All This Rain/ The Drought in Texas

[ElisabethWhispers]

Has all of this rain significantly helped the drought conditions in Texas? I googled the question but didn't get many good answers.

Surely, it's been a huge help at least in area lakes. I have read that.

Anyone know more?

Elisabeth

[bored@home]

Well I can only report on the things I know personally.
Short answer is yes I think so but feel it has maybe been too much too soon.
First example is the ground saturation is extremely evident on my dog walks. West of here we lost a perfectly healthy (nostalgic) tree that up rooted in the winds.
Closer to home, a door I replaced before winter now has some binding. On the opposte side a decorative brick light post as began to sink and shift. Down and around my home the sudden heaving of the soil had been popping supply lines keeping the city pretty busy and plumbers happy.
On the plus side my lawn looks great!

[ElisabethWhispers]

This past weekend, a relative was complaining about the rain and when I mentioned the drought (I come from a farming background and well, weather is something that I've just always paid attention to), he was still complaining because the water levels in certain lakes were at 100 percent.

However, when I was goofing around on Google yesterday, trying to find definitive answers, mostly what I was reading was the rain had helped, but there were still pockets of Texas that were in severe drought and the DFW area was still listed in drought "mode" (there is some sort of point system that I cannot really regurgitate here because I don't quite understand it).

So my yard is looking good, too. But I've planted some basil, peppers and a few other things and well, some of the plants, in the yard (flowers, etc.) are in poor shape because of so much rain.

I don't really care about a few daisies in the yard. I'm VERY concerned about crops and the drought in California. I mean, this affects our food supply and costs.

It just seems as if people aren't considering the drought when complaining about so much rain.

I'm tired of it, too. Plus, my work slows down when there is a lot of rain. Not always. But a lot of guys don't wish to be in another part of town if there is a lot of inclement weather.

Too easy to get in an accident, etc., or have to explain why you got caught in a flooded area on the other side of town. You know what I mean, right?

[Hercules]

According to the oil & gas companies all this rain is causing earthquakes.

[jdkees]

Originally Posted by ElisabethWhispers

Has all of this rain significantly helped the drought conditions in Texas?

The complex story is that it's offered some reprieve and is in the process of helping. However, Texas has been dealing with drought conditions for so long that it's going to take a lot more moisture to reverse all the drought damage. It could rain like the last few weeks has been raining throughout the entire summer and it wouldn't reverse all the drought damage. The water table has been spent so low that the amount we've received so far is just a fraction of what we've lost.

But yes, it's helping. The help is temporary and things could be worse (like CA), but the rain helps.

[Boltfan]

Good on Dallas for not caving to the short term thinkers and keeping water restrictions in place. Hopefully everyone else does too.

[jdkees]

Yeah that's what keeps a drought going: an area gets a little bit of rainfall and then they begin overspending their water in response. It's how CA got to where it is today (and why TX has been in a 5 year drought, to be honest).

[Boltfan]

Being closer to the problem, CA has some other debatable issues exasperating the situation that are more policy that doom and gloom drought. Yes, they are in a drought, but some logic reveals policy that isn't helping

[TexTushHog]

Northeast Texas is probably out if the drouth. Dallas area is much better, but still down from normal by a bit. Central Texas is still clearly in drouth and lake levels are still low.

But remember surface water feels are just part of the story. Aquifers that are depleted over a period of four or five years take ten to fifteen years to recover. Still lots of serious problems with aquifers everywhere, but nowhere so severely as central Texas.

[doug_dfw]

overnment controls weather statistics. No way it wants to release info that would suggest the drought is over for some time when drought reappears. Conflicts with Admonistrion policy of Climate Change For The Worse. They want more hidden taxes. Higher power, water, gas, and so taxes to save us from Global warming.

Reality: here- all reservoirs that were near empty are overflowing, fooding, finding its way to the Gulf. Farmers have trucked their herds back to lush ranges. I van launch my boat for the first time in three years. Flash flood warnings. Tangible evidence.

Rest easy. You won't have 50+ days of 105+ plus this summer either.

I will take all wagers on the less than 50 day of 105+.

[Ramjet]

Things are never perfect, been that way since Eve seduced Adam with the apple. Oh, none of this is George Bush's fault!

If a community depends on surface water, they're in good shape. Those that depend on water table sources, its still going to be a struggle.

[pyramider]

Originally Posted by Boltfan

Good on Dallas for not caving to the short term thinkers and keeping water restrictions in place. Hopefully everyone else does too.

Dallas is not restricting water like the rest of N TX. I have been on restricted usage and tiered billing for over four years. While I can water every two weeks, residents of Dallas can water daily without getting pounded like me.

[txexetoo]

I think I read the other day That less than 1% of Texas is in drought conditions

[jdkees]

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/?n=drought

[pyramider]

The N TX lake levels are finally full. Lavon has been real down for over two years. Ray Hubbard was down below retaining rocks in 2014.