AUSTIN (KXAN) — The U.S. Drought Monitor released an updated map showing significant improvements to our persistent drought in Central Texas. The drought monitor map is not a forecast, rather it’s a look back in time, providing a “snapshot” of recent weather events.
The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) considers physical data, drought impacts such as lake levels and agriculture, as well as feedback and interpretation from experts. The USDM map is released every Thursday morning, taking into account data through the previous Tuesday morning.
Since the last update, which was released July 3, many counties in our area had 1-3 “Class Improvements.” Many communities received half-a-year’s worth of rain since last Tuesday, which is the main reason for class improvements.
Most of Travis County has downgraded from a level 2/4 “severe” drought to just abnormally dry conditions, Portions of Gillespie County downgraded from a level 3/4 “extreme” drought to also abnormally dry conditions.
In a little over a week, Lake Travis has risen over 22 feet, and Lake Buchanan over 9 feet…