Southern Plains Under El Niño Watch
- In Oklahoma and Texas, drought peaked in early May. Only a few small areas in the Texas Panhandle and northeast Oklahoma still show Abnormally Dry Conditions.
- Major concerns continue for streamflows and reservoir levels in New Mexico. Another snow drought could cause devastating impacts to the state.
- There is a 70% to 75% chance that El Niño will develop and persist through the winter; however, it is expected to be weak.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Drought Easing but Extreme Drought Lingers in Southern Plains. Robust Monsoon Anticipated.
- Drought peaked in May in northwest Oklahoma and the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.
Exceptional Drought Continues in Southwest. Wet Monsoon Slightly Favored.
- The region is still mired in severe to exceptional drought due to record-high temperatures and record-low precipitation in the winter and spring
- Impacts include vegetation stress, extremely low streamflow, major wildfires, increased flood risks, and national forest closures
- Outlook favors wetter-than-normal monsoon precipitation setting in around 6-9 July
CURRENT CONDITIONS
Below is a summary of the 21 May webinar, led by New Mexico State Climatologist Dave DuBois, on drought conditions, outlook, and impacts in the Southern Plains.
Drought Status
The 15 May U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) introduced D4 “Exceptional Drought” in all Southern Plains states, indicating that the current drought is comparable to the worst 1-2 droughts in the past 100 years.
Due to the severity of drought conditions across the southern high plains, a collaboration of drought and climate experts will provide the latest information on current conditions, impacts and outlooks. In this March 16 webinar, John Nielsen-Gammon (Texas State Climatologist) will present information for the southern high plains, which includes portions of Kansas, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Summary of meeting discusses conditions in the Southern Plains 2011-12. Topics include key messages from the forum, forecast uncertainty and the potential for long-term trends, drought webinars, and impacts of the 2011 drought to water, agriculture, wildfire and ecosystems.
Summarizes drought assessment and outlook forum held in Lubbock, TX in 2012.
The Southern Plains DEWS Strategic Plan outlines priority tasks and activities across the region to build drought early warning capacity and resilience. It includes a list of current partners, outcomes, and key milestones. The Plan is a “living document” to which additional actions and partners may be added as needed.
Summary of current conditions, climate outlook, and fire potential for the Rio Grande-Bravo region of the United States.