Drought Information Statement for West Texas & Southeast New Mexico Valid 05/10/2024 Issued By: WFO Midland/Odessa Contact Information: sr-maf.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated June 11, 2024 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/maf/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor DROUGHT CONDITIONS UNCHANGED FOR WEST TEXAS AND SE NM. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): North central Eddy County, NM. D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of the Davis Mountains as well as Eddy and Lea counties in NM. D2 (Severe Drought): Marfa Plateau, Culberson County and portions of Eddy and Lea counties as well as much of Terrell County. D1 (Moderate Drought): Davis Mountain Foothills, western portions of the Permian Basin and much of Brewster County. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Eastern portions of the Permian Basin and Lower Trans Pecos Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. No changes in the last week. Precipitation Little precipitation fell over areas west of the Pecos River for much of April and into early May. Across the Lower Trans Pecos and up across much of the Permian Basin saw well above normal precipitation for the month of April. However, more precipitation will be needed to greatly improve drought conditions. Temperature Temperatures heading into the middle of spring are naturally on the rise as it gets closer to summer. For West Texas and southeast New Mexico, much of the region was between 2-4 degrees above normal for the last month. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Most area rivers and tributaries remain near baseflow. Area reservoirs are at 45.5% conservation capacity. See next page for more details. Agricultural Impacts Per Agrilife Texas A&M Crop and Weather Report, some flood damage has been reported. Pecan orchards were very good. Alfalfa production was higher than usual. Range conditions saw grass returning to normal health with pastures beginning to green up more. Fire Hazard Impacts Late May and into June will continue to see times where critical fire weather conditions develop. Fuel load remains low over SE NM and parts of West Texas. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts The Pecos and Rio Grande Basins are much below normal The Delaware, and North Conchos basins are below normal All other basins are normal to much above normal Midland Monthly Hydrology Report for March April Rainfall Streamflows for Texas, valid 8 May 2024 Reservoir Pool Elevation Current Elevation % Full JB Thomas 2258.00 feet 2226.63 feet 20.9% Colorado City 2070.20 feet 2057.19 feet 47.7% Champion Creek 2083.00 feet 2068.89 feet 57.2% Natural Dam Salt Lake 2457.00 feet 2447.29 feet 48.4% Moss Creek 2337.00 feet 2332.22 feet 77.0% Brantley 3256.70 feet 3243.07 feet 31.0% Avalon 3177.40 feet 3172.93 feet 41.0% Red Bluff 2827.40 feet 2812.22 feet 40.9% Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture continues to rank below the 10-20th percentiles across much of West Texas and SE NM with the worst conditions over the Marfa Plateau and along the Rio Grande. During the past month, crop moisture has become noted as being abnormally dry as below normal precipitation has occurred. National resources: NASS crop progress reports: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Other.aspx Percentage of various crops affected by drought: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Home.aspx table: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Table.aspx?2 Regional resource for the midwest: https://mrcc.purdue.edu/U2U/ Fire Hazard Impacts Significant fire potential outlook is above normal for June across West Texas and SE NM as dry and warm conditions look to persist. As mentioned before, fuels are not plentiful across much of SE NM and West Texas and will lessen fire hazard impacts even on days with more favorable fire weather conditions. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Some measurable precipitation is likely over the coming week with lower amounts expected west of the Pecos River and higher amounts expected across the Permian Basin. Areas further to the east will see much more rain. Amounts will range from measurable (just over 0.01”) to over an inch and a half over the Low Rolling Plains. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage May sees average precipitation jump up for the region due to the onset of spring storms. However, more consistent precipitation will need to be recorded to alleviate drought conditions. With these conditions not currently expected, drought will continue to persist.