PROJECT ALERT NOTICE (WY) Weekly Drought Update

Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:27:23 EDT

Summary: Drought continues in Wyoming as extreme or worse drought conditions have held constant for the last two weeks over 58 percent of the State.

The U.S. Drought Monitor for September 25 categorized all of Wyoming as experiencing moderate or worse drought intensity, unchanged for the last two weeks. About 58 percent of the State comprising much of the Wind, Bighorn, Cheyenne, North Platte, and Green River basins is in extreme drought conditions, constant since September 11.

Daily mean streamflows at 34 of 77 streamgages with 30 or more years of data are below normal, a _decrease_ of 26 percent over the last two weeks. Record low streamflows are occuring at 1 of those streamgages: Pine Creek above Fremont Lake, Wyoming (09196500) has been in operation for 54 years and is part of the USGS Hydrologic Benchmark Network.

USGS personnel measured streamflow at 20 streamgages in the last two weeks to extend and verify the lower end of stage-discharge ratings and document shifted ratings. Temporary measures were installed at one streamgage where stream levels had dropped below the existing infrastructure.

Sub-Region: Mountain West; Region: