HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BINGHAMTON NY 159 PM EST THU NOV 29 2007
...DROUGHT STATEMENT...
A DROUGHT WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES:
BRADFORD...LUZERNE...SUSQUEHANNA...AND WYOMING.
EXCLUDED FROM THE DROUGHT WATCH ARE THE FOLLOWING NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES:
LACKAWANNA...PIKE...AND WAYNE.
...PENNSYLVANIA DROUGHT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS...
A DROUGHT WATCH IS THE FIRST OF THREE DROUGHT STAGES UNDER PENNSYLVANIA'S DROUGHT OPERATING PLAN. IT IS USED TO ALERT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES...PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIERS...WATER USERS AND THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE ONSET OF CONDITIONS INDICATING THE POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE DROUGHT RELATED PROBLEMS. A DROUGHT WATCH CALLS FOR A VOLUNTARY 5 PERCENT REDUCTION OF NON-ESSENTIAL WATER USE.
A DROUGHT WARNING IS THE SECOND OF THREE DROUGHT STAGES UNDER PENNSYLVANIA'S DROUGHT OPERATING PLAN. IT IS USED TO PREPARE FOR A COORDINATED RESPONSE TO IMMINENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND POTENTIAL WATER SUPPLY SHORTAGES...RELIEVE STRESSED RESOURCES...AND IF POSSIBLE FORESTALL THE NEED TO IMPOSE MANDATORY WATER USE RESTRICTIONS. A DROUGHT WARNING CALLS FOR A VOLUNTARY 10 TO 15 PERCENT REDUCTION IN WATER CONSUMPTION.
A DROUGHT EMERGENCY IS THE THIRD AND MOST SEVERE STAGE OF THE THREE DROUGHT DECLARATIONS AND IMPOSES MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTIONS ON NON-ESSENTIAL WATER USE. A DROUGHT EMERGENCY CAN ONLY BE DECLARED BY THE GOVERNOR.
PENNSYLVANIA DROUGHT DECLARATIONS ARE BASED ON SEVERAL FACTORS INCLUDING:
1. STREAMFLOW LEVELS 2. PRECIPITATION 3. GROUNDWATER 4. SOIL MOISTURE (PALMER DROUGHT INDEX) 5. RESERVOIR STORAGE LEVELS
...US DROUGHT MONITOR...
THE LATEST DROUGHT MONITOR IS DATED NOVEMBER 27TH.
CENTRAL NEW YORK:
ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR...NO DROUGHT IS DEPICTED IN CENTRAL NEW YORK.
NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA:
ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR...NO DROUGHT IS DEPICTED IN NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
...CURRENT CONDITIONS...
STREAMFLOW LEVELS... NATURAL STREAMFLOWS IN THE UPPER DELAWARE RIVER BASIN...UPPER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN...AND FINGER LAKES REGION ARE AT OR ABOVE NORMAL.
PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES... FOR THE LAST 30 DAYS...PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES HAVE BEEN FROM NORMAL TO ONE INCH ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES FOR THE UPPER SUSQUEHANNA AND UPPER DELAWARE BASINS FOR THE LAST 30 DAYS CAN BE FOUND AT...
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/marfc/Maps/PANY_counties_30_color.htm
PRECIPITATION DEPARTURES FOR THE FINGER LAKES CAN BE FOUND AT...
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/nerfc/watersupply.shtml
GROUNDWATER... OVER MUCH OF NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK... GROUNDWATER LEVELS WERE GENERALLY NEAR NORMAL.
CURRENT GROUNDWATER LEVELS CAN BE FOUND FROM THE USGS BY VISITING...
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/gw/
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/gw/
RESERVOIR LEVELS... RESERVOIR LEVELS WERE NEAR NORMAL AT MOST LOCATIONS IN THE SUSQUEHANNA AND DELAWARE RIVER BASINS. RESERVOIRS IN ONEIDA COUNTY HAVE BEEN SPILLING.
SOIL MOISTURE... THE LATEST PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX SHOWS NEAR NORMAL CONDITIONS OVER THE UPPER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN IN NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND THE FINGER LAKES. THE WESTERN CATSKILLS ARE CATEGORIZED AS EXTREMELY MOIST.
...PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK...
THE LATEST 30 DAY OUTLOOK FOR DECEMBER 2007 HAS A MODERATELY STRONG SIGNAL FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. NO CLEAR SIGNAL FOR ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ON THE 30 DAY OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND A SLIGHT SIGNAL FOR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA.
THE LATEST 3 MONTH OUTLOOK FOR DECEMBER 2007 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2008 HAS A SLIGHT SIGNAL FOR THE LIKELIHOOD OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR BOTH SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK AND NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. NO CLEAR SIGNAL WAS PRESENT FOR ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE 3 MONTH OUTLOOK.
...ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...
THIS IS THE LAST OF A SERIES OF DROUGHT STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK. DROUGHT STATEMENTS WILL HOWEVER CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED FOR NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...GENERALLY ON THE SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAY OF THE MONTH OR AFTER SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO DROUGHT STATUS.
TO HELP CONSERVE WATER...HERE ARE A FEW WATER CONSERVATION TIPS:
1. TAKE SHORTER SHOWERS 2. RUN DISHWASHERS AND WASHING MACHINES WITH FULL LOADS 3. DO NOT LET WATER RUN WHEN SHAVING OR BRUSHING TEETH 4. FIX ANY LEAKS IN FAUCETS (INDOORS AND OUTDOORS) 5. INSTALL WATER SAVING FIXTURES SUCH AS LOW-FLOW SHOWER HEADS
MORE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND BY VISITING THESE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INTERNET WEB SITES.
http://weather.gov/binghamton/
http://weather.gov/marfc/
http://weather.gov/nerfc/
SCHAFFNER