Summertime always presents an unnerving time for Texans. We bake in 100-plus degree heat for about 4 months with virtually no relief in the form of rain. This has caused massive drought problems in the past, notably back between 2010-2013, when areas of Lake Travis dried up, and rivers were virtually nonexistent. The Bastrop Wildfires came as a result of that drought, and even just last year we saw record heat roast us to oblivion until October.
But entering Summer 2024 is a bit different than last year. This spring, the state has been given more than it can handle with severe storms, and torrential rainfall. According to the state drought monitor, as of the writing of this article, about 26 percent of the state is in drought stage, most of it concentrated in south and west Texas. The Texas Triangle of Dallas-Austin-Houston is sitting without drought as we enter the month of June.
Eric Berger of Space City Weather says that here in Houston especially, we are looking good, which makes sense after all the rain we got in April and May.
"In the greater Houston area, there are no drought concerns whatsoever, we are doing very well heading into the warmest, most drought-prone time of the year," he says.
Rains to our North in April surely played a big part, with areas in Montgomery County seeing 12 inches of rain in a couple day span. The May 16th storms also gave us a decent splash, and we have had intermittent ones since that have kept the ground wet. Same has applied to our north in Dallas and Central Texas.
But this time of year presents a time-honored Texas tradition: river floating. Thanks to those spring showers, you should be good to head to the Comal, Guadalupe, or any river you please.
"Rivers so far are doing well...now, we are coming out of this storm season, so getting into summer we might see a change," he says.
Last year, the drought was compounded by record high temperatures that started in May and did not really let up until the Fall. We saw days over 100 degrees pretty much every day of the summer. That was thanks to multiple high-pressure systems that just parked over the state. While we will definitely see our usual Texas temperatures this year, it might not be as ridiculous as last summer.
So, while things are looking good as we head into the oven of summer, there is reason to remain cautious.
"Our rain chances in summer come mostly from tropical moisture...that can be tropical depressions, storms or hurricanes," he says. "We are pushing that time of year where if the state will get rain, it is from those, rather than systems moving from the great plains...and that is hard to predict as to whether or not high-pressure systems will allow the moisture to push inland."
Anyone who knows Houston knows that our typical prime time for tropical systems is around late August and September. That means there is a good chance we go without reasonable rain for at least 3 months.
Berger says though if the heat does return with multiple high-pressure systems, which could happen, we might be in for more drought issues.
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