Drought and Heat Information
Drought and Heat Information
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Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI)
Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is an index used to determining forest fire potential. The drought index is based on a daily water balance, where a drought factor is balanced with precipitation and soil moisture (assumed to have a maximum storage capacity of 8-inches) and is expressed in hundredths of an inch of soil moisture depletion. The drought index ranges from 0 to 800, where a drought index of 0 represents no moisture depletion, and an index of 800 represents absolutely dry conditions. Presently, this index is derived from ground based estimates of temperature and precipitation derived from weather stations and interpolated manually by experts at the Texas Forest Service (TFS) for counties across the state. Researchers at Texas A&M University are working with the TFS to derive this index from AVHRR satellite data and NEXRAD radar rainfall within a GIS. The information below comes from the Texas Weather Connection, maintained by the Spatial Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at Texas A & M University, in conjunction with a variety of other agencies.
For more information on the KBDI and current maps, visit Texas Weather Connection's Keetch-Byram Drought Index page.
You can also view a TAMU interactive map allowing you to zoom in to Fort Bend County.
Current KBDI 14 Day Outlook
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