Written by Jesse
Graham Saturday, 18 September 2010
00:00
MUHLENBERG
COUNTY, KY - The Office of the State Climatologist and the Kentucky
Energy and Environment Cabinet, in coordination with the Kentucky
Drought Mitigation Team (KDMT), are issuing a Level I Drought
Declaration for five drought management areas (DMAs) in western and
central Kentucky. These five areas are in addition to the three
currently under the Level 1 declaration.
Counties within the new Level I drought declaration areas:
Barren River DMA: Butler, Logan, Simpson
Lincoln Trail DMA: Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Meade
KIDPA DMA: Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble
Northern Kentucky DMA: Boone, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant,
Kenton, Pendleton
Bluegrass: Anderson, Franklin, Harrison, Nicholas, Scott, Woodford
Counties already within the Level I drought declaration areas:
Purchase DMA: Fulton, Hickman, Carlisle, Ballard, McCracken, Graves,
Marshall, Calloway
Pennyrile DMA: Livingston, Crittenden, Lyon, Caldwell, Hopkins, Trigg,
Christian, Muhlenberg, Todd
Green River DMA: Union, Webster, Henderson, McLean, Daviess, Hancock,
Ohio
Counties that are considered abnormally dry but not in the Level I
drought declaration:
Bluegrass DMA: Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Garrard,
Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Powell
Buffalo Trace DMA: Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason, Robertson
Gateway DMA: Bath Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Rowan
Lincoln Trail DMA: LaRue, Marion, Nelson, Washington
A Level I drought indicates moderate drought conditions have developed
primarily affecting soil moisture and vegetative health. Serious
impacts to agricultural water needs, wildfire risk and other
water-sensitive sectors can be expected in the designated areas.
The current Level I Drought Declaration has been expanded eastward and
northeast to cover areas that have widespread dryness throughout with
precipitation totals of only 50 to 60 percent of normal for several
consecutive months. Substantial rainfall from the remnants of a
tropical storm fell across parts of the Commonwealth, including the
drought-stricken Purchase and Pennyrile regions. This rainfall did help
alleviate some of the drought impacts, but many still remain and will
intensify without additional rainfall.
Many counties in the central part of the state that are not within the
Level I Drought Declaration are developing drought-like conditions and
impacts. These conditions are the result of the extremely high summer
temperatures combined with the rapid change to a dry weather pattern
over the past 30 to 60 days. If this pattern persists, it is expected
that drought declarations will be declared for additional counties.
So far, the drought has primarily impacted agriculture. The dry
conditions have resulted in an early harvest of corn and have
substantially reduced corn and soybean yields. Pastures still
recovering from previous years’ droughts have once again been
negatively impacted, resulting in the early use of hay to feed
livestock.
Many livestock water supplies have dried up and are forcing producers
to rely on municipal suppliers, or water districts. These alternate
sources result in higher costs for producers and increased demand on
public water supplies. Urban landscaping has also been impacted
resulting in the browning of lawns and the early loss of leaves on some
trees.
Most of Kentucky’s potable water supply sources are currently at
acceptable levels. Streamflows are generally low but within a normal
range for September. Isolated areas of serious low flow have been
observed in Salt River basins, including Rolling Fork in Nelson County;
Pond Creek in Jefferson County; West Fork Drakes Creek in Simpson
County; and Eagle Creek in Gallatin County.
Weather outlooks provided by the National Weather Service indicate that
chances for widespread precipitation are slight for the widespread
soaking rainfall events that are needed to alleviate the drought over
the next 60 to 90 days. Isolated, spotty events with no real regional
improvements in drought status are expected to continue. This will
likely exacerbate the current impacts including an increased need for
livestock water supplies, the selling off of livestock herds,
difficulty planting winter wheat fields, and possible hay shortages.
The forecast also suggests that the drought will spread into more of
the central portions of Kentucky, affecting many water supplies that
are drought vulnerable.
The state Drought Mitigation and Response Plan defines a tiered
approach to classifying drought severity using multiple indicators to
assess the intensity and location of developing drought. These
indicators include the Drought Monitor, Palmer Drought Index, Crop
Moisture Index, and precipitation and streamflow measurements.
More information about drought declaration criteria can be found in the
Kentucky Drought Mitigation and Response Plan at
http://water.ky.gov/wa/Documents/State%20Plan_Final.pdf
Persons involved in drought response will also find helpful a new
guidance document about the effects of drought on public health
recently published by the Centers for Disease Control. To obtain a copy
of or for more information about When Every Drop Counts: Protecting
Public Health During Drought Conditions—A Guide for Public Health
Professionals, please send an e-mail to
dro...@cdc.gov
This e-mail address is being protected from
spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
An electronic version of the document is also downloadable from NCEH’s
Web site at
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Publications/Drought.htm.
Information Provided by Kentucky.Gov