142
AXUS74 KEPZ 210352 RRA
DGTEPZ
NMZ022>025-030>32-TXC055>056-
DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TEXAS /SANTA TERESA NEW MEXICO 900
850 PM NOV 20 2009
...SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED TO EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN
HIDALGO COUNTY WITH MODERATE DROUGHT NOW PREVAILING OVER THE WESTERN
TWO THIRDS OF THAT COUNTY. ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY IN
PLACE OVER ALL OF GRANT COUNTY AND THE WESTERN HALF OF LUNA COUNTY
AND ALSO OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF OTERO COUNTY NEW MEXICO AND OVER
THE EXTREME NORTHEAST PORTION OF HUDSPETH COUNTY IN FAR WEST
TEXAS...
SYNOPSIS...
RAINFALL IN THE EL PASO AREA IS RUNNING 81.4% OF NORMAL SO FAR THIS
YEAR. WITH 6.89 INCHES AS OF 11/20 (1.57 INCHES BELOW NORMAL). AFTER
THE THIRD DRIEST START ON RECORD FROM JAN 1 THROUGH MAY 20...JUNE'S
RAINFALL OF 2.24 INCHES (WITH A RECORD ANOMALY IN A SINGLE EVENT OF
OF 1.85 INCHES ON JUNE 28) WAS 257 PERCENT ABOVE NORMAL. THE
OFFICIAL MONSOON SEASON IS NOW DEFINED AS JUNE 15 - SEP 30 AND EL
PASO RECEIVED5.82 INCHES WHICH IS 110% OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR
THIS MONSOON SEASON. HOWEVER PRECIPITATION F0R JULY AND AUG WAS ONLY
33% OF NORMAL. BUT PRECIPITATION FOR SEPTEMBER THROUGH SEPTEMBER
19TH RAN 174% OF NORMAL WITH SEPTEMBER 17TH SETTING A NEW DAILY
RECORD OF .8 INCHES. THEN IT SHUT OFF WITH EL PASO RECEIVING ONLY A
TRANCE OF RAIN SINCE SEPTEMBER 19TH. OVERALL THE ENTIRE COUNTY
WARNING AREA IN THE LAST 60 DAYS IS AVERAGING FROM 0% TO 30% OF
NORMAL PRECIPITATION LEADING TO THE ANTECEDENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS
RETURNING AND MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT ON THE ARIZONA NEW MEXICO
BORDER OF HIDALGO COUNTY. PRECIPITATION FOR THE YEAR TO DATE OVER
THE BORDERLAND IS RUNNING AROUND 5 TO 25% OF NORMAL IN MOST OF
HUDSPETH AND SOUTHEAST OTERO COUNTIES. OTHERWISE IT IS RUNNING FROM
45% TO 85% FOR EL PASO...WESTERN OTERO...DONA
ANA...LUNA...SIERRA...GRANT...AND HIDALGO COUNTIES. ISOLATED AREAS
OF 110% TO 150% OF NORMAL EXIST IN SIERRA COUNTY.
THE CURRENT U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR MAP CAN BE FOUND
AT...HTTP://DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML
..ENSO ALERT STATUS: AN EL NINO 'ADVISORY' IS NOW IN EFFECT
EL
NINO CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO LAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN
HEMISPHERE WINTER OF 2009-2010 AND ARE FORECAST TO PEAK IN LATE 2009
INTO EARLY 2010...
..SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK
THE U.S. SEASONAL DROUGHT OUTLOOK WHICH FORECASTS THE DROUGHT
TENDENCY FROM NOVEMBER 20,2009 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2010 SHOWS NO CHANGE IN
PRESENT CONDITIONS FOR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS.
VIEW THESE FORECASTS AT HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/FORECAST.HTML
IMPACTS...
D2 = SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY CROP OR PASTURE
LOSSES. FIRE RISK IS VERY HIGH WITH SOME WATER SHORTAGES. IF WATER
ARE NEEDED THEY WOULD BE TYPICALLY VOLUNTARY OR LOCALLY MANDATED. D2
DROUGHT IS DEFINED AS A 1 IN 10 YEAR DROUGHT.
D1 = MODERATE CONDITIONS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY SOME DAMAGE TO CROPS
AND PASTURES WITH HIGH FIRE RISK AND STREAM AND RESERVOIR LEVELS
THAT ARE FOR THE MOST PART LOW. WATER SHORTAGES START TO DEVELOP
AND IN SOME AREAS VOLUNTARY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS MAY BE REQUESTED.
D0 = ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS SIGNAL THE POSSIBLE ONSET OF DROUGHT
WITH SLOW CROP GROWTH ELEVATED FIRE RISK DANGER TO ABOVE AVERAGE.
REMEMBER THAT DROUGHT IS THE LEADING HAZARD IN ECONOMIC LOSES EACH
YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES. THE EXTREME DROUGHT OVER CENTRAL TEXAS
DURING THE LAST YEAR HAS INFLICTED A ONE BILLION DOLLAR LOST TO
AGRICULTURE INTERESTS IN THE LONE START STATE ALREADY AND IS STILL
PERSISTING IN SOME PARTS OF SOUTHERN TEXAS AT THIS TIME.
PRECIPITATION/TEMPERATURE OUTLOOKS...
WITH THE ONGOING EL NINO...THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OF NOAA
CONTINUES TO PREDICT HIGHER THAN NORMAL CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION
OVER SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS FROM DECEMBER 2009 INTO
MAY OF 2010.
NEXT ISSUANCE DATE...
THIS PRODUCT WILL USUALLY BE UPDATED AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH OR MORE
OFTEN IF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN WEATHER...WATER SUPPLY...OR DROUGHT
CONDITIONS OCCUR.
RELATED WEB SITES...
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT OR PAST DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE
FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/...
U.S DROUGHT MONITOR...HTTP://DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML
NWS PRECIPITATION ANALYSIS PAGE...
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/RFCSHARE/PRECIP_ANALYSIS_NEW.PHP
PUBLIC LANDS INFORMATION CENTER...
HTTP://PUBLICLANDS.ORG/FIRENEWS/PRESSRELEASES/NM.PHP
CLIMATOLOGY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY LINKS...
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/WHATIS/CLIMLINKS.HTM
WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER...
HTTP://WWW.WRCC.DRI.EDU/INDEX.HTML
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER...HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/
ADDITIONAL RIVER INFORMATION...
NWS...HTTP://AHPS.SRH.NOAA.GOV/INDEX.PHP?WFO=ABQ
USGS...HTTP://WATERDATA.USGS.GOV/NM/NWIS/CURRENT?TYPE=FLOW
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE
NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA CENTER...
THE USDA...STATE AND REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTERS AND THE NATIONAL
DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
7955 AIRPORT ROAD
SANTA TERESA NM 88008
PHONE...505-589-4088
DAVID NOVLAN CLIMATE FOCAL POINT
DAVE.NOVLAN@NOAA.GOV
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/ELPASO
NOVLAN
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