Last updated: September 19, 2024
Article
Climate and Weather Monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site: Water Year 2023
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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 Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (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 Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, we monitor climate, among other vital signs.
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., WY2023 runs from October 2022 through September 2023). This article reports the results of climate monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (Figure 1) in WY2023.
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). 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 (CHEYENNE OK 6 SW 341743) located 5.0 miles (8.0 km) south of Washita Battlefield National Historic Site has been operational since 2009 (Figure 1). The long-term averages used for comparison in this report were calculated by NOAA based on data from the period of record, 2009–2020. This station provides a reliable climate dataset used for analyses in this climate report. Data from this station are accessible through Climate Analyzer.
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Results for Water Year 2023
Precipitation
Annual precipitation near Washita Battlefield National Historic Site in WY2023 was 29.97″ (76.1 cm), 3.14″ (8.0 cm) more than the long-term annual average. This surplus occurred primarily in June, which received 10.37″ (26.3 cm), three times more than the long-term average for that month. July was also wetter than average in WY2023. Substantially less than average precipitation occurred in February, March, April, August, and September. Precipitation during all other months was similar to the long-term average (Figure 2). Extreme daily rainfall events (≥ 1″; 2.54 cm) occurred on 8 days, one more than the average annual frequency of 6.8 days. Extreme rainfall events occurred on 8 days (Table 1).
Table 1. Extreme daily rainfall events in water year 2023 (WY2023).
| Date | Rainfall (in) | Rainfall (cm) |
|---|---|---|
| 26 April 2023 | 1.29 | 3.3 |
| 18 May 2023 | 1.20 | 3.0 |
| 02 June 2023 | 2.11 | 5.4 |
| 22 June 2023 | 1.58 | 4.0 |
| 23 June 2023 | 1.84 | 4.7 |
| 30 June 2023 | 2.47 | 6.3 |
| 07 July 2023 | 2.44 | 6.2 |
| 09 July 2023 | 1.28 | 3.3 |
Air Temperature
The mean annual maximum temperature in WY2023 was 72.2°F (22.3°C), 1.0°F (0.5°C) above the long-term average. The mean annual minimum temperature in WY2023 was 48.8°F (9.3°C), 0.5°F (0.3°C) above the long-term average. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in WY2023 differed by as much as 6.2°F (3.5°C; see September as an example) relative to the 2009–2020 monthly averages (Figure 2). Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures deviated from the long-term averages but not in a single direction. Extremely hot temperatures (≥ 98°F; 36.7°C) occurred on 31 days in WY2023, more than the average frequency of 22 days. Extremely cold temperatures
(≤ 20°F; −6.7°C) occurred on 14 days, less than the average frequency of 18.6 days.
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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 Washita Battlefield National Historic Site indicates that WY2023 was wetter than the 2010–2023 average from the perspective of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (Figure 3).
Reference: Tsakiris G., and H. Vangelis. 2005. Establishing a drought index incorporating evapotranspiration. European Water 9: 3–11.
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Authors: Kara Raymond, Andy Ray
Please cite this report as
Raymond, K., and A. Ray. 2024. Climate and Weather Monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site: Water Year 2023. Southern Plains Network, National Park Service, Pecos, New Mexico.
Please cite this report as
Raymond, K., and A. Ray. 2024. Climate and Weather Monitoring at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site: Water Year 2023. Southern Plains Network, National Park Service, Pecos, New Mexico.