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DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
729 PM PDT SUN MAR 26 2023
...LONG TERM DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT
BASIN AND MOJAVE DESERT...
.SYNOPSIS: AN INCREDIBLY WET WINTER, AND SO FAR SPRING SEASON HAS
LEAD TO SUBSTANTIAL DROUGHT IMPROVEMENTS. HOWEVER, RESERVOIR STORAGE
IN THE COLORADO RIVER BASIN REMAINS AT RECORD LOWS.
DROUGHT INTENSITY AND EXTENT:
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR FROM MARCH 23, SEVERE
(D2)DROUGHT DROUGHT COVERS PARTS MOST OF CLARK, SOUTHERN NYE,
SOUTHEAST INYO AND NORTHEAST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. MODERATE (D1)
DROUGHT COVERS LINCOLN AND CENTRAL NYE COUNTIES, AS WELL AS THE REST
OF THE HIGH DESERT OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY. ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) AND
NO DROUGHT, NOW COVERS MUCH OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA, WESTERN INYO
COUNTY AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES. IN THE PAST MONTH, THERE HAS BEEN 1
TO 3 CLASS IMPROVEMENTS IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS DUE TO THE ACTIVE
WEATHER PATTERN AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
.HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS:
A SERIES OF STRONG STORM SYSTEMS WHICH STARTED IN LATE DECEMBER
LASTED INTO MID JANUARY. THOSE STORMS WERE NOT AS PREVALENT IN THE
FIRST HALF OF FEBRUARY, BUT RETURNED IN LATE FEBRUARY AND LASTING
INTO NOW MARCH. MANY OF THESE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY AMPLE
MOISTURE PRODUCING HEAVY SNOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND RAIN IN THE
VALLEYS. RAIN AND SNOW HAS BEEN PLENTIFUL WITH BISHOP CA REPORTING
THEIR 2ND WETTEST START TO A WATER YEAR SINCE 1968/1969. SNOTEL
STATIONS IN SOUTHERN NEVADA AND CALIFORNIA WATER RESOURCE SNOW
PILLOWS ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA ARE
CURRENTLY SETTING ON RECORD SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT VALUES.
.SUMMARY OF IMPACTS:
HYDROLOGY:
NOW WITH HIGH SOIL MOISTURE VALUES, RIVERS, STREAMS AND WASHES HAVE
BEEN ALL RUNNING ABOVE NORMAL. THERE HAS BEEN FLOODING ON THE MEADOW
VALLEY WASH IN LINCOLN COUNTY. HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCED FLASH FLOODING WITHIN THE MUDDY RIVER/CALIFORNIA WASH
DRAINAGE BASINS. THERE HAS BEEN ABOVE NORMAL FLOWS WITHIN THE BEAVER
DAM WASH AND VIRGIN RIVER LEADING TO MINOR FLOODING AROUND MESQUITE.
THERE HAS BEEN FLOODING FROM HIGH FLOWS WITHIN THE BIG SANDY RIVER
AND BURRO CREEK BASIN IN SOUTHEAST MOHAVE COUNTY. LASTLY, THE MOJAVE
RIVER IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY HAS SEEN ITS HIGHEST FLOWS SINCE
DECEMBER 2010 AND HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY RUNNING SINCE MARCH 15.
LATEST SNOWPACK IN THE MONO-OWENS LAKE BASINS STANDS AT 288% OF
NORMAL OR 274% OF THE APRIL 1 NORMAL, CENTRAL NEVADA DESERT BASIN
248% OF NORMAL, AND THE LOWER COLORADO-LAKE MEAD 345% OF NORMAL.
WATER SUPPLY:
AS OF MARCH 25, LAKE MEAD'S VOLUME STORAGE STANDS AT 7,411 THOUSAND
ACRE-FEET OR 28% FULL. LAKE POWELL'S VOLUME STORAGE STANDS AT 5,358
THOUSAND ACRE-FEET OR 22% FULL. LAKE MOHAVE IS 96% FULL AND LAKE
HAVASU 92% OF CAPACITY.
DUE TO THE MULTIDECADAL DROUGHT, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION DECLARED
WATER YEAR 2023 AS A TIER 2A WATER SHORTAGE FOR THE LOWER BASIN
STATES. THE SHORTAGE DECLARATION INDICATES NEVADA WILL RECEIVE
25,000 LESS ACRE/FEET, ARIZONA 592,000 LESS ACRE/FEET AND MEXICO
104,000 LESS ACRE/FEET FROM LAKE MEAD. DUE TO RECORD LOW WATER
LEVELS AT LAKE POWELL, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION ANNOUNCED EMERGENCY
PLANS TO DELAY THE RELEASE OF 480,000 ACRE-FEET OF WATER TO PROTECT
HYDROPOWER PRODUCTION.
INTAKE 1 WHICH HAS PROVIDED SOUTHERN NEVADANS WITH WATER FROM LAKE
MEAD SINCE 1971 BECOME EXPOSED IN LATE APRIL DUE TO HISTORICALLY LOW
WATER LEVELS. THE 3RD INTAKE WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN 2020 WAS BROUGHT
ON-LINE IN EARLY APRIL IN A LIMITED CAPACITY. ADDITIONAL PUMPS ARE
ON STANDBY WHEN ADDITIONAL CAPACITY IS NEEDED.
NEVADA RECEIVED 1.7 MILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO PAY LAS
VEGAS HOMEOWNERS USING SEPTIC TANKS TO CONVERT TO MUNICIPAL SEWER
SYSTEMS SO THE WATER WILL RETURN TO LAKE MEAD. SNWA ESTIMATES THERE
ARE ABOUT 14,500 SEPTIC SYSTEMS AROUND LAS VEGAS. CONVERTING COULD
SAVE UP TO 5 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR.
FIRE WEATHER:
DUE TO THE RECORD SNOWPACK AND HIGH FUEL MOISTURE, WILDFIRE ACTIVITY
IS FORECAST TO REMAIN LOW THROUGH APRIL. THE FORECAST IS THEN BELOW
NORMAL FOR MAY AND JUNE.
AGRICULTURAL:
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES HAS RECENTLY DESIGNATED THE
HUALAPAI VALLEY AN IRRIGATION NON-EXPANSION AREA (INA). THE HUALAPAI
VALLEY BASIN STRETCHES FROM KINGMAN NORTH INTO RED LAKE, AND EVEN
FURTHER NORTHWARD TOWARD SOUTH COVE. THE INA WAS APPROVED TO LIMIT
NEW IRRIGATION EXPANSION WITHIN THE BASIN.
RECREATION:
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, ECHO BAY, BOULDER HARBOR,
AND SOUTH COVE BOAT LAUNCHES HAVE BEEN INDEFINITELY CLOSED DUE TO
LOW WATER LEVELS AT LAKE MEAD. OPEN BOAT RAMPS ARE AT HEMENWAY
HARBOR, CALLVILLE BAY AND TEMPLE BAR. RECENTLY, THE NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE HELD PUBLIC MEETINGS IN BOULDER CITY REQUESTING FEEDBACK ON
THE FUTURE OF BOATING AT LAKE MEAD.
.LOCAL OUTLOOK:
FOR APRIL 1-5, INDICATES A HIGHER PROBABILITY FOR BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE SOUTHERN GREAT
BASIN AND MOJAVE DESERT.
THE 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOK, FOR APRIL 3-9, INDICATES A HIGHER
PROBABILITY FOR BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION FOR THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND SOUTHERN SIERRA. THE
MOJAVE DESERT, EQUAL CHANCES FOR NORMAL, BELOW NORMAL OR ABOVE
NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
THE THREE-MONTH OUTLOOK FOR APRIL-JUNE, 2023 INDICATES EQUAL CHANCE
FOR NORMAL, BELOW NORMAL OR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND LEANING
SLIGHTLY TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
.NEXT ISSUANCE DATE:
THIS PRODUCT WILL NOW BE UPDATED AS NECESSARY.
.RELATED WEB SITES:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS MAY BE FOUND
AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESSES:
US DROUGHT MONITOR: HTTPS://DROUGHTMONITOR.UNL.EDU
US DROUGHT INFORMATION SYSTEM: HTTPS://WWW.DROUGHT.GOV
NOAA DROUGHT PAGE: HTTPS://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/DROUGHT
NORTHEAST REGIONAL CLIMATE CENTER:
HTTP://WWW.NRCC.CORNELL.EDU
NEW YORK STATE CLIMATE OFFICE:
HTTP://NYSC.EAS.CORNELL.EDU
ADDITIONAL WATER AND RIVER INFORMATION:
NWS: HTTPS://WATER.WEATHER.GOV
OWP: HTTPS://WATER.NOAA.GOV
US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS): HTTPS://WATER.USGS.GOV
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (USACE): HTTPS://WWW.USACE.ARMY.MIL
.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
THE DROUGHT MONITOR IS A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT INVOLVING THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL
INFORMATION, 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.
.CONTACT INFORMATION:
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS DROUGHT INFORMATION
STATEMENT, PLEASE CONTACT:
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, LAS VEGAS NV
7851 DEAN MARTIN DR.
LAS VEGAS, NV 89139
EMAIL: W-VEF.WEBMASTER@NOAA.GOV
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