HOUSTON – All summer, Houston weather has felt like the movie Groundhog Day -- with every day a repeat of the last.
For nearly four months, Houston saw the same forecast daily -- high temperatures between 95-105° with a 0% chance for rain.
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On Tuesday, it totally changed.
We continued to see widespread showers and storms, and rain chances have increased this week. And this rainfall is very beneficial, as our months of hot and dry weather led to a flash drought across parts of Texas.
I’m sure you’ve noticed our grass is brown.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 100% of Southeast Texas is in an extreme or exceptional drought, the most severe levels.
The city of Houston entered Stage Two of the City’s Drought Contingency Plan on Aug. 27.
Residents were asked to conserve water between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. on designated days.
“Houston Public Works asks the public to please do your part in helping us reduce citywide water use,” Houston Public Works Director, Carol Haddock said on Aug. 23. “Our goal is to reduce water usage from all customers by 10%. Our crews are working diligently in conjunction with area contractors to repair water leaks across the city.”
According to Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas has experienced approximately 1,143 wildfires and about 129,008.22 acres have burned due to extreme heat conditions. Its website currently shows Texas at level 2, which is elevated for danger observed in some regions of the state.
The National Weather Service forecasts the drought will remain through this season, but we will see some improvement.
So how much rainfall is needed to end the current drought?
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the Houston area will need at least 18.20″ inches of rain in a 30-day span to end the drought. Of course, we do not want all of this rain all at once. Our ground is very dry, which means we are more susceptible to flooding.
Southeast Texas is the region across the state that needs the most rainfall to escape the drought.
According to KPRC 2 Meteorologist Anthony Yanez, an abundance of moisture will replace the heat in Southeast Texas for the next few days. A real fall cold front will move into the region on Thursday, bringing heavy downpours and thunderstorms.
10-Day Forecast:
As many Houstonians are use to the scorching heat in Texas, we are relieved to finally get some rain -- especially my grass as it has suffered throughout the entire summer.
How are you enjoying this weather so far? Let me know your thoughts below!
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