About 97 percent of Texas is in a drought and bad conditions exist in almost three-quarters of the state, according to a national report released Thursday.
The National Drought Monitor notes that most of Texas is at the highest intensity level registered for drought. State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said in a Thursday news release that this is one of the worst droughts Texas has seen since 1895, when the state first began keeping records. The very dry conditions have been factors in hundreds of wildfires in the state. Since fire season began Nov. 15, almost 13,000 fires have burned 3.3 million acres in Texas.In most years, the state experiences more wildfires in July than June, according to Texas Forest Service officials. And forecasters are predicting more hot and dry weather in the next few weeks, keeping the potential high for more wildfires.Officials say the wildfires have been started because of residents burning trash, gathering around a campfire, tossing out a lit cigarette and even driving a hot car through tall grass.A record 236 of 254 Texas counties have implemented burn bans, according to the Texas Forest Service on Thursday.Domingo Ramirez Jr., 817-390-7763
