Despite Hurricane Beryl and some isolated showers in the last 10 days, San Antonio's rainfall totals are little more than a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed to end a years-long drought for the region.
The National Weather Service reported San Antonio's rainfall for the year stood at just under 18 inches on Monday — or little more than an inch and a half below the year-to-date normal.
But the drought is still here, and area rivers and lakes, like Canyon and Medina Lakes, are at record all-time lows.
The U.S. Drought Monitor on Monday reported portions of Kendall, Bandera, and Medina counties were in "extreme" drought conditions. Drought conditions in Bexar were described as "moderate."
The water level in the main source of water for the region, the Edward's Aquifer, was at 631 feet on Monday, or about 29 feet below average for this time of year, according to Paul Bertetti, a senior director for aquifer science research at the Edwards Aquifer Authority.
"We will need a big storm or two to raise the levels back to normal," he said. "For instance, we are in a 10-year drought and need at least a 10-year rain event or equivalent to make up for it."
The only immediate rain in sight is this weekend. Forecasters said a third of the region could see some rain on Friday afternoon and about the same coverage again on Sunday.
One cold front could stall and another stronger one behind it could bring some atmospheric instability and potential rain for the weekend.
Partly cloudy to cloudy conditions and the fronts are expected to at least keep temperatures around seasonal normals for this time of year.
