000 FGUS74 KSHV 271222 ESFSHV ARC027-057-061-073-081-091-099-133-139-LAC013-015-017-021-027-031- 043-049-059-061-069-073-081-085-111-119-127-OKC089-TXC005-037-063- 067-073-159-183-203-315-343-347-365-387-401-403-405-419-423-449-459- 499-280000- HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA 720 AM CDT SAT MAY 27 2006 ...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT... ...DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED TO MUCH OF THE FOUR STATE REGION... MOST OF THE MONTH OF MAY HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND MUCH BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL ACROSS THE FOUR STATE REGION...AS A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE HAS REMAINED IN PLACE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS/GULF COAST REGION DURING THE LAST TWO AND A HALF WEEKS. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES DURING THIS TIME HAVE REMAINED SOME FIVE TO SEVEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTALS HAVE RANGED FROM JUST A HALF AN INCH ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST TEXAS (LONGVIEW)...TO AN INCH AND A QUARTER ACROSS DEEP EAST TEXAS (LUFKIN) AND PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA (SHREVEPORT). RAINFALL TOTALS OF TWO TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES WERE COMMON ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF EAST TEXAS, SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA, SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS, AND PORTIONS OF NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA, WITH THREE TO FOUR INCH AMOUNTS FOUND OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA. THESE TOTALS WERE SOME TWO TO FOUR INCHES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, DURING A TIME WHERE MUCH OF THE SPRING RAINS FALL, AND NORMAL MONTHLY RAINFALL IS AT ITS HIGHEST. THE LACK OF RAINFALL IN THE LAST 12+ DAYS (AND IN SOME CASES OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND ADJACENT SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS, 16+ DAYS) HAS PROMPTED THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR TO RECLASSIFY THOSE AREAS WEST OF A NASHVILLE, ARKANSAS...TO MAGNOLIA...TO MINDEN, LOUISIANA...TO HEMPHILL, TEXAS LINE, TO MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) STATUS IN ITS MAY 23RD UPDATE. ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS (D0) REMAIN ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHCENTRAL ARKANSAS AND NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA. THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR IS UPDATED EVERY THURSDAY MORNING, AND CAN BE VIEWED AT: HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML. THE FOLLOWING ARE MAY RAINFALL TOTALS AND THEIR DEPARTURES, AS WELL AS THE YEAR TO DATE RAINFALL/DEPARTURES THROUGH MAY 26TH FOR SELECTED CITIES IN THE FOUR STATE REGION: LOCATION MAY TOTAL DEPARTURE YEARLY TOTAL DEPARTURE ----------------------------------------------------------------- SHREVEPORT LA 1.18 -3.18 18.76 -3.01 MONROE LA 3.80 -0.82 26.75 +2.03 TEXARKANA AR 2.19 -1.33 18.68 +0.22 LUFKIN TX 1.23 -3.18 15.21 -3.48 TYLER TX 2.43 -1.33 16.24 -2.25 LONGVIEW TX 0.49 -3.70 14.07 -5.98 EL DORADO AR 1.41 -3.16 16.55 -6.89 DEQUEEN AR 1.80 -3.41 19.47 -3.00 MCCURTAIN COUNTY OKLAHOMA MESONET STATIONS: BROKEN BOW, OK 1.92 -3.68 19.65 -2.64 IDABEL, OK 2.36 -2.66 18.57 -2.03 MT. HERMAN, OK 2.68 -2.92 20.39 -1.90 ----------------------------------------------------------------- HYDROLOGIC IMPACTS... DESPITE THE LACK OF RAINFALL RECEIVED DURING MAY...AREA LAKES AND RESERVOIRS REMAIN NEAR THEIR RESPECTIVE CONSERVATION POOL STAGES. ON THE OTHER HAND...STREAMFLOWS AND STAGES ON RIVERS AND BAYOUS REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH. FORTUNATELY, THE HEAVY RAINFALL RECEIVED IN MID MARCH AND AGAIN IN LATE APRIL CONTINUES TO PROVIDE A CUSHION AGAINST WORSENING WATER SUPPLY CONDITIONS, AND HAS KEPT RESERVOIRS NEARLY STEADY. FIRE DANGER IMPACTS... NO BURN BANS ARE IN EFFECT ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA...SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...NORTH LOUISIANA AND EASTERN TEXAS. RESTRICTIONS... NO WATER RESTRICTIONS IN EFFECT. AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS... NO SIGNIFICANT AGRICULTURAL CONCERNS ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, SHOULD TIMELY RAINFALL NOT RETURN DURING THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS OF MAY OR THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO OF JUNE, IMPACTS WILL BE FELT AGRICULTURALLY, AS JUNE THROUGH SEPTEMBER ARE THE HOTTEST/DRIEST TIMES OF THE YEAR, WHERE VERY HIGH EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATES OCCUR. OUTLOOK... NEAR NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE NOW PRESENT IN THE NINA 3.4 REGION OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN, WHICH BODES WELL FOR THE FOUR STATE REGION, AS EQUAL CHANCES FOR EQUAL CHANCES OF BELOW NORMAL, NORMAL, AND ABOVE NORMAL RAINFALL, AS NOTED IN THE SUMMER OUTLOOK ISSUED EARLIER THIS MONTH FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER. HOWEVER, ABOVE NORMAL PROBABILITIES FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THROUGH AUGUST. $$ 15