A winter storm will track to the Lower Mississippi River Valley by Monday and across the central Appalachians Monday night to southern New England by Tuesday. A swath of snow, sleet and freezing rain will spread from the Central Plains east into southern New England by Monday and Tuesday. Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and tornadoes are possible over the northern Gulf Coast on Monday. Read More >
Drought Information
The fall rainy season has brought some relief, but drought conditions persist.
Current Drought Conditions
Fire Danger
A wetter than normal spring rainy season resulted in considerable vegetative growth, and this abundant dry vegetation will remain as fuel for wildfires into the upcoming cold season. The fall growing season will come to an end with freezing temperatures, setting the stage for the winter fire season. The days of greatest concern will be those with gusty winds, low humidity, and unseasonably warm temperatures.
Despite adequate autumn rainfall in many areas, numerous burn bans remain in place across North and Central Texas. Even if a formal burn ban is not in effect for your area, it is still important to be vigilant about fire usage. Avoid open flames near dry vegetation, and assure all coals and embers are fully extinguished.
The Keetch-Byram Drought Index is a drought statistic specifically designed to assess fire danger.
Water Restrictions
After nearly 5 years of significant water restrictions, the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) began allowing twice-per-week watering on May 1, 2015. Sprinklers and other irrigation systems are still be prohibited between 10 am and 6 pm (April 1 to October 31). The NTMWD serves 1.6 million customers east and northeast of the city of Dallas.
In April 2014, the Fort Worth City Council made permanent its twice-per-week limit on landscape watering. Only hand watering is allowed between 10 am and 6 pm. Arlington, also within the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) service area, is still requesting that residents adhere to a twice-per-week watering schedule, but the formal restrictions have been lifted. Dallas has made permanent its twice-per-week limit, but the restriction on daytime watering is limited to the warm season (April 1 to October 31). Since water restrictions vary considerably throughout the Metroplex, residents should keep informed with the current guidelines from their municipality or water utility provider.
Voluntary conservation continues for both Waco and Temple/Killeen. However, water restrictions are in effect for some communities within McLennan County and Bell County.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) maintains a list of water restrictions across the state.
Drought Links
National Integrated Drought Information System
National Drought Mitigation Center
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on YouTube
FWD RSS Feed