MID-SOUTH DROUGHT- Texas is technically still experiencing a drought -- even with cooler temperatures and some recent rainfall, A recent report indicates Texas is growing increasingly dry. The U.S. Drought Monitor finds nearly half of the state is in drought. Brian Fuchs is with the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln; he says the record-setting heat, many areas of Texas saw last month, is fueling the drought.
"And we're still seeing some of that triple digit heat popping its nose every now and then, and for this time of year that is unusual," explained Fuchs."So the heat along with the dryness is where we're seeing that development of drought and fairly rapid development of drought across the state."
Warmer than normal temperatures dominated the southern region of the U.S. , with most areas 6 to 12 degrees warmer than normal last week. The warmest temperatures were in central Oklahoma to central Texas. If drought continues in Texas, there will be a greater threat of fires. Drought conditions have also expanded in portions of southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and all of Mississippi.
