Patches of Central Texas slip into severe drought as heat drags on.
0 The blistering summer has pushed pockets of Central Texas into severe drought for the first time since October 2015.
But as Central Texas has wilted under triple-digit temperatures for most of July, much of the region has slipped into either abnormally dry conditions or moderate drought.
Two pockets are now in severe drought: one to Austin’s southwest that is mainly in Comal County but touches the edge of Hays County; and one in Bastrop County that reaches almost to the Travis County line.
One of the main heat-related risks is now wildfires.
Last week, Austin Water Utility crews lost control of a “prescribed burn” intended to clear out underbrush, scorching between 200 and 250 acres in addition to the 560 acres the utility had been planning to burn.
That heat was driven as much by a lack of cold weather as by the high temperatures, leading many forecasters to expect a summer just a little hotter than normal.
Officials: Welder’s sparks led to wildfire A fire that burned through 60 acres of dry grass in Cedar Creek on Wednesday was ignited by sparks from workers welding a fence, fire officials said.
The blaze was initially estimated between 5 to 10 acres in size but was later confirmed to have reached 60 acres after having ignited along the 100 block of Maple Drive, about 2 miles south of Texas 21 and a mile west of FM 535.
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