Drought conditions continued to escalate in North Texas this past week as the Texas Water Development Board identified “moderate drought” conditions in the northeastern tip of Fannin County. This update came as a part of the TWDB’s weekly water report, which was released Monday afternoon.
“Drought conditions mostly improved in the lower Rio Grande Valley; however, moderate drought increased considerably in Northeast Texas, now affecting all of six counties and parts of another half dozen,” Robert Mace, TWDB deputy executive water science and conservation administrator, said in the report.
This week’s report saw some improvement in drought conditions for several counties in Texoma. Cooke County was described as drought free after weeks of being classified as “abnormally dry.” Similarly both Grayson and Collin counties also received relief from “abnormally dry” conditions, however dry conditions persisted for portions of both counties.
The ongoing dry spell comes following a dry September, where portions of the region received less than one-tenth of an inch of rain for the month.
For the majority of the week, Godwin said he expected conditions to stay dry and cool, with temperatures in the 70s through mid-week. On Wednesday and Thursday, highs are expected to rise into the mid 80s.
In addition to its normal content, Monday’s report included an update on long-range climate forecasts and conditions at reservoirs in the region.
“Despite this increase in drought, reservoirs in the Northeast Texas climate division are collective the fullest they’ve been since 1990,” Mace said.