ABILENE, TX —
The lack of rainfall and persistent heat will us high and dry as we end July and begin August. The latest U.S. drought monitor (USDM) indicates much of west Texas, including: the Heartland, the Northwest Hill Country and the eastern Concho Valley are in drought (D2) conditions.
Moderate drought (D1) is occurring across portions of the Concho Valley and southern and eastern Big Country. Abnormally dry conditions can be found elsewhere.
This does not only pose a problem for the overall water supply, but it does elevate our risk for fire danger across the region. The Texas Forest Service advises to be mindful of daily weather forecasts as low humidity, gusty winds and above average temperatures can lead to fire danger.
Many counties across west Texas still have county burn bans in place. To see if your county is one still placed under a burn ban, you can click here for the map provided by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Moving into the rest of the year climate data suggests a continuation of above average temperatures and below normal rainfall for the region. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) says the El Niño looks to setup later this year into the fall and winter. El Niño in Texas generally brings cooler than normal temperatures and wetter than normal conditions.
Additional information or current drought conditions may be found
at the following web addresses:
U.S. Drought Monitor:
http://www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu
NOAA Drought page:
http://www.drought.noaa.gov
Climate Prediction Center (CPC):
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
San Angelo National Weather Service (NWS:
http://www.weather.gov/sjt
Additional river information:
national weather service (nws):
http://www.water.weather.gov/ahps
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):
http://water.usgs.gov/
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE):
http://www.usace.army.mil
