Drought Information Statement for South Central Texas
Valid July 2, 2026
Issued By: National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio
Contact Information: nws.sanantonio@noaa.gov
This product will be updated August 6, 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.
Beneficial rainfall occurred for much of South Central Texas in the month of June with improvements noted in short term drought across the board.
Streamflows and western reservoirs continue to trend low with nearly all watersheds reporting less than normal percentiles, however improvements are being seen at area wells and springs.
The seasonal drought outlook does call for drought redevelopment this Summer, but not significant drought.
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U.S. Drought Monitor
U.S. Drought Monitor for South Central Texas
Drought intensity and Extent
D4 (Exceptional Drought): None
Percent of Area: 0%

D3 (Extreme Drought): None
Percent of Area: 0%

D2 (Severe Drought): Covers portions of Travis, Bastrop, Hays, and Caldwell Counties.
Percent of Area: 2.16%

D1 (Moderate Drought): Covers portions of the I-35 Corridor, Rio Grande Plains, and Coastal Plains.
Percent of Area: 32.50%

D0: (Abnormally Dry): Covers the Hill Country, Edwards Plateau, and portions of the Rio Grande Plains.
Percent of Area: 56.27%
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Recent Change in Drought Intensity
4-week change map for South Central Texas
Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change. 

Drought Worsened: None
 
No Change: The Hill Country and Edwards Plateau.

Drought Improved: Large portions of the area, with some spots seeing 3 to 4 category improvements.
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Precipitation Accumulation and Percent of Normal over the past 30 days
Precipitation
Much of the service area saw above normal rainfall over the past 30 days.
Localized pockets saw greater than 200-300% of normal rainfall over the last 30 days.
The Hill Country and Edwards Plateau missed out on heavier rainfall for the most part.
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Summary of Impacts
See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter
Hydrologic Impacts 
The majority of streamflows across the service area fall within the normal to below normal percentile. (USGS)
Several watersheds in the I-35 Corridor, Hill Country, and Coastal Plains fall within the normal to above normal percentile. (USGS)
Storage in area reservoirs remain low at Medina, Canyon Lake,  and Amistad despite recent improvements.
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 near normal conditions over the region. (NWS Climate Prediction Center) 

Fire Hazard Impacts
The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook calls for near normal conditions in July and August.
 (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 near normal range.

Most watersheds in the I-35 corridor and Coastal Plains, and Hill Country fall within the above normal category.

Additional data: 
Edwards Aquifer, Bexar Index Well J-17 as
of July 2, 2026:
10 day average: 645.2
Historical Monthly Average: 659.2
Departure from Average: -16.7

 
Reservoir
Pool Elevation 
Current Elevation 
Percent Full
Amistad
1117.00 feet
1047.54 feet
29.6%
Lake Austin
492.9 feet
492.09 feet
95.4%
Lake Buchanan
1020.00 feet
1019.88 feet
99.7%
Canyon Lake
909.00 feet
888.28 feet
61.3%
Georgetown Lake
791.00 feet
793.77 feet
100%
Granger Lake
504.00 feet
505.63 feet
100%
Lake LBJ
825.00 feet
824.71 feet
98.3%
Lake Marble Falls
738.00 feet
736.40 feet
95.2%
Medina Lake
1064.2 feet
991.03 feet
9.0%
Lake Travis
681.00 feet
672.13 feet
85.5%
Figure Caption: Daily historical percentile discharge, valid July 2, 2026.
Table caption: TWDB Reservoir conditions as of July 2, 2026
Figure Caption: USGS 7 day streamflows for Texas, valid Mar 5, 2026.
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Crop Moisture Index by Division.
Agricultural Impacts
Crop moisture index values show near normal to well above normal indices
Slightly below normal over the northern Rio Grande Plains.
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Fire Hazard Impacts
Keetch Byram Drought Index values of 0-300 are noted for much of the region.
Portions of the Rio Grande Plains and Edwards Plateau fall between 300-500.
The Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook calls near normal conditions in July and August.
Wildfire Potential Outlooks from the National Interagency Coordination Center.
Burn bans remain for 8 of our 33 counties as of July 2, 2026. Latest County Burn Ban map available here.
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Long-Range Outlooks
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
Most of the area leaning towards below normal precipitation for July. 
The entire service area is shown to lean towards above normal temperatures for the month of July.


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Drought Outlook
The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage
The three month drought outlook shows drought persisting but potentially redeveloping for the entire service area. Short term drought impacts would be the primary concern.
Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook 
Climate Prediction Center Seasonal Drought Outlook 
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