SUMMARY: The High Plains and Lower Rio Grande Valley are out of drought, but drought conditions expanded in south-central, central, and north-central Texas. El Niño is still with us and may remain with us through the fall. The Atlantic is expected to have a slightly-less-than-normal tropical season with 13 named storms and 5 hurricanes. The past month has seen drought removal in the High Plains and drought expansion and intensification from south-central Texas up towards
Category: outlook+water
outlook+water: March 2019
SUMMARY: Bomb Cyclone Ulmer brought Texas record low pressures for the Panhandle and wind gusts of more than 100 mph. El Niño is still with us with sea surface temperatures projected to flirt with El Niño conditions for the rest of the year. Ulmer dropped some much-needed snow over the Rio Grande headwaters in Colorado. The bomb cyclone that swept across the continental United States the week of March 10th—named Ulmer by the Weather Channel—was
outlook+water: February 2019
SUMMARY: El Niño is here! El Niño is here! Abnormally dry conditions have spread across much of West, Far West, and South Texas. Precipitation in the headwaters of the Rio Grande on Colorado continues to remain at 25 to 50 percent of normal. The weather sure has been schizophrenic this past month. Austin started last week with freezing temperatures and ended with a record high of 91. Before that, we learned about graupel (when supercooled
outlook+water: January 2019
SUMMARY: Drought conditions increased to affect 2.5 percent of the state. Statewide reservoir storage is at 90 percent. The Pacific remains warm enough for El Niño, but has not yet linked with the atmosphere; the chance of El Niño conditions has decreased to ~65 percent. It was a heck of a water year in Texas with rainfalls reaching more than 100 inches in the south-east to a healthy 10 inches in Trans-Texas with blotches of
outlook+water: December 2018
SUMMARY: Drought is affecting less than 1 percent of the state. This year’s hurricane season affected Portugal more than Texas. The Pacific is warm enough for El Niño, but has not yet shown an effect on the atmosphere; so no Niño yet. We landed at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport about 9:30 am before Thanksgiving. After dropping our bags off at a BagBnB, my bride asked “Where next?” Without hesitation, I answered: “Lower 9th