Drought Information Statement for South Central Texas Valid April 2, 2026 Issued By: National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio Contact Information: nws.sanantonio@noaa.gov This product will be updated May 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/EWX/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates. Minimal rainfall over the past 30 days has resulted in drought persisting across the area. Streamflows and western reservoirs continue to trend lower with nearly all watersheds reporting less than normal percentiles. Despite better precipitation chances in the monthly outlooks, the seasonal drought outlook does not bode well for long term improvement. U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): Covers portions of the Rio Grande Plains. Percent of Area: 4.96% D3 (Extreme Drought): Covers The I-35 Corridor, Coastal Plains, and portions of the Rio Grande Plains. Percent of Area: 29.34% D2 (Severe Drought): Covers portions of the Hill Country, Rio Grande Plains and I-35 Corridor. Percent of Area: 62.81% D1 (Moderate Drought): Covers portions of the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country. Percent of Area: 88.98% D0: (Abnormally Dry): Covers the Hill Country and Edwards Plateau. Percent of Area: 98.82% {{DROUGHT_MONITOR}} Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. Drought Worsened: Portions of the Hill Country, southern Edwards Plateau, and Rio Grande Plains. No Change: The remainder of South Central Texas. Drought Improved: None Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts The majority of streamflows across the service area fall within the below to much below normal percentile. (USGS) Isolated watersheds in the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains fall within the normal percentile. (USGS) Storage in area reservoirs remain low at Medina, Canyon Lake, and Amistad. See next page for more details. Agricultural Impacts Please see the latest Crop & Weather Report from Texas A&M Agrilife. Crop moisture index values show below normal condition over the region. (NWS Climate Prediction Center) Fire Hazard Impacts The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook calls for normal fire potential in April and May. (National Interagency Coordination Center) See Fire Hazard page for more details. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts The majority of streamflows across the service area fall within the below to much below normal percentile. Isolated watersheds in the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains, and Hill Country fall within the near to above normal category. Additional data: Edwards Aquifer, Bexar Index Well J-17 as of April 2, 2026: 10 day average: 625.4 Historical Monthly Average: 665.8 Departure from Average: -41.1 Reservoir Pool Elevation Current Elevation Percent Full Amistad 1117.00 feet 1048.07 feet 31.3% Lake Austin 492.9 feet 492.59 feet 98.6% Lake Buchanan 1020.00 feet 1017.65 feet 94.0% Canyon Lake 909.00 feet 886.72 feet 58.9% Georgetown Lake 791.00 feet 783.35 feet 75.7% Granger Lake 504.00 feet 504.08 feet 100% Lake LBJ 825.00 feet 824.81 feet 98.9% Lake Marble Falls 738.00 feet 736.25 feet 94.0% Medina Lake 1064.2 feet 977.03 feet 3.9% Lake Travis 681.00 feet 664.02 feet 73.6% Agricultural Impacts Crop moisture index values show slightly below normal conditions across much of the service area. Index values are much below normal for area across the Rio Grande Plains. Fire Hazard Impacts Keetch Byram Drought Index values of 500-800 are noted for much of the region. Portions of the Hill Country are the sole areas with KBDI values below 400. The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook calls for normal fire potential for April and May. Burn bans remain for 31 of our 33 counties as of April 2, 2026. Latest County Burn Ban map available here. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The entire area is shown to lean towards above normal precipitation for the month of April. The entire area is shown to lean towards above normal for temperatures for the month of April. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The three month drought outlook shows drought persisting for much of the area with drought ending for abortion of the Hill Country and southern Edwards Plateau.