195
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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