Drought Information Statement for West Texas & Southeast New Mexico Valid 07/12/2024 Issued By: WFO Midland/Odessa Contact Information: sr-maf.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated August 12, 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 WORSEN FOR WEST TEXAS AND SE NM. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): North central Eddy County, NM. D3 (Extreme Drought): Extending south through Eddy County into Culberson, Jeff Davis, and all of Presidio counties. Portions of the Davis Mountains down into the Big Bend. D2 (Severe Drought): Terrell and Reeves counties as well as areas along the Pecos River Valley. D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of Lea County, much of the Permian Basin, as well as Pecos and Brewster counties. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Portions of the Permian Basin and Lower Trans Pecos Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. One class degradation across the Trans Pecos and portions of the Permian Basin. Precipitation Monsoon season has started to take shape across the western portions of the region with isolated storms bringing some precipitation to Culberson and Jeff Davis counties. However, much more consistent rain will be needed to alleviate drought conditions. Below normal rainfall has fallen elsewhere. Temperature Temperatures continue to rise as summer settles in with near normal temperatures over the Central Permian Basin, but well above normal temperatures elsewhere. Higher temperatures combined with dry conditions exacerbate drought conditions. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Most area rivers and tributaries remain near baseflow. Area reservoirs are at 46.3% conservation capacity. See next page for more details. Agricultural Impacts Per Agrilife Texas A&M Crop and Weather Report, Livestock in fair condition, but food and water were still supplemented. Pecans are starting to develop. Cotton in most areas deteriorated in the hot and dry conditions. Fire Hazard Impacts Fire weather impacts will be low through the summer given generally lighter winds. Lightning starts may be possible with isolated storms over the mountains. 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 Colorado and Delaware Rivers, as well as Independence Creek, are above to much-above normal. All other river and tributary basins are below to much below normal. Midland Monthly Hydrology Report for May June Rainfall Image Caption: USGS 7 day streamflows for Texas, valid 11 July 2024 Reservoir Pool Elevation Current Elevation % Full JB Thomas 2258.00 2225.60 19.3 Colorado City 2070.20 2056.11 44.2 Champion Creek 2083.00 2068.07 55.2 Natural Dam Salt Lake 2457.00 2447.29 48.4 Moss Creek 2337.00 2332.26 79.0 Brantley 3256.70 3246.62 48.0 Avalon 3177.40 3173.80 37.0 Red Bluff 2827.40 2811.65 39.3 HYDROLOGICAL STATUS (Be sure to mention the source of the impact that’s being cited) Streamflow USGS: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=nj Geography Availability: United States State: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=nj Use drop down menu to change state on website (excluding Pacific Islands) Pacific Islands: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/gu/nwis/rt Water-Resources Region Date Real-Time (To access any of the time series below, hover cursor over “Current Streamflow” on the left side of the website. Other time scales not available for Pacific Islands) Yesterday 7-Day 14-Day 28-Day Month Homepage: https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?id=ww Soil Moisture Drought.gov: https://www.drought.gov/topics/soil-moisture Geography Availability: CONUS National Date Daily Homepage: https://www.drought.gov/ Groundwater USGS: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/current/?type=gw&group_key=state_cd Geography: Availability: United States Use drop-down menu called “Geographic Area” to access area desired. Date Real-Time Homepage: https://www.usgs.gov/ Reservoir and Lake Levels USGS: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/current/?type=lake&group_key=state_cd Geography Availability: United States Stations separated by state Date Real-Time Homepage: https://www.usgs.gov/ WCC Reservoir Storage: Geography Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BRes_8_2022.pdf? Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Date: Monthly Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted. Homepage: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ SnowPack WCC Geography Availability: SNOTEL and COOP stations for each state in the west including Alaska. State: https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/support/water/SummaryReports/AZ/BSnow_6_2022.pdf? Where it says “AZ” change to desired state abbreviation to other states such as AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY. Date Monthly Replace where it says “Precip_8_2022” and change the “8” to the desired month of year and “2022” to the year wanted Homepage https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/snowClimateMonitoring/snowpack/basinDataReports/ 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 severely dry as below normal precipitation has occurred. Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid July 11, 2024 Right: Crop Moisture Index by Division. Weekly value for period ending July 06, 2024 If you have notable images of agricultural impacts and permission to share them, they can be included on this slide. 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. With monsoon season beginning to pick up, lightning starts may occur across the higher elevations. Image Caption: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook for August 2024 Link to Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center. Latest TX Burn Ban map available here. If using this slide: Please limit to 2 total images per slide. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Measurable precipitation remains possible areawide over the next week with the highest amounts likely seen over the eastern Permian Basin and down across the Lower Trans Pecos. Without continued and consistent rainfall, drought conditions will continue. Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid Saturday July 13 to Saturday July 20 Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage July sees the start of the Southwest monsoon season. As mentioned before, inconsistent and isolated storms will not be enough to alleviate drought conditions over SE NM and West Texas. Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Released 06 30, 2024 valid for 07 2024