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ACF Drought and Water Monthly Webinar: January 2021

Event Date
January 26, 2021
Event Time
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Timezone
EST
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This webinar provides updated information on the climate, water, and drought status of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. This drought assessment webinar is brought to you by the Auburn University Water Resources Center and the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS).

Timestamp
02:25

Current Drought Status, Seasonal Forecasts, and Outlooks

Speaker: David Zierden, Florida Climate Center, Florida State University

  • 2020 was very warm and wet for most of the Southeast U.S. However, December 2020 was the first colder than normal month in Florida in nearly three years.
  • 2020 was the 5th warmest year for the U.S. as a whole (over the past 126 years); however, there were no states with record warm temperatures. Ten states did have their second warmest year on record in 2020.
  • Negative Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation overwhelmed typical La Niña impacts in December and January. 
  • Temperatures were slightly warmer than normal over the last 30 days.
  • Small pockets of “abnormally dry” (D0) conditions exist over north Florida, Georgia, Alabama, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
  • Rainfall deficits are starting to build across most of the ACF Basin at 30 to 90 days.
  • A ”La Niña Advisory” has been issued by NOAA, with a 100% chance of continuing through winter and a 65% of continuing through spring.
  • The Climate Prediction Center's seasonal forecast favors above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall for the Southeast.
  • Drought development is a risk in the spring as La Niña plays out, especially in the lower ACF Basin.
Timestamp
19:00

State of Alabama Input

Speaker: Tom Littlepage, Alabama Office of Water Resources

  • The Alabama Office of Water Resources states no reported water availability issues.
  • There have been no changes to the Alabama Drought Declaration since September 1, 2020.
  • Areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) has risen from 5% to 23% of the state in the past week. Recent and forecasted rainfall should help to reduce these areas.
  • The Office of Water Resources continues to monitor conditions and the implications of La Niña.
Timestamp
22:02

Streamflow and Groundwater

Speaker: Paul Ankcorn, U.S. Geological Survey

  • Real-time streamflow in the ACF basin are currently in the high to much below normal range.
  • The upper Flint River basin is currently ranked as moderate hydrologic drought for the 7-day average streamflow.
  • 28-day average streamflow for the Chattahoochee River is currently in the above normal to normal range.
  • 28-day average streamflow for the Flint River is currently in the normal range.
  • Real-time groundwater levels across the ACF Basin range from above normal to low, with most stations ranked in the normal range.
Timestamp
31:19

ACF Reservoir Conditions

Speaker: Troy Ephraim, Cindy Donald, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District

  • Inflows into the projects are normal/above normal.
  • Currently, projects are operating slightly above/right at winter pool elevations
  • The ACF system conservation storage is in Zone 1 and is forecasted to stay in Zone 1 for the next few weeks.
Timestamp
33:24

Streamflow Forecasts

Speaker: Jeff Dobur, National Weather Service Southeast River Forecast Center

  • Flooding is not anticipated in the short-term in the ACF.
  • The Southeast River Forecast's 1-month streamflow forecast: near normal conditions, with above-normal flows on the far upper Chattahoochee.
  • The Southeast River Forecast's 3-month streamflow forecast: near normal conditions.
  • View Official River Stage and Flow Forecasts.
Timestamp
40:31

Special Presentation: Multivariate Assimilation of Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration for Drought Monitoring

Speaker: Hamid Moradkhani, Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama

Timestamp
01:02:15

New Drought.gov Launched!

Speaker: Meredith Muth, NOAA National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)

  • The new U.S. Drought Portal, Drought.gov, was launched this month.
  • During next month's webinar, we'll have someone do a walkthrough of the website, focusing on topics that might be relevant to the ACF River Basin.
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