Climate and Water Monitoring at Fort Davis National Historic Site: Water Year 2024
Please cite this publication as:
Raymond, K., and T. Hubbard. 2026. Climate and Water Monitoring at Fort Davis National Historic Site: Water Year 2024. Science Report NPS/SR—2026/481. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2318795
Abstract
The Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network monitors climate and groundwater each year at Fort Davis National Historic Site, Texas. Climate data, including temperature, precipitation, and reconnaissance drought index, are retrieved from The Climate Analyzer (climateanalyzer.org). We assess groundwater levels in two wells that are just outside of the northeast park boundary. We retrieve groundwater well data from the Texas Water Development Board database. In WY2024, annual rainfall was less than half the 1991–2020 average, though November was very wet. The drought index indicates the park was drier than average for the third consecutive year. Through most of the year, high and low air temperatures were above average. The groundwater level in well 52-25-308 was the lowest since monitoring began. This well has generally been stable and shallow and does not appear to be strongly influenced by precipitation. The groundwater level in well 52-25-309 was just under one foot lower than the previous year; levels have varied by 11.36 ft over the monitoring record. This well appears to be driven by precipitation.
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Overview
Together, climate and hydrology shape ecosystems and the services they provide, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Understanding changes in climate, groundwater, and surface water is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources—and often, cultural resources.
At Fort Davis National Historic Site (Figure 1), Chihuahuan Desert 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 resource problems, allowing managers to mitigate them before they become worse. At Fort Davis National Historic Site, we monitor climate and groundwater, among other vital signs. Groundwater conditions are often closely related to climate conditions. Because they are better understood together, we report on climate in conjunction with groundwater. 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). In this report, we present the results of climate and water monitoring at Fort Davis National Historic Site in WY2024.
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Climate and Weather
There is often confusion over the terms “weather” and “climate.” In short, weather describes short-term 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 (Fort Davis #413262) has been operational at Fort Davis National Historic Site since 1902 (Figure 1). This station typically provides a reliable climate dataset. However, 17 days of data were missing in WY2024. As a substitute, climate analyses in this report use WY2024 and 30-year averages (1991–2020) of gridded surface meteorological (GRIDMET) data from the location of the station. Subsequent reports may revert to the weather station as the data source, depending on future data quality.
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 the weather station and GRIDMET are accessible through The Climate Analyzer.
Results
Precipitation and Air Temperature
Highlight: Rainfall was less than half the average for the year, though November was very wet. High and low temperatures were above average throughout most of the year.
Annual precipitation at Fort Davis National Historic Site in WY2024 was 7.26″ (18.44 cm), 8.18″ (20.78 cm) less than the 1991–2020 average. Precipitation in October (Figure 2) was slightly below average. November received over twice the average precipitation, and December–September monthly precipitation totals were substantially drier than the averages, ranging from completely dry to receiving up to 55% of average. The mean annual maximum temperature in WY2024 was 77.7°F (25.4°C), 1.3°F (0.7°C) above the 1991–2020 average. The mean annual minimum temperature in WY2024 was 49.2°F (9.6°C), 3.0°F (1.7°C) above average. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in WY2024 differed by as much as 5.5°F (3.1°C; see June as an example) relative to the 1991–2020 monthly averages (Figure 2). Mean monthly maximum temperatures were above average in all months except November, January, and March. Mean monthly minimum temperatures were above average for the entire year.
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Drought
Highlight: The park was drier than average for the third consecutive year.
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 Fort Davis National Historic Site indicates that WY2024 was drier than the 1991–2024 average for the third consecutive year from the perspective of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (Figure 3).
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Groundwater
Groundwater is one of the most critical natural resources of the American Southwest, providing water for drinking water, irrigating crops, and sustaining rivers, streams, and springs throughout the region.
Methods
Groundwater is monitored at Fort Davis National Historic Site in two wells near the park (Figure 1). Each well is monitored annually by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), and the data are available at the Texas Water Development Board Groundwater Database.
Results
Groundwater near Fort Davis National Historic Site was monitored by TWDB on 13 February 2024. Water levels in the two monitored wells decreased between WY2023 and WY2024 (Table 1 and Figure 4). The WY2024 depth to water in well 52-25-308 (12.62 ft; 3.85 m) was the lowest in the monitoring record. Groundwater levels at well 52-25-308 have generally been stable and shallow, varying only by 4.23 ft (1.29 m). This well does not appear to be strongly influenced by precipitation. Its proximity to Limpia Creek likely buffers it from larger water level fluctuations. The groundwater level in well 52-25-309 appears to be driven by precipitation and water levels have varied by 11.36 ft (3.46 m) over the monitoring record.
| TWDB Well Number | Location | Wellhead Elevation (ft amsl) |
Depth to Water (ft bgs) |
Water Level Elevation (ft amsl) |
Elevation Change from WY2023 (± ft) |
Elevation Change (± ft) from Earliest Recorded Water Level (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52-25-308 | 1,100 ft northeast of the park adjacent to Limpia Creek | 4,827.00 | 12.63 | 4,814.38 | −1.63 | −2.22 (1967) |
| 52-25-309 | 144 ft east of the park | 4,860.00 | 34.92 | 4,825.08 | −0.95 | −6.82 (1967) |
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Past Reports
Previous annual reports can be found at the following links:
Literature Cited
- Tsakiris, G., and H. Vangelis. 2005. Establishing a drought index incorporating evapotranspiration. European Water 9: 3–11.
Author Information
Kara Raymond 1 
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7265-5919
Tani Hubbard 2 https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8777-4773
1
National Park Service
Southern Arizona Office
12661 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85748
2
Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative and National Park
Service
12661 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85748
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