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. 

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

History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. Hurricane Preparedness Week during 2010 will be held May 23rd through May 29th.

Hurricanes are a persistent threat faced by residents of southeast Texas. Each year we watch conditions in the gulf, talk around the water-cooler about what the meteorologist is forecasting, and prepare our homes and businesses for potential storms.

This week, the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management website will be updated daily with Hurricane information.  Be sure to check back to http://www.fbcoem.org each day for new information about Hurricanes, and information on what you can do to be better prepared.

Don't forget to follow FBC OEM on Twitter and YouTube, and "Like" FBC OEM on Facebook.

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Fort Bend County is located in the Texas Southeast, immediately South and West of Harris County and the city of Houston. It is the home of over 500,000 people and is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. For more information about Fort Bend County, visit the county homepage at http://www.co.fort-bend.tx.us.

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was established to protect the residents and property of Fort Bend County from damage relating to disasters. The OEM accomplishes this through effective planning, preparation, response and recovery. For more information about the Fort Bend County OEM, visit the OEM homepage at http://www.fbcoem.org.

Remember the three P's for cold weather preparedness:

Pets

Consider bringing you outdoor pets inside, especially dogs. The cold weather along with the winds can be deadly to your pets if you do not take proper actions to provide them with shelter. Make sure your pets have constant source of water; make sure that outdoor water bowls do not freeze.

Pipes

Protect your water pipes.  Water expands as it freezes which may break pipes; ice forming in a pipe can result in pipe failure.  Uninsulated pipes are at risk of freezing when temperatures get below 25 degrees for an extended period of time. Seal any openings where cold air may get to pipes. Leave cabinet doors in kitchens and bathrooms open so warmer air circulates around pipes.

Plants

Sensitive plants should be covered and heavily mulched. Plants can be covered with plastic and sheets to keep the chill off, but the covering should be removed as the weather warms up and the sun comes out to prevent the plant from heating up and burning the foliage. Move any container plants indoors.

Where to get updates

The National Weather Service will be posting advisories, watches and warnings as appropriate. The National Weather Service Houston Galveston page at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/ is a great resource.

The National Weather Service will be posting their advisories, watches and warnings for Fort Bend County at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hazards/?wfo=hgx&maptype=cwa&map.x=172&map.y=171

NWS forecasts for Fort Bend County can be found here: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=TXZ227

Another great resource for residents is Google Weather. You can do a Google search for "weather Richmond, TX" to see an aggregated forecast for Richmond. You can change the city name to the city you live in as well.

Fort Bend County OEM will be posting FBC Alerts when there is emergency information you need. If you have not already done so, register for our updates and subscribe to our feed.

More information

FEMA's hazards section of their website is a fantastic resource for citizens looking for information about disasters. While it isn't specifically oriented to us residents of Southeast Texas, the information is a great starting point for your families disaster checklist.

Before Winter Storms and Extreme Cold

During a Winter Storm

Recovering from Disaster