Your Weekly Drought Update: It’s Getting Better All the Time

Maps by National Drought Center

The progress of the drought: Beginning, Peak and Today

We’re far from the finish line, but after another week with rains in parts of Texas, the record single-year drought shows continued signs of abating. While 85 percent of Texas is still in “moderate” drought, only 14 percent of the state is in the highest level of drought, “exceptional.” That’s down from 20 percent last week and 86 percent at the peak of the drought in early October 2011.

Dallas/Fort-Worth is still drought-free, and you can now add parts of Houston to that list as well. (They’re still in the “abnormally dry” category or higher, however.) Austin is now in the lightest stage of drought, as are El Paso and San Antonio.

The one region that hasn’t seen much relief is West Texas. Many parts of the state there are in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.

But the progress is unmistakable, as you can see from the three maps above that show the progression of the drought, from its beginning in October 2010 to its peak in October 2011 to today.

Stay tuned for more updates on the drought today (and forecasts for this summer).