Remember all the rain we had earlier this year? That 10.63 inches that fell in the month of April. Yea we miss it. We need it, as now most of us in East Texas are under a drought.

According to the United States Drought Monitor, much of East Texas is under a drought. Smith County, Gregg County, and Anderson County are currently under a moderate drought. This also includes parts of Henderson, Houston, Upshur, Marion, Morris, and Cass counties. Pretty much the rest of East Texas is labeled as “abnormally dry.”

Going forward, the picture doesn’t look much better. According to the U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook, the month of September looks dry as East Texas looks to see the drought persisting, even developing more in some areas. Beyond that though thinks look a little bit better. Not much, but some. The outlook through November indicates that the drought will likely remain, but improves some.

What we need is some good rain. We may get some later this month. According to the outlook for mid-September from the Climate Prediction Center, we here in east Texas have a 30% chance to see above normal precipitation. This outlook doesn’t give much detail on when or how much, but its hope that we may get some rain.

With drought conditions persisting, a number of East Texas counties have been placed under a burn ban. While these burn bans in place, you need to avoid burning outdoors. Even though winds may be light and the humidity might be going up, the dry ground and grass makes it very easy for a fire to spread rapidly.

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