HOUSTON (KIAH) – A new Drought Information Statement released Friday by the National Weather Service in Houston show that while drought conditions have improved in a few counties, much of Southeast Texas remains in drought as the new year begins.
Current drought categories
- Exceptional Drought: None in Southeast Texas
- Extreme Drought: Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson
- Severe Drought: Jackson, Matagorda, Wharton, Chambers, Liberty
- Moderate Drought: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, Trinity, Montgomery, Grimes, San Jacinto, Polk, Houston, Walker, Waller, Brazos
- Abnormally Dry: Madison
Four-week change
- Mostly no change: Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Harris, Austin, Waller
- Drought worsened: Washington, Burleson, Brazos, Grimes, Madison, San Jacinto, Montgomery, Walker, Houston, Trinity, Polk, Liberty, Chambers
- Drought improved: Wharton, Colorado, Fort Bend
Rain over the past month has not been enough to catch up. Most locations north of I-10 picked up less than half an inch, while areas along and south of I-10 saw only 1 to 3 inches, which is still well below normal.
Streamflows are running below to much below normal, especially in the Brazos, Colorado and Lavaca Navidad river basins. Soil moisture is lowest in the southwest region of our area leading to outdoor burn bans in effect for Austin, Wharton and Colorado counties.
Forecasts call for little or no significant rain in the next week, and the extended outlooks favor warmer than normal temperatures for January. As a result, the Climate Prediction Center expects drought conditions to persist across Southeast Texas through the month…