Drought Information Statement for West Texas & Southeast New Mexico Valid 06/07/2024 Issued By: WFO Midland/Odessa Contact Information: sr-maf.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated July 8, 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 May and into early June. Across much of the Permian Basin saw well above normal precipitation for the month of May. However, more precipitation will be needed to greatly improve drought conditions. Image Captions: Left - Precipitation Amount for West Texas and SE NM Right - Percent of Normal Precipitation for West Texas and SE NM Data Courtesy High Plains Regional Climate Center. Data over the past 30 days ending June 6, 2024 Temperature The heat has started to turn on over the course of the last month, especially heading into early June. Temperatures areawide are between 2-4 degrees above normal, in general with little relief expected for the rest of June. Image Captions: Left - Average Temperature Right - Departure from Normal Temperature Data Courtesy High Plains Regional Climate Center. Data over the past 30 days ending June 6, 2024 Abnormal warmth or coolness can play a role in the rate of evaporation and thus accelerate or slow drought development and spread. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Most area rivers and tributaries remain near baseflow. Area reservoirs are at 48.2% conservation capacity. See next page for more details. Agricultural Impacts Per Agrilife Texas A&M Crop and Weather Report, some rainfall slightly improved soil and planting conditions. Winter wheat was grazed out or baled for hay. Corn and melons with ample irrigation were coming along. Livestock in fair condition, but food and water were still supplemented. Fire Hazard Impacts Near critical to critical fire weather days remain possible as low humidities and hotter temperatures will be persistent. Generally lighter winds heading into the summer reduce the threat for spreading fire. 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 Toyah Creek and North Conchos basins are below normal. All other basins are normal. Midland Monthly Hydrology Report for April May Rainfall Image Caption: USGS 7 day streamflows for Texas, valid 6 June 2024 Reservoir Pool Elevation Current Elevation %Full JB Thomas 2258.00 2225.99 19.9 Colorado City 2070.20 2056.78 46.4 Champion Creek 2083.00 2068.47 56.2 Natural Dam Salt Lake 2457.00 2447.29 48.4 Moss Creek 2337.00 2332.17 79.0 Brantley 3256.70 3249.00 59.0 Avalon 3177.40 3173.78 37.0 Red Bluff 2827.40 2811.88 40.0 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 excessively dry as below normal precipitation has occurred. Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid June 04, 2024 Right: Crop Moisture Index by Division. Weekly value for period ending June 01, 2024 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 The potential for significant fires across the region is near normal as winds generally decrease for the summer months. However, hotter temperatures and lower relative humidity will continue to play a role. 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. Image Caption: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook for July 2024 Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. Latest TX Burn Ban map available here. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Sparse precipitation is expected across the region over the next week with the Permian Basin likely benefitting the most from any rain that does fall. Rain is possible over the next few to several days over the Davis Mountains and areas west as a monsoon-like pattern takes shape. Image Caption: Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Much like May, June is another rainy month for parts of West Texas and SE NM, but it comes in the form of isolated to scattered storms and thus remains too inconsistent to drastically alleviate drought concerns. Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Released 05 31, 2024 valid for 06 2024