Climate and Water Monitoring at Fort Davis National Historic Site: Water Year 2024
Raymond K and Hubbard T . 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
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.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Raymond, Kara; Hubbard, Tani
- Date of Issue
- 2026-07
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2318795
- Units
- CHDN , FODA , NRSS
- Keywords
- climate, climate and water monitoring, climate monitoring, groundwater, groundwater monitoring, monitoring, monitoring report
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate , Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Groundwater Dynamics