Texas is slipping deeper into a prolonged drought, with the latest U.S. Drought Monitor showing nearly the entire state abnormally dry and about 81.8% in drought. Roughly half of Texas is now in severe drought or worse, and about one in five acres is in extreme to exceptional drought.
The impacts are being felt far beyond the map colors. In South Texas, Corpus Christi remains under Stage 3 water restrictions, and the city says the combined storage in Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Corpus Christi stood at just 8.7% as of last week. City officials say they are expanding pipeline capacity, developing groundwater resources and bringing in more water from eastern reservoirs as shortages worsen. The coastal city is projecting it could be a water crisis by the end of the summer.
For ranchers and farmers, the drought is already changing daily operations. Texas A&M AgriLife reported in January that dry conditions, low soil moisture and above-normal temperatures were hurting winter wheat, stressing pastures and reducing stock tank levels…