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Lincoln County remained under a burn ban, as do 44 other Mississippi counties. The Daily Leader (Brookhaven, Miss.), Sept 11, 2023

Remnants of a large dam that used to power a mill along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River near Port Republic have been fully exposed. The history of the structure was conjecture combined with accounts of the past from nearby landowners. It looks like a small dam was replaced by a larger, stronger dam in 1940. Harrisonburg Daily News-Record (Va.), Sept 12, 2023

Many of Minnesota’s lakes and rivers were at historic lows with nearly 55% of the state in severe drought. The Department of Natural Resources has suspended more than 100 surface water permits over the past seven weeks, due to drought. CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis), Sept 11, 2023

Nebraska state park areas and wildlife management areas in Cherry County have temporarily banned campfires as drought conditions contributed to extreme fire danger. Affected areas included Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area, Cottonwood Lake SRA, Bowring Ranch State Historical Park, Smith Falls State Park, Anderson Bridge, Ballards Marsh, Big Alkali Lake, Borman Bridge, Chat Canyon, Cottonwood/Steverson, Merritt Reservoir, Rat and Beaver Lake, Schlagel Creek, and Shell Lake WMAs. KCSR-AM 610 Chadrad.com (Chadron, Neb.), Sept 11, 2023

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was constructing an underwater sill for the second consecutive year to keep salt water from moving upstream and damaging drinking water systems. USA Today (McLean, Va.), Sept 10, 2023

Drought lowered the level of the Paluxy River in Dinosaur Valley State Park, and volunteers found scores of new dinosaur tracks in the riverbed. KXAS-TV NBC 5 Dallas - Fort Worth (Dallas, Texas), Sept 12, 2023 Newly discovered dinosaur tracks were again exposed as drought dried up a river running through Dinosaur Valley State Park in Somervell County. KSAT 12 Online (San Antonio, Texas), Aug 30, 2023

The City of Katy remained in a Level 3 drought, and city officials pleaded with residents to conserve water, per a Facebook post on August 25. Katy Times (Texas), Sept 11, 2023 Heat and excessive water use triggered Katy’s Stage 3 water restrictions. The mandatory restrictions took effect because daily water use equaled or exceeded 85% of the city’s total water pumping capacity for three consecutive days. Water may not be used to wash vehicles, pavement or to fill pools. Houston Chronicle (Texas), Aug 15, 2023

Rising hay prices in North Texas were making it more costly to keep and feed animals at a petting zoo. When it was time the plant pumpkins, the ground was so dry that the tiller could not break through the hard ground to plow the soil. So they adapted by bringing in topsoil to plant the pumpkins. Another pumpkin patch faced the same challenges and had to close, due to high hay prices and labor challenges. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), Sept 11, 2023

The Millers Head Fire burning in the Shenandoah National Park began on Friday, Sept. 8, has blackened 2.5 acres and was 30% contained. The fire was sparked by natural causes. The Washington Post (D.C.), Sept 11, 2023

Farmers in the D.C. region have seen crop yields down as much as 40%, due to drought. Some streams were drying up, and livestock were already eating hay instead of grazing in green pastures. Farmers were praying for rain. The Washington Post (D.C.), Sept 10, 2023

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Mon Sep 11 22:20:26 UTC 2023.

Since the start of the year, Texas has had 4,279 wildfires that have burned 165,837 acres. AgriLife Today (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Sept 11, 2023

Intense heat, low humidity, and dry fuels in the South have led to extreme fire behavior this summer. On Aug. 24, Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service director and chair of the South-Central Forest Fire Compact activated an interagency agreement that allows for enhanced personnel and equipment resource movement among states. The USDA Forest Service, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and other partners have worked together to battle the wildfires, having provided large air tankers, other aircraft and hundreds of support personnel. The Southern Area remains the top priority for wildfires nationally, per the National Incident Management Situation Report. For the first time, the Southern Area has topped the West as a national priority for wildfire response at this time of year. This year in Texas, 4,279 wildfires have burned 165,837 acres. In August alone, Texas agency firefighters responded to 519 wildfires during the month, compared to an average of 151 wildfires. Fire activity was similarly high in Louisiana where 555 wildfires charred about 53,464 acres, compared with an August average over the past four year of 34 wildfires affecting 295 acres. AgriLife Today (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Sept 11, 2023

The Shenandoah National Park is experiencing high fire danger due to high temperatures and drought conditions, according to a news release by Shenandoah National Park. Visitors were encouraged to be very careful with cigarettes and campfires. Harrisonburg Daily News-Record (Va.), Sept 11, 2023

WW 0682 Status Updates
STATUS FOR WATCH 0682 HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED YET Read more

WW 682 SEVERE TSTM NM TX 112055Z - 120400Z
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 682 NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 355 PM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023 The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of Eastern New Mexico West Texas * Effective this Monday afternoon and evening from 355 PM until 1100 PM CDT. * Primary threats include... Scattered large hail likely with isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible A tornado or two possible SUMMARY...Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms will continue to develop through late afternoon and early evening as a front advances southward across the region. The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 80 statute miles north and south of a line from 50 miles north northwest of Roswell NM to 30 miles northeast of Abilene TX. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2). PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes. && AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 65 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean storm motion vector 30025. ...Guyer Read more

SPC Day 3-8 Fire Weather Outlook
Day 3-8 Fire Weather Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0303 PM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023 Valid 131200Z - 191200Z Across the Western US, Pacific troughing is forecast to weaken and shift eastward as mid-level ridging intensifies through the first part of the extended forecast period. Occasional gusty winds may linger across parts of the Columbia Basin and Snake River Plain through D4/Thursday, but widespread gusty winds and low humidity are not anticipated. In response to the building high pressure, flow aloft will turn more northerly and weaken across the Cascades as the main ridge axis remains off shore. As the ridge continues to build through the remainder of the week and into next weekend, a warming and drying trend will develop across parts of northern CA and the Pacific Northwest. While drier and warmer, the lack of stronger flow aloft suggests widespread critical fire-weather concerns are unlikely. This general upper air pattern is forecast to remain fairly stagnant through next weekend with the ridge and weak flow loft dominating the western half of the CONUS. Across the rest of the US, cooler and wetter conditions will prevail, keeping fire-weather concerns low through the extended forecast period. ..Lyons.. 09/11/2023 ...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov/fire for graphic product... Read more

SPC 2000Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0242 PM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023 Valid 112000Z - 121200Z ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS... ...SUMMARY... Scattered severe wind and large hail will be possible across parts of eastern New Mexico and west Texas through mid-evening. A few storms may be significantly severe with wind gusts to 80 mph and hail to tennis ball size. ...20z Update... The previous outlook remains on track, and no changes have been made with the 20z update. Isolated thunderstorms producing locally strong gusts are ongoing near the sea breeze from southeast GA into northeast FL. This activity will continue, with some increase in coverage with southward extent over the next few hours. Further to the west, thunderstorms are beginning to develop to the cool side of a cold front over eastern NM into the TX Panhandle. Additional thunderstorm development is expected over the next couple of hours. Severe potential will increase/persist across parts of eastern NM into west TX into this evening with damaging gusts and large hail possible. Reference MCD 2137 for info on short term severe thunderstorm and watch issuance potential. ..Leitman.. 09/11/2023 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1140 AM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023/ ...Eastern New Mexico/west Texas... No appreciable outlook changes appear warranted for the region. A low-amplitude shortwave trough over the southern High Plains, and associated belt of enhanced (40 kt) mid-level westerlies, will continue generally eastward over the south-central Plains, and toward the Ozarks/ArkLaTex through late tonight. This will be as a relatively strong cold front continues southward and accelerates later this afternoon into tonight. Scattered thunderstorms are most likely to develop off the higher terrain of New Mexico, first along and to the cool side of the surface boundary during the early to mid-afternoon and later into the well-mixed boundary layer over the Permian Basin and Texas South Plains. Isolated thunderstorms may also form near the surface front/dryline intersection in the Low Rolling Plains/Big Country vicinity. For this latter region, a more favorable discrete supercell wind profile and slower undercutting of the surface front may yield a threat for 2-2.5 inch hail amid MLCAPE around 2000 J/kg. Storms farther west should tend to more quickly consolidate into southeast-moving clusters. Those clusters that can anchor along the undercutting front into the deeply mixed air to the south should have the best chance to produce occasional severe wind gusts from 60-80 mph. These threats should gradually weaken after dusk, but may persist on an isolated basis across the Concho Valley/Edwards Plateau vicinity of west-central Texas as a low-level jet strengthens over the Lower Pecos Valley. ...North/central Florida... Ample heating is occurring at midday with temperatures commonly soaring into the lower 90s F, which is contributing to MLCAPE in excess of 2000 J/kg. Isolated thunderstorms should develop along sea breeze boundaries this afternoon and likely collide over the central/eastern portions of the Florida Peninsula. 20-25 kt effective bulk shear could favor loose multicell clustering with a threat of sporadic wind gusts from 40-60 mph and possibly small hail. ...Southern New England... While locally heavy rainfall will likely be the primary scenario, it is possible that adequate buoyancy will exist with modest-strength westerlies for some potential of localized wind damage with a few of the thunderstorms. However, any such potential should remain very limited/localized with the overall risk of organized severe storms remaining low. Read more

SPC Day 2 Fire Weather Outlook
Day 2 Fire Weather Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0209 PM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023 Valid 121200Z - 131200Z ...NO CRITICAL AREAS... ...Cascades... Troughing over the Pacific Northwest will allow for a slight increase in westerly flow over the Cascades and western Columbia Basin D2/Tuesday afternoon and evening. Gusty west winds may periodically reach 15-20 mph through favored terrain gaps. While surface conditions will not be overly dry, occasional RH values below 30% may support locally elevated fire-weather conditions for a few hours. Currently, confidence in more widespread conditions remains too low to introduce any forecast probabilities. ..Lyons.. 09/11/2023 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 0127 AM CDT Mon Sep 11 2023/ ...Synopsis... Cooler, moist surface conditions should overspread much of the central and southern CONUS tomorrow/Tuesday, reinforced by surface high pressure over the region. Dry conditions will persist over the Interior West. However, rainfall tempering fuel receptiveness or weak surface winds should limit significant wildfire-spread potential to localized areas, precluding fire weather highlights. ...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov/fire for graphic product... Read more

The level of Lake Livingston has dropped so low that debris from a tornado in April 2020 has been exposed in the lakebed. The EF-3 tornado took three lives, injured at least 20 more people and destroyed several dozen homes and businesses in Polk County. Residents want the debris cleaned up so it’s not an underwater hazard when the lake eventually refills. The Trinity River Authority intends to clean up the sheet metal and other material when conditions permit. In the meantime, TRA wants boaters to be cautious when the water level is low. KRIV FOX 26 Houston (Texas), Sept 7, 2023