Hope Mizzell, Ph.D. SC State Climatologist South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Carolinas and Virginia Climate Conference Improving Drought Detection

Local Drought Committee (12) Local Drought Plans and Ordinances State Drought Program State Agency Drought Committee (5) South Carolina’s Hydro-Logical Cycle Drought Act and Regulations

South Carolina Drought Response Committee Statewide Committee Members SC Dept. of Natural Resources SC Emergency Management Division SC Dept. of Health and Environmental Control SC Department of Agriculture SC Forestry Commission Local Committee Members AgricultureIndustry Counties Municipalities Commissions of Public Works Domestic users Power Generation FacilitiesPrivate water suppliers Regional Councils of GovernmentPublic service districts Soil & Water Conservation DistrictsSpecial Purpose Districts Invited Participants Farm ServiceNational Weather Service United States Dept. of AgricultureUS Geological Survey South Carolina Drought Response Committee

Drought Declarations Drought committee reviews drought related variables such as : PDSI = Palmer Drought Severity Index CMI = Crop Moisture Index SPI = Standard Precipitation Index DM = National Drought Monitor KDBI = Keetch Byram Forest Fire Drought Index Streamflow = Average streamflow for two consecutive weeks Aquifer Level= Static water level for two consecutive months Specific numerical values for the indices that define each level of drought are established through regulation. 4 levels of drought: Incipient Moderate Severe Extreme

Drought Management Plan and Response Ordinance Inventory Water Conservation Actions Dynamic Drought Index Drought Monitoring Tools and Applications

Water Conservation Actions

Drought Response Plans and Ordinances

Web-based mapping tool that emerged in response to user needs during drought in Carolinas. Shaped by interactions with stakeholders during Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing of dams on major river basins in the Carolinas.

Daily (computed on a daily basis): total 5 indices Daily maximum, minimum, mean temperature Daily total precipitation KBDI (Keetch-Byram Drought Index) Weekly (computed on a weekly basis): total 43 indices Weekly, biweekly, monthly average maximum, minimum, mean temperature Weekly PDSI, PHDI, PMDI Estimated Monthly PDSI, PHDI, PMDI Monthly (4-weeks) PDSI, PHDI, Z–Index, PMDI * CMI (Crop Moisture Index) 1–, 2– week, 1–, 3–, 6–, 9–, 12–, 24–month SPI 1–, 2– week, 1–, 3–, 6–, 9–, 12–, 24–, 60–month total precipitation 1–, 2– week, 1–, 3–, 6–, 12–, 24–month total streamflow Monthly (computed on a monthly basis): total 24 indices Monthly average maximum, minimum, mean temperature Monthly PDSI, PHDI, Z–Index, PMDI 1–, 3–, 6–, 9–, 12–, 24–month SPI 1–, 3–, 6–, 12–, 24–, 60–month total precipitation 1–, 3–, 6–,12–, 24–month average daily total streamflow * Rhee, J. and G.J. Carbone. A Comparison of Weekly Monitoring Methods of the Palmer Drought Index. Journal of Climate 20(24):

Map User Input Classification method  Equal interval  Quantile  Natural break  U.S. Drought Monitor-comparable category  SC Drought Act Exceptional Drought Extreme Drought Severe Drought Moderate Drought Abnormally Dry

Interpolation (IDW) 6 nearest stations Search up to 12 nearest stations for data No data Next nearest station 4 km X 4 km grids

Map Navigation Tools

Aggregation Rhee, J., G. J. Carbone, and J. Hussey Drought index mapping at different spatial units. Journal of Hydrometeorology DOI: /2008JHM983.1.

Graph Create Graph Aggregated Features

Table Create Table

Comparison: time scale variability January 1998 ~ December 2008 PDSI 1-month SPI 3-month SPI6-month SPI

Drought Level DMKBDIStreamflowGroundwater Weekly ( %)Daily (%)Predefined percentiles Extreme Drought Severe Drought No Drought Drought Level PDSISPI1SPI3SPI6SPI9SPI12CMI Monthly (%) Weekly Extreme Drought Severe Drought No Drought Percent frequency of drought in Oconee County

11 Lakes Storage 6-month Streamflow 3-Month USDM Stage 1 –Stage 4 FERC Low Inflow Protocol or

StorageDMStreamflowSPI6SPI9Blend 1Blend 2 Aug Sep Oct Nov 06 Dec 06 Jan-07 Feb-07 Mar-07 Apr-07 May-0700 Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Higher than Storage Lower than Storage SPI 6-month, SPI 9-month, Blend 1, and Blend 2 drought stages compared to LIP

Thank you! Hope Mizzell SC State Climatologist 1000 Assembly Street Columbia, SC