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.
In some areas, ranchers were hauling water, feeding more hay and supplements, and watching forage conditions deteriorate. South Texas producers also faced tightening irrigation supplies tied to low reservoir levels at Amistad and Falcon, key water sources for Rio Grande Valley agriculture.
John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist, has said persistent above-normal temperatures and one of the driest six-month periods on record across parts of the state accelerated the drought. He also noted that even as La Niña fades, “warmer temperatures are in all the outlooks,” while official federal guidance still favors drought persistence along the Rio Grande and expansion in far West Texas through spring.
Guest:
John Nielsen-Gammon is the Texas State climatologist and director of the Southern Regional Climate Center, Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University.
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