Drought Information Statement for South Texas Valid August 8, 2026 Issued By: National Weather Service Corpus Christi, TX Contact Information: sr-crp.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated September 7, 2026 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. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Water restrictions improve across the Coastal Bend as reservoir levels increase at Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi. Resulting in a combined 26% increase in reservoir capacity over the past 30 days. Drought improvements over the northern Victoria Crossroads and small portions of La Salle County and Webb County. Abnormally dry conditions expand eastward over the southern Coastal Plains with Moderate Drought (D1) expanding across southern Webb and Duval Counties.. Drought conditions are expected to persist across northern Brush Country and northern Coastal Plains over the next 3 months. Mainly dry conditions expected over the next 7 days with only isolated locales to receive minimal rainfall. Leaning towards below-normal chances for precipitation and above-normal temperatures in August. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): None D3 (Extreme Drought): None D2 (Severe Drought): Small portions of northeastern La Salle and northwestern McMullen Counties D1 (Moderate Drought): Most of La Salle, McMullen, Live Oak, and portions of Webb and Duval Counties. {{DROUGHT_MONITOR}} Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: D0 expanded eastward into the southern Coastal Plains. Southern Webb and Duval Counties saw a 2 class degradation into D1 over the last month. Drought Improved: Portions of southwest La Salle County and northern Webb County, as well as Bee, Goliad, and Victoria counties. No Change: Much of the northern Brush Country and northern Coastal Bend. {{DROUGHT_CHANGE_MAP}} Precipitation Much of South Texas received less than 2” of rainfall over the past 30 days. However, there were local areas in the northern Rio Grande Plains and Victoria Crossroads where 2-4” of rainfall fell. Most of South Texas was well below normal for precipitation during the month of July, with specific areas mentioned above above normal. {{PRECIPITATION}} Temperature Over the last week, temperatures have been generally 1-4°F above normal across South Texas. While over the last 30 days, temperatures have been near normal with only a small area from Goliad to Victoria County slightly below normal. {{TEMPERATURE}} Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Water restrictions are being lessened across the Coastal Bend as reservoir level increases and inflow into Lake Corpus Christi nears conservation elevation stage. Currently, the combined storage levels of Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon are sitting at 42.0 percent as of Aug 7th compared to 15.6 percent one month ago. Lake Corpus Christi is currently at 86.6 percent as it saw significant inflow upstream along the Nueces River from rainfall over the Hill Country a few weeks ago, raising from 34.5 percent to 86.6 percent in the past 30 days. Agricultural Impacts (https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/08/04/agrilife-extension-economist-cattle-prices-havent-hit-the-ceiling-yet/) Coastal Bend: Extreme heat and windy conditions depleted soil moisture across the district, with temperatures at 95 degrees and higher and no significant rainfall. Topsoil and subsoil moisture ranged from very short to adequate. Sorghum harvest was largely complete; corn harvest was nearing the end, and cotton harvest was beginning on early plantings. Cotton yield potential was reduced by heat and dry conditions, and late-planted cotton took the biggest hit, with some fields showing signs of complete failure. Rice harvest was active. Hay production was in high gear. Pasture mealybug continued to plague hay fields and pastures across much of the district, with severe infestations combining with dry weather to push some range and pasture conditions to very poor. Cattle body condition remained fair to excellent. South: Extreme heat dominated the district, with temperatures over 100 degrees nearly every day and little to no measurable rainfall in most counties. A few areas caught scattered showers, including around a half inch in some counties, but most areas reported none. Grain sorghum and corn harvest advanced rapidly, running about 85% complete in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and progressing across the district. Cotton harvest began on early plantings with defoliation underway, though some late-planted fields remained very green with only lower bolls opening. Sesame continued to develop, peanuts were pegging, and citrus orchards remained under irrigation. Hay producers took advantage of the dry weather to bale, and a lot of hay was being made. Recovery from the July flooding continued along the river bottoms. The Frio floodwaters had receded while the Nueces was flooding the southern portion of one county, and producers reported crop and livestock losses. Pasture and rangeland deteriorated under the prolonged heat and dry conditions, and supplemental feeding increased in some areas. New World screwworm remained an active concern in several counties, though local cattle numbers and prices were largely unaffected. Cattle markets softened following the announcement that the southern border would reopen to Mexican cattle imports. Stocker and feeder calf prices slipped while cow and bull prices held steady to slightly stronger. Livestock were in fair to excellent condition, and pasture and rangeland ranged from very poor to good. Wildlife were in good condition, with fawns progressing and quail and turkey seen with their offspring. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts Fire Hazard Impacts There are no known impacts at this time Other Impacts Beeville under stage 4 emergency water shortage restrictions and Local State of Disaster Issued (https://www.beevilletx.gov/news/post/10042/ )( https://www.beevilletx.gov/news/post/10036/) Corpus Christi, Portland, Aransas Pass, Mathis under stage 2 water restrictions (https://www.cctexas.com/) Kingsville under stage 3 water restrictions (https://stwa.org/recent-news) Laredo under stage 2 water restrictions ( https://laredoutilities.com/water-conservation-program/) Victoria under stage 1 water restrictions (https://www.victoriatx.gov/m/NewsFlash/Home/Detail/2222) Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. {{HYDROLOGIC}} Agricultural Impacts Crop Moisture Index for most of South Texas ranges around normal from -0.9 to 0.9, however portions of the Brush Country are slightly drier from -1 to -2. {{AGRICULTURE}} Fire Hazard Impacts The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for August is forecast to be above normal across along the Coastal Bend, and normal for all of South Texas in September. {{FIRE_WEATHER}} Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Rain up to 0.1 inch forecast over the next 7 days across South Texas. {{QPF_7_DAY}} Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Precipitation outlook for August across all of South Texas has a 33-40% chance of having below-normal rainfall. Temperatures outlook for August across all of South Texas has a 33-40% chance of having above-normal temperatures {{OUTLOOK_MONTHLY}} Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought that currently exists over the Brush Country and northern Coastal Plains is expected to persist through October. {{OUTLOOK_DROUGHT_SEASONAL}}