As of mid-July, the rainfall deficit for the Dallas-Fort Worth area has reached 7”….that’s 7 inches BELOW normal rainfall. So far, DFW Airport has recorded only 14.50” of rainfall. Our average rainfall by this time is usually 21.50”. So, it should come as no surprise that drought conditions are continuing to worsen. The mid-July U.S. Drought Monitor showed much of Tarrant, Denton, and Wise counties in “severe” drought. Much of the rest of the Metroplex is considered to be in “moderate” drought. To put that in perspective, the scale runs from Abnormally Dry to Moderate to Severe to Extreme to Exceptional. Those faring the best are in East Texas where it’s at worst only “abnormally dry”. On the flip side, southern portions of the Hill Country are in extreme to exceptional drought.

Unfortunately, mid to late Summer rarely offers many opportunities for rainfall in North Texas as high pressure generally rules and cold fronts rarely make it to the Red River. That’s backed up by the statistics…July and August are our two driest months with an average of 2.08” and 2.18” of rain respectively. So, unless we buck the trend, water restrictions may be on the horizon for some municipalities, and the threat of wildfires will ramp up, especially for more highly prone areas west of the Metroplex.