Drought conditions decreased to 34% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage declined slightly to 73.1% full, about 5 percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Nada is here with an 80% chance of a short La Niña arriving in September-October-November. Drought is expected to remain and increase in much of the state over the next three months.
Author: Robert Mace
Robert Mace is the Executive Director and Chief Water Policy Officer at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and a Professor of Practice in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. Robert has over 30 years of experience in hydrology, hydrogeology, stakeholder processes, and water policy, mostly in Texas.
outlook+water: Drought doubled, La Niña delayed, improvements expected
Drought conditions increased to 36% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage declined slightly to 74.9% full, about five percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Nada is here with a 70% chance of La Niña arriving in September-October-November. Drought is expected to improve or dissolve in much of the state over the next three months except for the El Paso area and parts of the Panhandle.
think+water: Rural trees behave different than urban trees, young Guadalupe bass suck at swimming, and biochar for the win
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics of examining differences in the hydration state of riparian pecan trees between rural and urban settings, determining water velocity recommendations based on the swimming performance of four species of greatest conservation need under varying temperatures, and exploring the effects of biochar on soil water dynamics.
outlook+water: Not much benefit of July rains to the drouthy parts of the state
Drought conditions declined to 20% of the state (D1–D4); statewide reservoir storage declined slightly to 77.0% full, about five percentage points below normal for this time of year. La Nada is here with a 70% chance of La Niña arriving in August-September-October. The drought is expected to persist in the western part of the state and most of the Hill Country through October.
think+water: Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha’apai, Greater Houston is still sinking, and the real age of the Balcones Fault Zone
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics: examining the climate impact of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption over a two-year period, utilizing satellite data to measure subsidence in Southeast Texas, and employing advanced dating methods to determine the formation date of the Balcones fault system in Texas.