Drought Information Statement for South Texas Valid June 2, 2025 Issued By: NWS Corpus Christi, TX Contact Information: sr-crp.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated by July 7, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/crp/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Drought conditions remained the same or slightly improved during the month of May across the region. May was warmer than normal. Precipitation was mixed across South Texas with below to above normal. Greater chances for above normal temperatures and equal chances of either below normal or above normal precipitation through June. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): Portions of Webb, La Salle, McMullen, and Live Oak counties. D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of Goliad, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen, Webb and Duval counties. D1 (Moderate Drought): Victoria Crossroads and most of the Coastal Bend. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Extreme portions of the northern and southern Coastal Bend. Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: None. No Change: Most of South Texas counties. Drought Improved: Portions of extreme northern and southern Coastal Bend, portions of Bee, Live Oak, McMullen, La Salle, Webb, Duval, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Victoria, Calhoun, and western tip of Refugio counties. Precipitation Pockets of inland locales and areas adjacent to the Texas coast received up to 100-200% of normal precipitation. Areas northeast, around the I-37 corridor, and the Brush Country only received 25-75% of normal precipitation. A few locales received over 4” of rain while most of the region received up to around 2-4” of rain and localized areas across the Brush Country received less than 0.5” throughout May. South Texas Rainfall Temperature 7-Day max temperatures were above normal across the board. Much of the western region were 6 to 10 degrees above normal while eastern locales were 3 to 6 degrees above normal. Max temperatures across the north and west were 4-6 degrees above normal over the month of May. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Stage 3 water restrictions remain in effect despite several inches of rainfall over the watershed. Local lake levels continue to decline overall. Currently, the combined storage levels of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon are sitting at 15.4 percent as of May 30th compared to 16.4 percent last month. Under Stage 4 water restrictions, outdoor watering is prohibited, but no date has been announced for if or when they will kick in. However, homeowners can still water their foundations by hand once every other week. Stage 4 is implemented when city officials determine a water-supply emergency exists. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and said they will continue to keep the public informed as the drought conditions persist. Agricultural Impacts (https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/tag/texas-crop-and-weather-report/) Coastal Bend: High temperatures, windy conditions and little rain caused the amount of topsoil moisture to decline and some of the crops to show a little stress. Some parts of the reporting area received much needed rain. Some areas received at least 1 inch of rain. Corn was irrigated and cotton did well with the sunny, warm days and residual soil moisture in clay soils. Grain sorghum crops showed stress due to lack of rainfall at the emergence of seedheads. There were reports of insect issues with grain sorghum and cotton, but they were controlled. Herbicide applications were made to pastures as wind allowed. Some fertilizer was applied in anticipation of rain. Pastures provided enough forage for cattle. Haying started on a larger basis and will continue unless conditions change due to moisture. Range and pasture conditions remained good with livestock gaining flesh. South: High temperatures and windy conditions set back soil moisture conditions in most parts of the district, but some showers left scattered rainfall in some areas. Row crop conditions varied from fair to excellent depending on planting dates and rainfall received. Many hay producers were baling hay. Producers harvested wheat across the county. Strawberry harvesting wrapped up. Onion harvesting began in certain parts of the county and should conclude soon. Citrus trees did well with juvenile fruit continuing the maturation process. Cotton crops emerged under irrigation but need rainfall in the next two weeks and peanut planting will soon be completed. Grain sorghum and corn showed signs of heat stress in the afternoon. Forage crops were in the same condition but should make the first cutting soon. Pastures that did not have several days of standing water due to last month’s flood did well. Range conditions improved. Supplementation of beef herds decreased as grass yields improved, and cattle were in good body condition. Some ranchers sold higher numbers than normal due to dry conditions and high prices. Report of ~10,000 acres of land south of Laredo, TX experiencing severely dry conditions, causing crops to die. Summary of Impacts Fire Hazard Impacts Elevated fire weather conditions were in effect May 14-15th, with no critical conditions during the month. Other Impacts Corpus Christi under stage 3 water restrictions (https://www.cctexas.com/) Portland under stage 3 water restrictions (https://www.portlandtx.com/399/Drought-Management-Plan) Laredo under stage 2 water restrictions (https://laredoutilities.com/water-conservation-program/) Alice under stage 3 water restrictions (https://www.cityofalice.org/_T19_R185.php) Mathis under stage 3 water restrictions (https://www.cityofmathis.com/213/Water-Restrictions) Rockport under stage 3 water restrictions (https://www.rockporttx.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3440) Victoria under stage 3 water restrictions (https://moderator.droughtreporter.unl.edu/RSSfeed/ImpactView/60148) Other South Texas communities under restrictions can be found here Corpus Christi has lost some of its water supply that would normally come via the Mary Rhodes Pipeline. The Lower Colorado River was affected by severe drought, which affected water rights, and the city cannot access the river water. (https://moderator.droughtreporter.unl.edu/RSSfeed/ImpactView/60141) The Bernardo C. Sandoval Pool will remain closed for the summer of 2025 due to severe drought and water restrictions, after a unanimous decision by the Beeville City Council at its regular April 8 meeting. The pool holds roughly 240,000 gallons of water and requires periodic refilling during the summer. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. USGS 7-Day Avg Streamflow | Texas Reservoirs Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Flows are much below normal across much of the region. Portions of the northern Brush Country and the Victoria Crossroads are at a normal flow. Reservoir Pool Elevation (ft) Current Elevation (ft) Choke Canyon. 220.5 185.17 Lake Corpus Christi 94.0 79.21 Lake Texana 44.0 41.26 Coleto Creek 98.0 96.58 Canyon Lake 909.0 877.20 Lake Amistad 1117.0 1048.91 Reservoir values as of June 1, 2025 Soil Moisture | Crop Moisture Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture is slightly to much below normal across the region. Crop moisture index is not available at this time. Fire Hazard Impacts Burn Bans in place across the northern Coastal Bend and Brush Country. Normal significant wildland fire potential for South Texas through July. Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Up to 0.1-0.5” of rain is forecast over the next 7 days across South Texas. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Equal chances of above-normal or below-normal precipitation across South Texas through June. 50-60% chances for above normal temperatures through June Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal drought outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought conditions are expected to persist across the region through August.