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FXUS25 KWNC 061330
PMDDRO
US DROUGHT MONITOR DISCUSSION
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
830 AM EST THU 06 MAR 2008
NATIONAL DROUGHT SUMMARY MARCH 4, 2008 THE SOUTHEASTERN AND
MID-ATLANTIC STATES:SEVERAL PRECIPITATION EVENTS IMPACTED
THE REGION, HELPING TO IMPROVE SOME OF THE DROUGHT STATUS.
AT THE END OF THE CURRENT DROUGHT MONITOR PERIOD, SEVERAL
INCHES OF RAIN WERE REPORTED IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION,
WHICH WILL BE ANALYZED NEXT WEEK FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE
DROUGHT STATUS THERE. FOR THIS WEEK, D1 CONDITIONS WERE
PUSHED NORTH IN MARYLAND AND EASTERN VIRGINIA IN RESPONSE TO
LOW STREAMFLOWS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECENT DRYNESS. IN ALABAMA
AND TENNESSEE, THE WESTERN STRETCHES OF THE D3 AND D4 REGIONS
WERE IMPROVED AS UP TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. IN TENNESSEE,
THERE WERE ALSO IMPROVEMENTS TO THE WESTERN EXTENT OF THE D0,
D1 AND D2 CATEGORIES. THE PLAINS: DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUED
TO PLAGUE THE NORTHERN PLAINS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
SEVERAL STATIONS IN SOUTH DAKOTA HAVE RECORDED TOP 10 DRIEST
PERIODS FROM NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY, WITH TWO LOCATIONS HAVING
THE DRIEST ON RECORD. MADISON, SOUTH DAKOTA, HAS RECORDED
JUST 0.92 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION SINCE NOVEMBER, WITH THE
PREVIOUS LOW AMOUNT OF 2.24 INCHES IN 1999. THE WAUBAY NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE IN SOUTH DAKOTA ALSO HAS RECORDED THE LOWEST
RECORDED PRECIPITATION FROM NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY WITH JUST 0.73
INCHES. THIS BREAKS THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.43 SET IN 1967.
IN NORTH DAKOTA, D3 CONDITIONS WERE PUSHED FARTHER TO THE WEST
AND A NEW AREA OF D1 WAS INTRODUCED IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA
AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. D1 CONDITIONS WERE ALSO EXPANDED
IN NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA, BRINGING THE D1 ALL THE WAY EAST TO
THE MISSOURI RIVER. D0 CONDITIONS WERE PUSHED SOUTH IN EASTERN
SOUTH DAKOTA. THE WINTER HAS BEEN DRY BUT COLD FOR MUCH OF
THE NORTHERN PLAINS, LIMITING ANY DROUGHT IMPACTS FOR NOW.
DRYNESS CONTINUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND WEST TEXAS. AFTER AN
EIGHT-MONTH PERIOD OF WET WEATHER IN 2007, THE END OF 2007
AND START OF 2008 HAS BEEN VERY DRY OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN
HALF OF TEXAS. D2 WAS EXPANDED NORTH AND WEST THIS WEEK AND D1
CONDITIONS WERE PUSHED TO THE WEST AS WELL. D0 WAS INTRODUCED
INTO THE BIG BEND REGION AS WELL THIS WEEK. D0 WAS IMPROVED
SLIGHTLY IN SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AS IT WAS ON THE WESTERN
FRINGE OF HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW THIS WEEK. PLACES EAST OF THE
D0 AREA RECEIVED MORE THAN 4 INCHES OF RAIN, WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES
OF SNOW REPORTED ON TOP OF THAT. THE WEST: IT WAS A DRY WEEK
FOR MOST OF THE WEST, AS THE MAIN PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED
ALONG THE OREGON AND WASHINGTON COASTS. SOME IMPROVEMENTS HAVE
BEEN MADE, GENERALLY IN RESPONSE TO THE SNOWPACK CONDITIONS
AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT AMOUNTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEEN
SURVEYED. IN UTAH, A CATEGORICAL IMPROVEMENT TO DROUGHT
INTENSITIES WAS MADE FOR THE ENTIRE STATE EXCEPT FOR THE
NORTHERN DRAINAGE BASINS. WYOMING HAD IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL,
WITH THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER IMPROVED AS WELL AS THE SOUTH
CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. D0 AND D1 CONDITIONS WERE
IMPROVED FOR BOTH REGIONS AS CONTINUED SNOWFALL HAS PUSHED
SEASONAL VALUES ABOVE NORMAL. IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH IDAHO
AND MONTANA WERE ALSO MADE WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS IN WYOMING.
FOR THE WEST IN GENERAL, IF THE ABOVE-NORMAL SNOWPACK CONTINUES,
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AS
WE REACH THE LATER PORTIONS OF THE SNOW SEASON. HAWAII: D0
WAS INTRODUCED INTO SEVERAL OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS THIS WEEK.
MOST OF MAUI DID NOT SEE MUCH OF THE HEAVY RAINS THAT OCCURRED
DURING EARLY FEBRUARY, WHICH INCLUDED 40 INCHES IN 5 DAYS ON THE
EAST SIDE OF THE BIG ISLAND. EAST OAHU AND ALL OF MOLOKAI AND
LANAI WERE PUT INTO D0 AS WELL BECAUSE OF LOW RAINFALL TOTALS.
LOOKING AHEAD: DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS /THROUGH MARCH 10/,
THE PERIOD BEGINS WITH A MEAN TROUGH PATTERN WORKING THROUGH
THE GREAT LAKES. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH AND OUT OF
NEW ENGLAND, THE GENERAL PATTERN BECOMES ZONAL FOR THE UNITED
STATES. PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH WILL ALLOW
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION OVER NEW ENGLAND AND SOUTH ALONG THE
EAST COAST. SECONDARY PRECIPITATION MAXIMA ARE FORECASTED
FOR EAST TEXAS AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. TEMPERATURES ARE
FORECASTED TO BE BELOW NORMAL FOR ALL AREAS FROM THE ROCKY
MOUNTAINS EAST. TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES WILL RANGE FROM 15
DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BELOW AVERAGE NEAR THE GREAT LAKES AND 6 TO
9 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BELOW AVERAGE OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS AND
SOUTHEAST. WARM CONDITIONS DOMINATE THE PACIFIC COAST DURING
THIS TIME, WITH TEMPERATURES 3 TO 9 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT ABOVE
AVERAGE. THE NWS 6 TO 10 DAY OUTLOOK FOR MARCH 11-15 IS SETTING
UP TO BE A TRANSITIONAL PERIOD FOR THE UNITED STATES WITH ZONAL
FLOW CHANGING TO MORE MERIDIONAL FLOW OVER THE WESTERN AND
CENTRAL UNITED STATES. BELOW-NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED
OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN TIER OF THE COUNTRY AND UP THE EAST
COAST AND ALASKA. THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, NORTHERN PLAINS,
AND UPPER MIDWEST ARE LOOKING AT ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
TEMPERATURES OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES LOOK
TO BE BELOW NORMAL WITH AREAS WEST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER NEAR
NORMAL. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SOUTHERN NEVADA AND ARIZONA ARE
FORECASTED TO HAVE ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES. AUTHOR: BRIAN
FUCHS, NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER
DROUGHT INTENSITY CATEGORIES...
D0 ABNORMALLY DRY...
D1 MODERATE DROUGHT...
D2 SEVERE DROUGHT...
D3 EXTREME DROUGHT...
D4 EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT
DROUGHT TYPES...
USED ONLY WHEN IMPACTS DIFFER...
A AGRICULTURAL...
H HYDROLOGIC.
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