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Home My WebLink About20051457 Ver 1_USGS streamflow and ground-water conditions in NC through Monday June 04 2012.msg_20120605Strickland, Bev From: John C Weaver Dcweaver @usgs.gov] Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2012 9:05 AM To: Jackson, Donna Cc: Ashley. E.Hatchell @usace. army. miI; brian.cullen @noaa.gov; Brian. Hai nes @ncdenr.gov; david.lane @ncdenr.gov; debra.owen @ncdenr.gov; eric.seymour @noaa.gov; gagalleh @duke - energy.com; garry_grabow @ncsu.edu; george.mathews @noaa.gov; harold.m.brady @ncdenr.gov; jamie.kritzer @ncdenr.gov; jcweaver @usgs.gov; Jeff.Orrock @noaa.gov; jim.prevette @ncdenr.gov; jucilene.hoffmann @ncdenr.gov; Lara.Pagano @noaa.gov; Linwood Peele; Michael .A.Young @saw02.usace. army. miI; michael.moneypenny @noaa.gov; mike.orbon @ncdenr.gov; neelufa.sarwar @ncdenr.gov; Patricia. Tanner @noaa.gov; Peter. Corrigan @noaa.gov; richard.neuherz @noaa.gov; ryan_boyles @ncsu.edu; sarah.young @ncdenr.gov; todd.hamill @noaa.gov; Tom.Fransen @ncdenr.gov; tom.reeder @ncdenr.gov; tony_dorn @nass.usda.gov; Torey_Lawrence @nass.usda.gov; Vernon. Cox @ncagr.gov; Wayne.Munden @ncdenr.gov; woody. yonts @ncdenr.gov; Brian Fuchs; Allison.Wash @va.usda.gov; Kathleen Carroll; Darin Figurskey; Glenn Carrin; Yonts, Woody; wly Subject: USGS streamflow and ground -water conditions in NC through Monday, June 04, 2012 NC Drought advisory group, Rainfalls from the passage of Tropical Storm Beryl was the weather story of this past week. Precipitation maps for the state (http:/ /water.weather.gov /precip/ or http : / /www.nc - climate.ncsu.edu /mpe departure) indicate widespread rainfall totals of 2+ inches across the Coastal Plain, primarily east of the 1 -95 corridor. Rainfall totals further inland were generally above 0.5 inch across the rest of the state with exception of parts of the western and central Piedmont region. Streamflows on the current real -time streamflow map (http:Hwaterwatch.usgs.gov/ new / ?m= real &r =nc &w= real %2Cmap) echo the past week's rainfall patterns with normal and above - normal conditions depicted for streams in the Coastal Plain and generally normal conditions for streams in the mountains region. Below- normal streamflows are depicted from the Broad River basin in the southwest Piedmont northeast towards the upper Cape Fear and Neuse River basins in the northeast Piedmont. Within the Piedmont region, there are about 15 streamgages where streamflow conditions are depicted in the "less than 10th percentile" range. As of June 03 (Sunday), streamflow conditions indicate 24 percent of sites across North Carolina have percentiles for 7- day average flows falling below the 25th percentile for the calendar date (see graph below). This percentage suggests minor declines in overall streamflows relative to 16 percent just a week ago. Groundwater levels at the Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Sand Hills observations wells in the Climate Response Network in North Carolina (http://ogwOl.er.usgs.gov/crn/StateMaps/NC.html) are depicted in the normal range for 5 wells, below normal for 3 wells, and continued record low for the calendar month at the Chapel Hill well in Orange County and Marston well in Scotland County. Water levels in the Coastal Plain likewise reflect the effects of this past week's rainfall. With exception of the below - normal conditions depicted for the Southport well in Brunswick County (http: / /groundwaterwatch .usgs.gov /AWLSites. asp ?S = 335631078003606 &ncd =crn), the water levels for the Coastal Plain wells are in the above - normal range or record high for the month. Water levels at the Southport well increased about 0.5 feet following the passage of Beryl, but the increase was not sufficient to bring the water levels above the below - normal range. A 1- category improvement from DO to D- nothing was made for parts of northeastern North Carolina in last week's USDM release where heavy rainfalls had occurred the previous week. Given the widespread occurrence of 2+ inches rainfall associated with the passage of Tropical Storm Beryl, it appears that a 1- category (and possibly 2- category for the D1 area ?) improvement is warranted for this area, primarily east of the 1 -95 corridor. Would hold "status quo" for the portions of the Piedmont that received 0.5 inch or less, the same area where below - normal streamflows are currently depicted. The area that where improvements could be subject to debate is the band along the eastern Piedmont and western Coastal Plain where 30 -day percent of normal precipitation (PNP) still indicates some areas with values in the 75 to 90 percent range (http: / /water.weather.gov /precip /). Streamflows in the Piedmont region continue to trend in the below - normal ranges, but the overall 30 -day PNP values may be sufficient to warrant use of this opportunity to make an improvement from DO to D- nothing( ?). Comments and opinions welcome... Thanks. JCWeaver ****************************** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** J. Curtis Weaver, Hydrologist, PE USGS North Carolina Water Science Center 3916 Sunset Ridge Road Raleigh, NC 27607 Phone: (919) 571 -4043 H Fax: (919) 571 -4041 Mobile: (919) 830 -6235 E -mail address -- jcweaver @usgs.gov Internet address -- http: / /nc.water.usgs.gov/ ****************************** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** -- USDM draft (if available) -- As of Tuesday morning, draft 1 for this week's version not was available (because of short week due to holiday). David Miskus, meteorologist with the NOAA Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Maryland, is the USDM author for this week's release. USDM archive (you can select North Carolina from the drop -down box near the top, a quick way to see the last two USDM releases): http: / /drought.unl.edu /dm /archive.html -- Observed precipitation -- Sources of precipitation totals are available from the following: (1) USGS rainfall totals (sorted by county) for the last 7 days at http : / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /current ?tvpe = precip &group kev= county cd (2) State Climate Office of North Carolina at http : / /www.nc - climate.ncsu.edu /mpe departure/ (3) NOAA NWS's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at http://water.weather.gov/preci shown below pulled from the NOAA NWS's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at http : / /water.weather.gov /precip/ North Carolina: Current 7 —Day Observed Precipitation Valid at 6/4/2012 1200 UTC— Created 6/4/12 23:55 UTC -- Streamflow -- 4: I � • Current conditions are depicted as real -time, 7 -day, 14 -day, and 28 -day flows available in the WaterWatch series of maps at: httD:Hwaterwatch. usas.aov/ classic / ?m= real &r =nc &w= real %2Cma Current conditions... 3 Monday, June 04, 2012 20 :30ET Last week's conditions... Tuesday, May 29, 2012 09 :30ET When viewing the USGS WaterWatch streamflow information, you can hover your cursor over a site and a pop -up box Explanation - Percentile classes ......,. Lew X10 1 5 -7 r 6 -90 > . � dol- ranked Ajr m ed u w __I , 4OW Ahpvp MUch abO �8l tral . rmal � When viewing the USGS WaterWatch streamflow information, you can hover your cursor over a site and a pop -up box appears with various pieces of information, including the percentile for the current streamflow AND the current percentage of mean and median for the calendar date. Highlighting current flows (June 04 evening) at some selected gaging stations (obtained from http : / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /current / ?type =flow ): Site number Site name (and County) Flow May 29 Current flow (% of) Median Jun 04 02053200 Potecasi Creek near Union (Hertford) -- 49 cfs 1,340 cfs 2,5280 53 cfs 02106500 Black River near Tomahawk (Sampson) -- 291 cfs 1,340 cfs 4820 278 cfs 02085500 Flat River at Bahama (Durham) -- 25 cfs 34 cfs 83% 41 cfs 02096960 Haw River near Bynum (Chatham) -- 186 cfs 314 cfs 63% 502 cfs 02115360 Yadkin River at Enon (Yadkin) -- 2,020 cfs 1,770 cfs 750 2,350 cfs 02152100 First Broad River near Casar (Cleveland) -- 39 cfs 34 cfs 490 69 cfs 03451500 French Broad River at Asheville (Buncombe) -- 1,310 cfs 1,130 cfs 65% 1,739 cfs 03550000 Valley River at Tomotla (Cherokee) -- 112 cfs 170 cfs 1110 153 cfs Focusing on the 7-day average flows... Visit the WaterWatch pages at http: / /waterwatch.usgs.gov /classic / ?r =nc to get the most recent data for sites of interest. Durations plots for selected individual USGS stations can be accessed at http: / /nc.water.usgs.gov /drought /duration.html The OVERALL 7 -day average flows by HUC map (http:Hwaterwatch.usgs.gov /classic / ?m= pa07d &r= nc &w =pa07d nwc %2Cmap) are depicted in the image below: Monday, June 04, 2012 I, SGS 5 To help provide more detail by major basin, the BELOW NORMAL 7 -day average flows by HUC map (http: / /waterwatch.usgs.gov /classic /index.php ?map type =drvw &state =nc) are depicted in the image below: Monday, June 04, 2012 As of June 03 (Sunday), the graph of 7 -day flow percentiles shown below indicates 24 percent of sites across North Carolina have percentiles for 7 -day average flows falling below the 25th percentile for the calendar date. And 6 percent of sites across North Carolina are shown as having 7 -day average flows below the 10th percentile or reaching new minimum for calendar date. Compared to May 28 (Sunday), the current values indicate minor declines in overall streamflow conditions during course of the past week, considering 16% of sites across the state were below the 25th percentile and 5% of sites were below 10th percentile and /or reaching new minimum for the calendar date. Below is a graph developed from the 7 -day average flow summary table available at: http: / /waterwater.usgs.gov/ classic / ?m= pa07d &r= nc &w= paO7d %2Ctable 1 f Less than 25th percentile Less than 10th percentile New min forthe clay Percentage of sites in North Carolina with 7 -day indicated percentile range or love IN 4N IN Date Another measure of the streamflow conditions is available from maps of median percentiles for 7 -day average flows for the previous 7 -, 14- 30 -, 60 -, and 90 -day periods updated through June 03 (Sunday). These maps are intended to provide some kind of "long- term" index of the streamflow conditions (not available through the USGS WaterWatch pages) that is mapped according to the classification scheme for streamflow used by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Map images (via the above URL) showing the median percentiles for 7 -day average flows for previous 7 and 30 days are shown below. http: / /nc. water. usgs .gov /drought/dm- streamflow.html Previous 7 days Sunday, June 0, 2012 Previous 30 days Sunday, June 0, 2012 Explanation No - No Drought ( >30 percentile) DO - Abnormally Dry (21 to 30 percentile) D1 - Moderate Drought (11 to 20 percentile) D2 - Severe Drought (6 to 10 percentile) D3 - Extreme Drought (3 to 5 percentile) D4 - Exceptional Drought (0 to 2 percentile) n/d - Not determined Unregulated Regulated a IM D ❑ s The following ArcMap screenshot shows the change in the median percentiles of 7 -day average flows for 7 -day period from last week (with last week's U.S. Drought Monitor in the background). In other words, at a given site, take last week's median percentile and compare it to this week's median percentile. Sites in red indicate a decrease in the median percentile from last week to this week (suggesting a decline in streamflow). Sites in blue indicate an increase in the median percentile from last week to this week (suggesting an improvement decline in streamflow). The size of the circles indicates the general range in percentile increase or decrease (note legend to left of the map). File Edit `view Bookmarks Insert Selection Tools Window Help Go 61 (9 s w r R s Ei Leers ❑►r Automated DM maps (short string) E] ❑1 ( ?eekly change in 7 -day median perc ens ® gall othervalues? 10 to 25 percentile increase 25 to 50 percentile decrease 01 Greaterthan 50 percentile decrease Editor T' ax { {4 Create Nea'vFeL'Ure Display Source Selection Drawing "> } I! [trial 7 B I U A w r= _4 -- Ground Water -- 0 5 to 10 percentile increase fb 0 to 5 percentile increase 0 No percentile change 4 to 5 percentile decrease 5 to 10 percentile decrease 10 to 25 percentile decrease 25 to 50 percentile decrease 01 Greaterthan 50 percentile decrease Editor T' ax { {4 Create Nea'vFeL'Ure Display Source Selection Drawing "> } I! [trial 7 B I U A w r= _4 -- Ground Water -- 0 Please visit the North Carolina Real -Time Network page at http: / /groundwaterwatch. usqs. gov /StateMapsNet.asp ?ncd= rtn &sc =37 (map shown below) for more information on ground -water conditions at selected USGS observation wells in North Carolina. Shown below are the hydrographs at four selected wells across North Carolina... real -time page for USGS ground water data in NC is available at http: / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /current ?tvpe =qw (MOUNTAINS) NC -144 at Blantyre in Transylvania County (http: / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /dv / ?site no= 351808082374302 &agency cd =USGS &referred module =sw) 10 New <f 1024 . ..................................... ................................ X25 7 75 9 >0 New ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . ............ Not Low Mich Below Below -- Normal Above hrluoh Above' High Ranked Normal Normal Normal Normal Shown below are the hydrographs at four selected wells across North Carolina... real -time page for USGS ground water data in NC is available at http: / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /current ?tvpe =qw (MOUNTAINS) NC -144 at Blantyre in Transylvania County (http: / /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /dv / ?site no= 351808082374302 &agency cd =USGS &referred module =sw) 10 11 USES 351808082374302 TR -065 HC -144) AT BLANTYRE, HC (RE OLITH 27 +5� 2119,66 27 +66 2119 +56 F1 Cq Q 27 +76 2119 +46 � 27 +8$ 2119 +36 d LO tF 27 +96 2119 +26 CU L 28 +96 2119 +16 m L CU Q 4J 28 +10 2119 +90 DO 4} to 28 +28 2118 +98 y 4J is m r 28 +38 2118 +88 3 C G 28 +4$ C L May May May Jun ca 12 19 26 92 2012 2912 2912 2912 - - -- Provisional Data Subject to Revision - - -- 0 Measured depth to water level — Depth to water level 11 (WESTERN PIEDMONT) NC -193, Piedmont RS near Barber in Rowan County (http: / /waterdata .usgs.gov /nc /nwis /dv / ?dd cd =01 72019 00003 &format =imq default &site no= 354057080362601 &set to qscale v =0 &begin date = 20070319) 12 USES 351 0808237430 TR -065 (SIC -144) AT BLANTYRE, HC (RE OLITH a 27.E 2129.9 m Q Q. 28 +9 2119.9 4 29 +9 2118.9 S d Duo 39.9 2117.9 z QL 31.9 2118.9 32.9 2115.9 } cu �} 33 +$ 2114.9 L C6 Q cu G 34 +$ 211319 M J H C � CE 35 +6 L Jul Sep Now Jan Mar May 2911 2911 2911 2912 2912 2912 — Daily nean depth to water level Period of provisional data Period of approved data (WESTERN PIEDMONT) NC -193, Piedmont RS near Barber in Rowan County (http: / /waterdata .usgs.gov /nc /nwis /dv / ?dd cd =01 72019 00003 &format =imq default &site no= 354057080362601 &set to qscale v =0 &begin date = 20070319) 12 13 USES 354057080362601 FAO -149 (NC-193) PIEDMONT RS 1 NR BARBER (REGOLITH) 4J 7.00 671.00 CU Q. 7.20 670.80 z 7.40 670.60 (U (U; m L (U 7.60 670.40 CU ip Qy L O 7.80 670.20 CU -p m C CL 8.00 670.00 L 0 Hag May May Jun 12 19 26 02 2012 2012 2012 2012 ---- Provisional Data Subject to Revision ---- 13 (EASTERN l T) Local number WK -284, NCDENR Lake Wheeler Research Station at Raleigh in Wake County (http: // groundwaterwatch .usgs.gov /AWLSites.asp ?S= 354404078403101 &ncd =rtn) USES 354057080362801 FAO -149 (NC-193) PIEDMONT FMS 1 NR BARBER ( E OLITH) a 672 +9 1 6 +9 0LITHWELL) 0 27 +95 CU 4 m (U � 6.5 e« 671 +5 27 +19 4J c; ^i 7 +9 671 +9 G c, } L) z ' C 7 +5 679 +5 L 347 +85 y 27 +29 M -0 8 +9 679 +9 C 347 +89 0 L 27 +25 (} �} L 8 +5 M 669 +5 4J L C6 L' -P 27 +39 Gi Q +} ° 9 +9 669 +9 s 347 +79 L -J 27 +35 r H CU P M � a 9 +5 668 +5 L Jul Sep Now Jan Mar May CL G] 27 +49 2911 2911 2911 2912 2912 2912 — Daily nean depth to water level Period of provisional data Period of approved data (EASTERN l T) Local number WK -284, NCDENR Lake Wheeler Research Station at Raleigh in Wake County (http: // groundwaterwatch .usgs.gov /AWLSites.asp ?S= 354404078403101 &ncd =rtn) 14 USES 3 544040 78403101 WK -284 LAK E' HEELER RS MW-3 S (RE G 0LITHWELL) a 27 +95 m 347 +95 e« 27 +19 c; ^i 347 +99 c, 27 +15 0 347 +85 y 27 +29 347 +89 0 L 27 +25 M 347 +75 L' -P 27 +39 4ti s 347 +79 L +°} 27 +35 CU P M 347 +65 CL G] 27 +49 ° 347 +6$ CL7 May May May Jun 12 19 26 92 2912 2912 2912 2912 - - -- Provisional Data Subject to Revision - - -- 14 UPS 3 544040 78403101 WK -284 LAK E' HEELER RS MW-3 S (RE G 0LITH'W at) 25.99 359.99 4 GF 4} 25,59 349,59 N � G y 26.99 349.99 } Z G] 26,59 348.59 L 27.99 348.99 +4 r 27,5$ 347.5$ y ° r-I 28.99 _ 347 +99 L G: a= G M 28,5$ N Jul Sep Now Jan Mar May r- 0 2911 2911 2911 2912 2912 2912 ca — Daily naxinun depth to water level Daily nininun depth to water level --Daily nean depth to water level Period of approved data Period of provisional data Lowest recorded water level prior to MY2911 (27.89 ft Dec 12, 2998) (COASTAL PLAIN) NC -160 near Simpson in Pitt County ( http:/ /waterdata.usgs.gov /nc /nwis /dv/ ?site no= 353219077153801 &agency cd =USGS &referred module =sw) 15 16 USES 353219077153801 PI-532 (NC-160) NR IMP ON, NC (SURFICIAL,) 0.0 56.0 CU Q. 55.0 ai 2.0 54.0 L 3.0 m L53.0 CU L (U -p D 0 4.0 L 52.0 m CL 5.0 C 51.0 L May May May Jun 12 19 26 02 2012 2012 2012 2012 ---- Provisional Data Subject to Revision ---- 16 17 USGS 353 19077153801 PI -532 (NC-160) NR SIMPSON, N URFI IAL) O 4ti 1.9 55.0 Q- 0 ry 2 +9 54 *0 S 0% 3.9 #$ 52.0 41 0 5.0 51.0 0 �- #09t9 } CU �} r - 7.9 49.0 rl L C6 p 8.9 Gi P 48.0 s N 9.0 0 o Jul Sep Now Jan Mar May 0 2011 2011 2911 2912 2912 2912 0 — Daily nean depth to water level Period of approved data Period of provisional data — Lowest recorded water level prior to MY2011 (8.97 ft Oct 23,24, 2007) 17