LUBBOCK -- Not one drop of rain fell in parts of Texas last month, deepening the state's inability to overcome a two-year drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows parts of North, South and Southwest Texas returning to the exceptional drought category, the driest possible.National Weather Service rainfall maps show that much of Southwest Texas received no rain in February.Some areas in deep South Texas saw no more than a tenth of an inch.The recent snowstorm, in which Amarillo set a record of 19.1 inches, helped pull most of the Panhandle out of the worst drought category. And a few areas received nearly normal precipitation from December to February, thanks to rain in mid-January.State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said the chance of rain this month is scant."The weekend thing is the first significant rain for March," he said. "The next one in line in the forecast is not until a week from next Tuesday, so we're going a long time between storm systems."But there is reason for optimism, as average rainfall totals were slightly above normal during the first two months of the year: 3.84 inches compared with 3.23.January was Texas' 15th-wettest first month of a year, receiving an average of 2.64 inches.That surpassed the January average of 1.55 inches. February was below average, according to preliminary numbers that show the state got 1.2 inches instead of the normal 1.68 inches.The four wettest months in Texas are April, May, June and October.National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said it's too early to say whether Texas is in for another bad drought year.Texas' driest year ever was 2011, when a La Niña pattern kept rains away while triple-digit temperatures baked the land and windy conditions sucked whatever moisture remained in the soil.Murphy cited an increased chance of below-normal rain this month west of a line from Victoria to Wichita Falls.He said such trends, where half the state gets rain and the other gets little to none, have been the norm "for the last 30 months.""Unfortunately, the South Texas area and the West Texas area are probably not going to get any rain," he said.Also, Thursday's report showed that the 109 lakes that supply most of the state's water were 66.5 percent full, the lowest for this time of year since 1990."This is the time of year when we should be on the upswing" on lake levels, Murphy said.He noted that the levels have diminished gradually since mid-January's good rains, a combination of slightly higher-than-normal temperatures and February's below-normal rainfall.However, reservoirs across North and Central Texas remain at healthy levels despite the drought.Of great concern, Murphy said, are Willacy, Cameron and Hidalgo counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where agriculture is struggling."That area is rising as a bullet as far as an area of concern," Murphy said. "It's starting to surpass West Texas as far as being the driest."Last week, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, demanded that an international commission intervene to ensure that Mexico diverts Rio Grande water to Texas, as it is obliged to do under a long-standing treaty.The drought has depleted the Rio Grande, and arguments over when and how much water to release from the river have increased tensions.Legislators, too, are working to address the state's water future.In some ways, Nielsen-Gammon said, it's good the state continues to want for rain."It's a mixed bag," he said. "For drought to stay on the political radar, it has to continue."Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
