The amount of the state under drought conditions increased from about 25 percent four weeks ago to about 36 percent. Despite drought conditions, statewide reservoir storage is normal for this time of year. Tropical Storm Hanna should improve drought conditions in Central and South-Central Texas
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: Climate trends, the return of drought and a good chance for La Niña
SUMMARY: Drought has flashed into the High Plains; La Niña conditions look more likely for this fall and winter; an historical trends analysis indicates that, indeed, it has been getting warmer and floodier.
think+water: Eutrophication, subsidence, bi-national groundwater and landscaping in a warmer climate
Texas is big, hairy, and fascinating, especially when it comes to water. With 38 public universities and 35 private colleges and universities in the state and many more across the country (and the world) interested in Texas, there’s a great deal of academic scholarship focused on water in the Lone Star State. This new column is where I provide brief summaries and hat tips to several recent academic publications on water in Texas.
outlook+water: May 2020
SUMMARY: NOAA projects a 60 percent chance of a more active Atlantic hurricane season this year. Drought conditions decreased over the past month (from 16 to 11 percent of the state), but abnormally dry conditions or worse increased from 28 to 38 percent. The state is projected to be warmer than normal though the summer with the Rio Grande region suffering the brunt of higher temperatures.