Severe drought in Texas worst in map's history

[sonias]

Houston Chronicle 5/5/11
Severe drought in Texas worst in map's history

LUBBOCK, Texas — The amount of land in exceptional drought in Texas is the most in the 11 years forecasters have tracked the data, a weather official said Thursday.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows more than a fourth of the state, 25.96 percent, is now in the most severe drought category. Exceptional drought means extraordinary and widespread crop and pasture losses, and shortages of water in reservoirs.

National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said the percentage for exceptional is the highest since January 2000, when the map debuted. The same is true for extreme drought, the second most severe category, which on this week's map covers 47.77 percent of the state.

(snip)
The state has had the driest March through April on record as well as the driest October through April going back to 1895.

"It's going to be really, really critical what happens across Texas in the month of May," Murphy said of the month the state typically gets its greatest rainfall totals.
A predictive drought map released Thursday doesn't give Texans and those in nearby states much hope. The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook map valid through the end of July shows dry conditions persisting or worsening across most of Texas, New Mexico and Kansas, the western portion of Oklahoma, and the eastern halves of Arizona and Colorado.

Dust bowl Texas! :scared:

[onestepforward]

1. Here's the map

I've been in Texas well over 40 years and I've never seen our state so dry. When I water outside, along with the birds, now insects come to get a drink too. :(

[sonias]

2. Red Texas takes a whole new meaning now

Red Texas is bad Texas - we are dying of thirst. :(

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Climate Change Deniers Will Continue To Deny...

I suspect that should the Dust start blowing again, the usual crowd of chest-thumping shills will be out in force claiming that man-made climate change had nothing to do with the dust storms and that it all came about because of libruls, lesbians, atheists, and people who give money to Planned Parenthood.

By the time I hit thirty I realized that this state has been prone to dramatic weather swings for thousands of years. The ding-a-lings who didn't learn about such things as the Dustbowl and the drought of the mid-1950's are about to get a little remedial course work.

:argh:

:tinfoilhat: