Climate of 2004 - February U.S. Regional Drought Watch National Climatic Data Center, 12 March 2004

Regional Overview

February was drier than normal across much of the U.S. from the Northeast to the mid-Atlantic states westward to the Ohio Valley. The month was also dry along coastal Washington state and in parts of the northern Plains and northern Rockies. Interior Alaska was predominantly dry, while the rainfall pattern in Hawaii was mixed. The pattern in Puerto Rico was mixed during the last 4 weeks to 8 weeks, with generally drier than normal conditions in the north and east. larger image February marked the second consecutive month with below-normal precipitation across New England, where several states (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont) had the second driest January-February in the 1895-present record. Above-normal precipitation brought a reprieve to much of the Southeast, where conditions had been generally drier than normal for the preceding four months. Abundant rain and snow fell across much of the drought areas of the West and Great Plains this month. While drought conditions improved in some areas, long-term moisture deficits (last 9 to 24 to 60 months) persisted. larger image Some regional highlights: A series of winter storms brought an average to above-average snowpack and water year-to-date precipitation to much of the West, especially the coastal and interior basin areas. But snowpack across much of the Rocky Mountains, and especially the Southwest, remained below seasonal norms. The effects of the long-term drought include: soil moisture conditions remained dry in many areas reservoirs in most of the western states were still low or depleted average streamflow remained well below normal levels in many areas groundwater levels were at record low levels in southeast Idaho (as represented by the Bingham County station) and south central Idaho (according to media reports [Idaho Statesman, 3/10], record low well levels last summer threaten to shut down groundwater users north of the Snake River near Twin Falls) On February 19, just days before a major winter storm brought copious rain and snow to western Texas and adjoining New Mexico, strong winds created thick blinding dust storms in the area which caused a series of traffic accidents that reportedly killed 2 people and injured dozens of others. The dust storms were characterized by strong winds -- near 60 miles per hour -- and low visibility, in places (according to news reports) down to 50 feet to half a mile. The blowing dust was detectable via satellite (NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Services Division). In Oregon, the county commissioners have declared a drought for Klamath County. As reported in the February 19 Casper Star-Tribune, the Wyoming State Engineer's Office has placed restrictions on the use of water from the North Platte River in an effort to help fill Pathfinder and Guernsey reservoirs in southeast Wyoming. The percent area of the western U.S. (Rockies westward) experiencing moderate to extreme drought (as defined by the Palmer Drought Index) decreased during February to about 53%. While this is not near record historical levels, it is still comparable to the major droughts of the 20th Century. Persistently below-normal precipitation this winter in Alaska has resulted in a subnormal snowpack across much of the state. larger image

These overall conditions are evident in the following indicators: Palmer Drought Indices, Standardized Precipitation Index, statewide precipitation rank maps, Cooperative station percent of normal precipitation maps, National Weather Service model calculations of soil moisture, runoff, evaporation, Midwest Regional Climate Center model calculations of soil moisture, percent of average maps for the SNOTEL stations in the western mountains provided by the Western Regional Climate Center hydrologic year precipitation, snow water equivalent of snowpack, snow course snowpack observations in the western mountains provided by the USDA NRCS streamflow maps maintained by the USGS. A detailed review of drought conditions is available for the following regions and states: Southwest region Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana New Mexico Washington Wyoming West North Central region East North Central region Central region Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Dakota Northeast region Southeast region Connecticut Delaware Georgia Maine Maryland Massachusetts New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Rhode Island South Carolina Vermont Virginia larger image larger image larger image

Additional Contacts:

Damage due to the drought has been summarized by NOAA and the Office of Global Programs in the Climatological Impacts section of the Climate Information Project. Crop impact information can be found at the USDA NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) and Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin pages. Drought statements by local National Weather Service Offices can be found at the NWS Hydrologic Information Center. Drought threat assessments and other information can be found at NOAA's Drought Information Center. Additional drought information can be found at the National Drought Mitigation Center, the USDA's National Agricultural Library, the interim National Drought Council, and the NOAA Paleoclimatology Program. The following states have set up web pages detailing current drought conditions and/or their plans to handle drought emergencies: Colorado - Delaware - Delaware River Basin (DE-NJ-NY-PA) - Florida Panhandle - Georgia - Hawaii - Idaho - Kentucky - Maine - Maryland - Missouri-1 - Missouri-2 - Montana-1 - Montana-2 - Nebraska - New Jersey-1 - New Jersey-2 - New Jersey-3 - New Mexico - North Carolina - Oklahoma-1 - Oklahoma-2 - Oklahoma-3 - Oregon - Pennsylvania-1 - Pennsylvania-2 - Pennsylvania-3 - South Carolina - Texas - Vermont - Virginia - Washington - Wyoming For additional information on current and past wildfire seasons please see the National Interagency Fire Center web site or the U.S. Forest Service Fire and Aviation web site. NCDC's Drought Recovery Page shows the precipitation required to end or ameliorate droughts and the probability of receiving the required precipitation. Additional climate monitoring graphics can be found at the Climate Prediction Center's monitoring pages: Weekly, Monthly, 3-Month, 12-Month Monitoring El Nino, Drought, Snow Cover, and Degree Day Monitoring Weekly Drought Monitoring Soil Moisture Monitoring Precipitation and modeled soil moisture anomaly maps for the Midwest U.S. can be found at the Midwest Regional Climate Center's monitoring page. Drought conditions on the Canadian prairies can be found at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Drought Watch page.

Climate Services Division
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Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4876
phone: 828-271-4800
email: ncdc.info@noaa.gov

Richard Heim
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Richard.Heim@noaa.gov

Jay Lawrimore
NOAA/National Climatic Data Center
151 Patton Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801-5001
fax: 828-271-4328
email: Jay.Lawrimore@noaa.gov

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