The National Weather Service Forecast Office
in Riverton has issued a statement on the
spreading drought conditions across much of
Wyoming.
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
753 PM MDT THU AUG 2 2012
...SEVERE AND EXTREME DROUGHT SPREAD INTO NORTHERN
AND EASTERN WYOMING DURING JULY...
...PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST IN EXTREME OR SEVERE
DROUGHT RECEIVE ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL IN JULY...
SYNOPSIS...
THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR FOR WYOMING RELEASED
ON JULY 31ST SHOWED MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ OR WORSE
ACROSS ALL BUT THE NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE STATE,
OR ROUGHLY ALONG AND EAST OF AN AFTON TO DUBOIS TO
CODY LINE. SEVERE DROUGHT /D2/ OR WORSE HAD EXPANDED
NORTH ACROSS MOST OF THE NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST.
EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/ REMAINED ACROSS SWEETWATER COUNTY
INTO FAR SOUTHERN FREMONT COUNTY...AND FAR EASTERN
LINCOLN AND UINTA COUNTIES. EXTREME /D3/ DROUGHT HAD
ALSO EXPANDED FROM THE HIGH PLAINS INTO EASTERN
WYOMING. ABNORMALLY DRY /D0/ CONDITIONS WERE
OBSERVED ACROSS MOST OF NORTHWEST WYOMING WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF NORTHERN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.
ONE YEAR AGO...WYOMING WAS 100 PERCENT FREE OF DROUGHT
OR ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS. ABNORMALLY DRY /D0/
OR MODERATE /D1/ DROUGHT CONDITIONS DEVELOPED MORE
RAPIDLY THROUGH THE SPRING AFTER A BELOW NORMAL WINTER
SNOWPACK AND A VERY WARM AND DRY SPRING.
ROCK SPRINGS HAD THE WARMEST AND DRIEST SPRING
MARCH-MAY) ON RECORD. JUNE 2012 WAS THE DRIEST ON RECORD IN
WYOMING SINCE 1895 WITH A STATE AVERAGE OF 0.45 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION. JUNE 2012 WAS ALSO THE 6TH WARMEST OVER THE LAST
118 YEARS IN WYOMING. THE WATER YEAR TO DATE...OCTOBER 2011
THROUGH JUNE 2012...RANKED AS THE 12TH DRIEST FOR WYOMING SINCE
1895...AND THE DRIEST SINCE 2002. THE FIRST HALF OF 2012...JANUARY
THROUGH JUNE...RANKED AS THE SECOND DRIEST OVER THE LAST 118
YEARS. THE DRIEST FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS IN 1919.
SUMMARY OF IMPACTS...
RIVER AND STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS.
28-DAY AVERAGE STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS ON AUGUST 1ST SHOWED MUCH
BELOW NORMAL OR BELOW NORMAL STREAMFLOWS AT MOST STATIONS IN AREAS
CLASSIFIED AS MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ OR HIGHER. THE EXCEPTION WAS
IN THE UPPER AND LOWER GREEN RIVER BASINS WHERE NORMAL STREAMFLOW
CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED. STREAMFLOWS WERE ALSO CLASSIFIED AS
NORMAL NORMAL IN THE NORTHWEST OR IN THE SNAKE RIVER BASIN...UPPER
YELLOWSTONE AND MADISON RIVER BASINS.
FIRE WEATHER IMPACTS...
FUELS WERE CLASSIFIED AS CRITICAL IN ALL AREAS ACROSS WEST AND
CENTRAL WYOMING. ON AUGUST 2ND...FIRE DANGER WAS CLASSIFIED AS
VERY HIGH TO EXTREME ACROSS MOST AREAS IN MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/ OR
HIGHER. FIRE DANGER WAS MODERATE TO HIGH ACROSS PORTIONS OF
NORTHWEST WYOMING WHICH WERE FREE OF DROUGHT OR ABNORMALLY DRY
/D0/. THE SEASONAL SIGNIFICANT WILDLAND FIRE POTENTIAL OUTLOOK
FOR AUGUST THROUGH OCTOBER 2012 SHOWED ABOVE NORMAL SIGNIFICANT
FIRE POTENTIAL PERSISTING ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL WYOMING.
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY OFFICIALS FOR THE LATEST BURNING
RESTRICTIONS.
CLIMATE SUMMARY...
BELOW ARE THE CUMULATIVE PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS FROM SELECTED
LOCATIONS ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL WYOMING FOR THE CURRENT WATER
YEAR...
LOCATION WATER YEAR PRECIPITATION % AVERAGE
TO DATE (OCT 2011-JULY 2012) (1981-2010)
-------- --------------------------- -----------
AIRPORTS
^ BIG PINEY 2.34 47
^ BUFFALO 9.15 81
* CASPER 9.32 81
* EVANSTON 2.98 31
* GREYBULL 4.40 71
^ LANDER 8.51 77
* RIVERTON 4.74 60
+ ROCK SPRINGS 4.89 70
^ SHERIDAN 12.32 103
* WORLAND 3.93 62
COOPERATIVE OBSERVER STATIONS
BEDFORD 3 SE 17.75 96
+ BITTER CREEK 4 NE 3.91 72
* FOSSIL BUTTE
NATIONAL MONUMENT 7.21 80
+ GREEN RIVER 5.82 86
MOOSE 15.65 82
OLD FAITHFUL 24.35 108
^ POWELL FIELD STATION 5.43 96
^ RIVERTON (DOWNTOWN) 4.82 72
* THERMOPOLIS 6.13 62
At Star Valley Ranch for the same period the precipitation was 19.58 and at the 7 south of Smoot
Observation site 18.19.
+ LOCATION IN EXTREME DROUGHT /D3/
* LOCATION IN SEVERE DROUGHT /D2/
^ LOCATION IN MODERATE DROUGHT /D1/
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS...
THE OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST SHOWS A 50 PERCENT OR GREATER CHANCE OF
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS MOST OF WYOMING. THE AUGUST
PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK SHOWS EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORM AL PRECIPITATION...OR NO SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE SIGNAL ACROSS
MOST OF THE STATE.
THE SEASONAL OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST...SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER SHOWS A
GREATER THAN EQUAL CHANCE FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE
SOUTHEAST THIRD OF THE STATE...OR ROUGHLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A
ROCK SPRINGS TO CASPER LINE. EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORMAL TEMPERATURES COVER THE REST OF THE STATE. THE 90 DAY
PRECIPITATION OUTLOOK SHOWS EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...BELOW OR
NORMAL PRECIPITATION...OR NO SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE SIGNAL ACROSS
WYOMING.
THE U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK ISSUED ON AUGUST 2ND SHOWED THAT
DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE LIKELY TO PERSIST OR INTENSIFY THROUGH
OCTOBER ACROSS ALL AREAS IN WYOMING THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN
DROUGHT...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FAR SOUTH WHERE SOME IMPROVEMENT
IS FORECAST. DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE NOT CURRENTLY FORECAST TO
DEVELOP IN NORTHWEST WYOMING.
AN EL NINO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER.
CHANCES HAVE INCREASED FOR EL NINO BEGINNING IN AUGUST- SEPTEMBER
2012 AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE WINTER OF 2012-13. ENSO-NEUTRAL
CONDITIONS PREVAILED ACROSS THE EQUATORIAL PACIFIC FROM MAY
THROUGH JULY FOLLOWING THE DISSIPATION OF LA NINA IN APRIL.
HYDROLOGIC SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK...
THE FOLLOWING RESERVOIR DATA WAS OBTAINED ON AUGUST 1ST...
RESERVOIR PERCENT FULL
CENTRAL WYOMING
BOYSEN 77.3
BUFFALO BILL 93.2
BULL LAKE 97.1
PATHFINDER 54.1
UPPER GREEN RIVER BASIN
BIG SANDY 50.0
FONTENELLE 95.0
FLAMING GORGE 82.0
UPPER SNAKE RIVER BASIN
GRASSY LAKE 100.0
JACKSON LAKE 91.0
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL BE UPDATED ON AUGUST 15 2012 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
USGS...HTTP://WATER.USGS.GOV/
USBR...HTTP://WWW.USBR.GOV/
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
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