CENTRAL WELD COUNTIES. EXCEPTIONAL /D4/ AND EXTREME /D3/ DROUGHT RECEDED SOUTHWARD IN LINCOLN AND ELBERT COUNTIES IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO ON THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS... THE WINTER WHEAT CROP HAS IMPROVED NEAR AND WEST OF STATE HIGHWAY 71 AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70 ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS. FROM THE USDA COLORADO CROP REPORT ON MAY 13TH...PRECIPITATION REPLENISHED DRY AREAS IN SOME PORTIONS OF COLORADO IMPROVING CROP AND PASTURE CONDITIONS IN THOSE LOCALITIES. THE PACE OF THE CROP GERMINATION SLOWED IN AREAS AFFECTED BY DRY AND COOL CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...PRODUCERS IN LOCALIZED AREAS MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS PLANTING CROPS LAST WEEK. PASTURE AND RANGE CONDITIONS IMPROVED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LAST WEEK`S PRECIPITATION EVENTS WITH 64 PERCENT RATED VERY POOR TO POOR...COMPARED WITH 76 PERCENT THE WEEK PRIOR. HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... WITH THE WET WEATHER PATTERN THIS SPRING...MOUNTAIN SNOWPACK IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO ROSE DRAMATICALLY AND BY LATE APRIL RIVER BASINS HAD REACHED 95 TO NEAR 100 PERCENT OF THEIR AVERAGE ANNUAL PEAK SNOWPACK. THE SNOWPACK WAS 114 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN...97 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN AND 78 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE NORTH PLATTE BASIN ON MAY 17TH. COOLER TEMPERATURES IN LATE APRIL AND EARLY MAY SLOWED THE SNOWMELT WITH LOW STREAMFLOWS CONTINUING. AS A RESULT...RESERVOIR STORAGE REMAINED FAIRLY STEADY. COMBINED RESERVOIR STORAGE WAS ONLY 67 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN AND 87 PERCENT OF AVERAGE IN THE SOUTH PLATTE BASIN AT THE END OF APRIL. HOWEVER...STREAMFLOWS HAVE INCREASED WITH THE WARMER TEMPERATURES THE PAST WEEK. BY MAY 17TH THE MAJORITY OF USGS STREAM GAUGES IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO WERE RECORDING NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL STREAMFLOWS. THE U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK RELEASED MAY 16TH IS NO LONGER FORECASTING DROUGHT ALONG THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR. SOME DROUGHT IMPROVEMENT IS POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE ACROSS NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. DROUGHT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST OR INTENSIFY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO CLIMATE SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK... MAY TEMPERATURES VARIED CONSIDERABLY FROM 20 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE THE FIRST OF MAY TO NEARLY 20 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE BY MID MAY. MAY 1ST THROUGH 16TH UNOFFICIAL PRECIPITATION TOTALS AT SELECTED LOCATIONS ARE LISTED BELOW: LOCATION 2013 AVERAGE DEPARTURE % AVERAGE -------- ---- ------- --------- --------- NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS DILLON 1.77 0.66 1.11 268 ESTES PARK 2.78 1.34 1.44 207 FRASER 1.33 0.82 0.51 162 GEORGETOWN 2.56 1.08 1.48 237 GRANT 2.24 0.74 1.50 303 WALDEN 0.81 0.69 0.12 117 WINTER PARK 1.86 1.47 0.39 127 NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR BOULDER 2.36 1.38 0.98 171 DENVER DOWNTOWN 1SW 1.30 1.46 -0.16 89 FORT COLLINS 1.96 1.17 0.79 168 GREELEY 1.58 1.17 0.41 135 LOVELAND 2.55 1.11 1.44 230 NORTHGLENN 1.36 1.13 0.23 120 WHEAT RIDGE 1.45 1.26 0.19 115 NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS BYERS 5ENE 1.41 1.14 0.27 124 HOLYOKE 0.68 1.42 -0.74 48 HUGO 1.49 0.77 0.72 194 NEW RAYMER 21N 1.20 1.17 0.03 103 SEDGWICK 5S 0.57 1.40 -0.83 41 SHAW 4ENE 1.28 1.05 0.23 122 WOODROW 6NNE 0.40 1.14 -0.74 35 THREE MONTH UNOFFICIAL PRECIPITATION TOTALS FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL ARE SHOWN IN THE TABLE BELOW: LOCATION 2013 AVERAGE DEPARTURE % AVERAGE -------- ---- ------- --------- --------- NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS DILLON 5.27 3.20 2.07 165 ESTES PARK 5.04 4.67 0.37 108 FRASER 5.21 5.20 0.01 100 GEORGETOWN 4.80 4.61 0.19 104 GRANT 3.05 3.25 -0.20 94 WALDEN 1.93 2.60 -0.67 74 WINTER PARK 6.40 7.89 -1.49 81 NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR BOULDER 6.99 5.88 1.11 119 DENVER DOWNTOWN 1SW 3.60 4.13 -0.53 87 FORT COLLINS 4.34 4.05 0.29 107 GREELEY 4.53 3.33 1.20 136 LAKEWOOD 5.18 4.26 0.92 122 NORTHGLENN 4.23 3.41 0.82 124 WHEAT RIDGE 4.32 4.78 -0.46 90 NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS BYERS 5ENE 3.65 3.24 0.41 113 HOLYOKE 3.28 3.43 -0.15 96 HUGO 2.78 2.01 0.77 138 NEW RAYMER 21N 3.48 3.12 0.36 112 SEDGWICK 5S 2.94 3.59 -0.65 82 SHAW 4ENE 3.59 3.01 0.58 119 WOODROW 6NNE 3.81 2.46 1.35 155 SIX MONTH UNOFFICIAL PRECIPITATION TOTALS FROM NOVEMBER 2012 THROUGH APRIL 2013 ARE LISTED BELOW: LOCATION PAST 6 MONTHS AVERAGE DEPARTURE % AVERAGE -------- ---- ------- --------- --------- NORTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS DILLON 6.91 5.82 1.09 119 ESTES PARK 5.93 6.91 -0.98 86 FRASER 7.67 9.87 -2.20 78 GEORGETOWN 5.95 7.17 -1.22 83 GRANT 4.00 5.26 -1.26 76 WALDEN 3.23 4.69 -1.46 69 WINTER PARK 10.45 14.52 -4.07 72 NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR BOULDER 8.05 8.82 -0.77 91 DENVER DOWNTOWN1SW 4.37 5.94 -1.57 74 FORT COLLINS 4.99 5.71 -0.72 87 GREELEY 5.47 5.11 0.36 107 LOVELAND 6.42 6.15 0.27 104 NORTHGLENN 4.94 5.08 -0.14 97 WHEAT RIDGE 4.97 7.34 -2.37 68 NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS BYERS 5ENE 4.67 4.81 -0.14 97 HOLYOKE 4.05 4.93 -0.88 82 HUGO 3.46 3.02 0.44 115 NEW RAYMER 21N 4.23 4.44 -0.21 95 SEDGWICK 5S 4.03 5.06 -1.03 80 SHAW 4ENE 4.26 4.46 -0.20 96 WOODROW 6NNE 4.92 3.82 1.10 129 THE MAY 25TH-31ST...JUNE AND JUNE THROUGH AUGUST OUTLOOKS ALL CALL FOR BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WITH THE DRIEST CONDITIONS GENERALLY ON THE EASTERN PLAINS. THE 8-14 DAY...30 AND 90 OUTLOOKS ALL CALL FOR ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. NEXT ISSUANCE DATE... THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED BY JUNE 17TH...OR SOONER IF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES OCCUR. && RELATED WEB SITES... ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES (USE LOWER CASE LETTERS): U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU/ LOCAL WEATHER...CLIMATE AND WATER INFORMATION WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BOU COLORADO CLIMATE CENTER/NIDIS DROUGHT PRESENTATIONS HTTP://CCC.ATMOS.COLOSTATE.EDU/DROUGHT_WEBINAR.PHP NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOKS WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV WILDLAND FIRE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM WWW.WFAS.NET/ NDMC DROUGHT IMPACT REPORTER DROUGHTREPORTER.UNL.EDU U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WWW.NASS.USDA.GOV/ WWW.CO.NRCS.USDA.GOV/SNOW/INDEX.HTML USGS COLORADO DROUGHTWATCH WATERWATCH CO.WATER.USGS.GOV/DROUGHT/WATERWATCH.USGS.GOV COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES SOUTH PLATTE AND SWSI REPORTS WWW.DWR.STATE.CO.US/DWRDOCS/PAGES/SPLATTESUMMARY.ASPX WWW.STATE.CO.US/DWRDOCS/REPORTS/PAGES/SWSIREPORT.ASPX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...STATE AND REGIONAL CLIMATOLOGISTS...U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE...NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER AND THE NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER. DATA FOR THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN GATHERED FROM NWS AND FAA OBSERVATION SITES...COOPERATIVE NETWORK STATIONS...NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE SNOTEL NETWORK...COCORAHS NETWORK...COLORADO DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES AND U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STREAM GAGES. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT...PLEASE CONTACT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 325 BROADWAY BOULDER CO 80305 $$ TH
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