Texas Drought Continues

Is this the worst Texas drought ever? The answer is no, but it certainly is one of the worst, according to Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas A&M University professor and Texas state climatologist.

“Based on Palmer Drought Severity Index values, this is the third-worst drought Texas has ever seen in the month of May,” Nielsen-Gammon writes in his blog, the Climate Abyss. “Records go back to 1895. May also marks the end of the driest eight-month period on record.”

The worst droughts remain those in 1918 and 1956, according to Nielsen-Gammon.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 50% of the state remained in what is termed an exceptional drought, which means a once in 50-year occurrence. More than 90% of the state was experiencing either a severe or exceptional drought. Only parts of north, central and northeast Texas were not at least abnormally dry as of May 31, 2011. ◆