Monthly Water Resource Summary
October, 2008
Precipitation
October in Indiana was somewhat on the dry side but near normal temperature-wise. Rainfall totals for the month generally followed a decreasing pattern from north to south across the state. However, the southern part of the state received enough rainfall, to go along with cooler fall temperatures, for fire danger to return to normal as of October 31. With that said, there will be sporadic days of increased fire danger and extra caution should be taken to minimize complacency.
Precipitation was below normal for all of Indiana's 9 climate divisions for October. The northwestern climate division received the highest (92.7) percentage of normal precipitation for the month of October, while the southeastern division received the lowest (65.0) percentage.
Total precipitation is well above normal for all climate divisions for the year-to-date (118.0 to 135.1%) through October. Over the longer duration (from January 2007) all climate divisions have received above normal precipitation, ranging from 106.5% for the south-central division to 122.8% for the northwestern division.
For the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) long-term 12-month index, all climate divisions lie in the "moderately wet", "very wet", or "extremely wet" categories. The 6-month index shows all climate divisions in the "near normal" or "moderately wet" range. For the 3-month index, the east-central, south-central, and southeastern climate divisions lie in the "moderately dry" range. The northwestern climate division is in the "moderately wet" category and the remaining divisions are in the "near normal" range. The 1-month index shows all of the climate divisions in the "near normal" category.
- Recent Precipitation Compared to Normal for Each Climatic Division of the State
- Indiana SPI Drought Maps for Current Month
- Explanation of Standard Precipitation Index (SPI)
Palmer Drought Severity Index
At the end of October, the Palmer Drought Severity Index was in the "extremely moist" category for the northwestern climate division, "very moist" for the north-central division, and "unusually moist" for the west-central division. The remaining climate divisions are currently in the "near normal" range.
Streamflows
Mean monthly flows for 11 of the 12 monitored streams were below or much below normal for the month of October. The Muscatatuck River near Deputy had the lowest mean monthly flow with 9% of the historical mean flow for the month. The Kankakee River at Shelby had the highest mean monthly flow with 204% of the historical mean flow for the month.
Lake Michigan
The Lake Michigan-Huron water level for October was about 4 inches below last month's water level and 9 inches above the October 2007 level. Comparison of October monthly mean water levels to long-term (1918-present) averages shows that Lakes Michigan-Huron water levels were about 15 inches below average. At the end of October, the Michigan-Huron level was 577.53 feet which is approximately 15 inches above the lowest recorded monthly mean level for October set in 1964.
The Lake Michigan-Huron water level is forecast by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fall two inches over the next month. Over the next several months, the water levels of the lakes are predicted to be at or above their levels from a year ago.
Note: The coordinated mean levels shown are the average of more than one gage.
Reservoirs
Water levels in 7 of the 8 Indiana reservoirs being monitored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were in their decline to Winter Pool elevations near the end of October. The water level for Monroe Reservoir was slightly below its Winter Pool elevation.
The water levels for two of the three reservoirs monitored by the Indianapolis Water Company (Morse and Eagle Creek) were about two feet below normal pool elevation as of October 25, 2008. The water level for Geist Reservoir was slightly below normal.
Ground Water Levels
As of November 6th, new water level data were available for 5 of the 9 wells being monitored. For the reporting wells, ground water levels were above normal for; LaPorte 9, LaGrange 2, Vigo 7, and Bartholomew 4; and near normal for Posey 3. Ground water levels are expected to decrease slightly over the next month for much of the state.
Real-time data are available for LaPorte 9, LaGrange 2, and Posey 3. The real-time information may be accessed on the following U.S. Geological website: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/in/nwis/current/?type=gw
Acknowledgments
This report has been compiled from Division of Water data and from information supplied by the following:
Precipitation data:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather ServiceStandard Precipitation Index (SPI):
National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC)Streamflow:
U.S. Geological Survey and State of Indiana cooperative program
Lake Michigan level data:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit DistrictReservoir data:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville DistrictGround water level data:
U.S. Geological Survey and State of Indiana cooperative programPalmer Drought Severity Index:U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service
