Drought holds steady in the state, with 24% under drought conditions (D1–D4). El Niño has a 75% chance of extending through the March-April-May season, with La Niña favored in June-July-August and at least October-November-December. Drought is expected to remain and expand in West and Far West Texas and improve in the Hill Country.
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 conditions persist, a La Niña Watch, and drought expansion in the South
Summary: The amount of the state under drought conditions (D1–D4) remained the same as four weeks ago at 23%. El Niño has a 100% chance of extending through the February-March-April season, giving way to neutral conditions in April-May-June and greater odds of La Niña developing in the summer. Drought is expected to expand across the Edwards Plateau and down the Rio Grande Valley
think+water: The economics of water levels, springs drying up, and more water in the future?
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics of developing an analytical model to quantify the effects of groundwater overdraft on well performance, reviewing the status of major and historical springs across the state, and evaluating future water availability in Texas through the lens of a data-driven approach.
outlook+water: Big improvements in drought east of I-35, El Niño on the way out (and La Niña in the fall), and last year was the warmest on record
Summary: The amount of the state under drought conditions (D1–D4) decreased from five weeks ago at 39% to 23% this week, with drought improvements across much of the state. El Niño conditions have a 90% chance of extending through the February-March-April season, giving way to neutral conditions in April-May-June and greater odds of La Niña conditions in the fall. Last year was the warmest on record for Texas, a full 3.5 F warmer than the long-term average.
think+water: Boil water notices during Uri, predicting water levels with neuro-fuzzies, and produced water for agriculture
This month, Dr. Robert E. Mace explores academic publications on the topics of examining the effectiveness of boil water notices as heath-risk communications, forecasting aquifer water levels in wells in Texas and Florida using an ensemble coactive neuro-fuzzy inference system, and analyzing the potential for using produced water from the Anadarko Basin as a resource for agricultural production.