Can We Get a (Weather) Break?

By Erin Baxter

It’s Texas… what do you think? No weather break for us here. If it’s not one thing, it’s another! Back in May, we saw major flooding across our state, and parts of the Hill Country were devastated. Then, a hot summer brought us more drought problems, and in the fall, a major span of wildfires in Bastrop Co. We just can’t catch a break!

Drought to Flood

Photo: newstribune.com

According to the National Weather Service, the May 12, 2015 drought monitor reported no exceptional drought in Texas for the first time since July 17, 2012. There has been a huge improvement in drought conditions in the southern Plains since last year, and the drought monitor report released a year ago noted 20.7% of Texas in the exceptional drought category. Most of eastern and southern Texas are no longer experiencing drought conditions at all, which is great news.

The only problem? Hurricane Patricia and her “sisters” are upon us. According to Fox News in Austin, drenching storms that the remnants of Hurricane Patricia dragged into Texas finally cleared Sunday without leaving behind the death or devastation of torrential rain and floods that hit the state earlier in the year. Some parts of Texas were pounded by more than a foot of rain since Friday, shutting down busy highways and derailing a train. But relentless showers were gratefully the only comparison to Memorial Day storms that killed more than 30 people in Texas and Oklahoma and stranded 2,500 cars around Houston.

Annual Weather Summary

Photo: store.almanac.com

And, straight from the trusted Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Annual Weather Summary: November 2015 to October 2016:

Winter will be much warmer and drier than normal, with below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be in early and late December, late January, and early February, while the snowiest periods across the north will occur in late December, early and late January, and mid- and late February. (However, if El Nino has it’s way this year it will be much wetter than predicted)

April and May will be warmer and drier than normal, with drought a major concern.

Summer will be slightly rainier than normal, with near-normal temperatures. The hottest periods will be in early and late June, early July, and late August.

September and October will be warmer than normal, with near-normal rainfall in the north. Hurricanes in early and mid-September may help to ease the drought.

References:

www.weather.com
www.foxnews.com/weather
www.almanac.com