Last updated: August 26, 2025
Article
Climate and Water Monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Water Year 2024
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Overview
Together, climate and hydrology shape ecosystems and the services they provide, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and across the Southern Plains (Woodhouse and Overpeck 1998). Understanding changes in climate, groundwater, and surface water is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources—and often, cultural resources.
At Chickasaw National Recreation Area (Figure 1), Southern Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network scientists study how ecosystems may be changing by taking measurements of key resources, or “vital signs,” year after year—much as a doctor keeps track of a patient’s vital signs. This long-term ecological monitoring provides early warning of potential problems, allowing managers to mitigate them before they become worse. At Chickasaw National Recreation Area, we monitor climate and groundwater, among other vital signs.
Groundwater conditions are closely related to climate conditions. Because they are better understood together, we report on climate in conjunction with water resources. Reporting is by water year (WY), which begins in October of the previous calendar year and goes through September of the water year (e.g., WY2024 runs from October 2023 through September 2024). This web report presents the results of climate and water monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in WY2024.
Reference: Woodhouse, C. A., and J. T. Overpeck. 1998. 2000 years of drought variability in the central United States. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 79(12): 2693–2714. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079%3C2693:YODVIT%3E2.0.CO;2.
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Climate and Weather
There is often confusion over the terms “weather” and “climate.” In short, weather describes instantaneous meteorological conditions (e.g., it’s currently raining or snowing, it’s a hot or frigid day), and climate reflects patterns of weather at a given place over longer periods of time (seasons to years). Climate is the primary driver of ecological processes on earth. Climate and weather information provide context for understanding the status or condition of other park resources.
Methods
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Observer Program (NOAA COOP) weather station (Chickasaw Natl Rec Area # 341745) has been operational at Chickasaw National Recreation Area since 1978 (Figure 1). This station previously provided a reliable climate dataset. However, in November 2023 the station was decommissioned. As a substitute, climate analyses in this year’s report use WY2024 and 30-year averages (1991–2020) of gridded surface meteorological (GRIDMET) data from the location of the station.
GRIDMET is a spatial climate dataset (4-kilometer resolution) that is interpolated using weather station data, topography, and other observational and modeled land surface data. Temperature and precipitation estimated from GRIDMET may vary from actual weather at a particular location depending on the availability of weather station data and the difference in elevation between the location of interest and that assigned to a grid cell. Data from both weather station and GRIDMET are accessible through Climate Analyzer.
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Results
Precipitation
Annual precipitation at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in WY2024 was 44.13″ (112.1 cm), 2.81″ (7.1 cm) more than the 1991–2020 annual average. This surplus is primarily due to an intense storm event on 27 April 2024 that brought a tornado and dropped an estimated 7.15″ (18.2 cm) of precipitation, causing flooding and damage throughout the park. September was especially dry, receiving just a quarter of its average rainfall (Figure 2). In addition to the high precipitation total in April, three other months (January, October, and May) received more precipitation than average. Overall, the rest of WY2024 was drier than average.
Air Temperature
The mean annual maximum temperature in WY2024 was 75.1°F (23.9°C), 1.6°F (0.9°C) above the 1991–2020 average. The mean annual minimum temperature in WY2024 was 51.0°F (10.6°C), 1.2°F (0.7°C) above the 1991–2020 average. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in WY2024 differed by as much as 7.7°F (4.3°C; see February as an example) relative to the 1991–2020 monthly averages (Figure 2). Maximum and minimum mean monthly air temperatures were similar or above average in every month except January and July.
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Drought
Reconnaissance drought index (Tsakiris and Vangelis 2005) provides a measure of drought severity and extent relative to the long-term climate. It is based on the ratio of average precipitation to average potential evapotranspiration (the amount of water loss that would occur from evaporation and plant transpiration if the water supply was unlimited) over short periods of time (seasons to years). The reconnaissance drought index for Chickasaw National Recreation Area indicates that WY2024 was slightly wetter than the 1991–2024 average from the perspective of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (Figure 3). However, this index may be skewed by a single, large rainfall event that occurred on 27 April 2024.
Reference: Tsakiris G., and H. Vangelis. 2005. Establishing a drought index incorporating evapotranspiration. European Water 9: 3–11.
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Groundwater
Groundwater is one of the most critical natural resources of the Southern Plains and American Southwest. It provides drinking water, irrigates crops, and sustains rivers, streams, and springs throughout the region.
Methods
The US Geological Survey (USGS) monitors groundwater at two wells at Chickasaw National Recreation Area using automated methods: CRNA GW Well 1 and CRNA GW Well 2 (Figure 1). USGS data for both wells are available at the USGS National Water Information System.
Results
Groundwater monitoring results for WY2024 are summarized in Table 1. Mean depth to water at both wells in WY2024 was higher than in WY2023 (Table 1; Figure 4). Groundwater in both wells increased after the large rain event in April. CRNA GW Well 1 has varied 12.30 ft (3.75 m) over the monitoring record. This well is 560 ft (171 m) from Travertine Creek, which likely buffers it from large water level fluctuations. CRNA GW Well 2 has varied 63.60 feet (19.39 m) over the monitoring record. This well is 1,090 ft (332 m) from Travertine Creek and experiences much larger groundwater level fluctuations
Table 1. Groundwater monitoring results in water year (WY) 2024, Chickasaw National Recreation Area (amsl = above mean sea level; bgs = below ground surface).
| Well Name | USGS Well Number | Wellhead Elevation (ft amsl) |
Mean Depth to Water (ft bgs) |
Mean Water Level Elevation (ft amsl) |
Change in Elevation from WY2023 (± ft) |
Change in Elevation from Earliest Recorded Water Level (± ft and year of first record) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRNA-GW-Well 1 | 343022096565701 | 1,078.80 | 30.85 | 1,047.95 | +0.92 | −3.86 (1972) |
| CRNA-GW-Well 2 | 343017096561501 | 1,150.74 | 58.33 | 1,092.41 | +3.09 | +10.17 (1972) |
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Report Citation
Authors: Kara Raymond, Andy Ray
Raymond, K., and A. Ray. 2025. Climate and Water Monitoring at Chickasaw National Recreation Area: Water Year 2024. Southern Plains Network, National Park Service, Pecos, New Mexico.