Outlook Calls for Texas Drought to Continue Into Summer By David Barer Email

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Thunderstorms soaked swaths of Texas yesterday and could bring more today, but Texas’ longterm weather forecast is saturated with unsettling news.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook summary of Texas weather is a grim reminder that Texas needs far more than a few strong storms.

Here are some of the more interesting findings from the study:

Map by NOAA

Temperatures and precipitation have diverged from historical norms. The last two years in Texas were the warmest since 1985. And the entire state experienced lower than normal rainfall in that time period, according to the report.

One result of the oppressive weather is a shrinking water supply. Central Texas’ two largest reservoirs, Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, are at 41 percent capacity, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority, LCRA, website. Those low levels aren’t likely to improve much in the coming months, as the NOAA outlook anticipates warmer and drier weather through June.

David Barer is a reporting intern for StateImpact Texas.