Climate

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Drought, wildfires, and extreme weather — is this the new normal for Texas?

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December 5, 2012

Planting More Hope for Texas Wildfire Victims

Historic wildfires blazed through Texas last year, burning over 4 million acres and destroying nearly 3,000 homes throughout the state. Over a year later, affected areas are slowly recovering. Donations of seedlings and trees are part of the recovery effort, helping re-grow the area’s lost foliage. Texas A&M Forest Service with Texas Garden Clubs is joining […]

Are New Words Needed for a Warming World?

Weather that may have felt like a stroke of luck twenty years ago now evokes a twinge of anxiety in the hearts of many.

November 30, 2012

Abnormally Dry November Stirs Fears of Extreme Drought’s Return

As another dry spell hits the state, some meteorologists are concerned.

November 26, 2012

Please Welcome the Lost Pines Back to Bastrop

During the Labor Day Wildfires of 2011, tens of thousands of acres burned in Central Texas, destroying over 1,600 homes and killing 1.5 million trees. Some of those trees were true Texas treasures: the Lost Pines of Bastrop State Park, a unique forest nearly a hundred miles apart from the Piney Woods of East Texas. Ninety […]

November 19, 2012

This Week in Drought: Inching Towards the Red

While many lawns in Texas might have recovered since last year’s record drought, the lakes and reservoirs that supply water to the state have not. According to recent data from the Texas Water Development Board, just 66 percent of the state’s water supply reservoirs are full. And judging by the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map […]

November 16, 2012

How to See the Leonid Meteor Shower This Weekend in Texas

Stars of the racetrack won’t be the only lights in the firmament this weekend. It’s also peak time for viewing the Leonid meteor shower. “The shower should produce perhaps a dozen or so “shooting stars” per hour,” UT’s StarDate at McDonald Observatory writes. “The best view comes in the wee hours of the morning, as […]

What the Dust Bowl Can Teach Us About Climate Change

If you were making your way across parts of Texas last year, you would be forgiven for wondering if it all wouldn’t simply burn up and turn to dust. A new documentary shows how that literally happened to a wide swath of the country during the thirties because of human actions. “The dust bowl was […]

November 13, 2012

How a Domestic Drilling Boom Could Lead to a Global Climate Bust

This week the International Energy Agency (IEA) released their annual ‘World Energy Outlook,’ and it’s getting a lot of attention for its predictions that the U.S. will soon outpace Saudi Arabia as a producer of oil. That’s projected to happen by 2020, according to the report, thanks to a hydraulic fracturing-led boom in domestic drilling. Reserves of […]

November 8, 2012

By the Numbers: Texas’ Long Heat Wave

People are starting to think of hotter-than-average weather as the new normal here in Texas.

November 7, 2012

For Texas Lawns, It’s Not Easy Staying Green (But It Is Possible)

Drought doesn’t have to kill your lawn, say Texas A&M Agrilife researchers. Though it may appear brown, the grass can stay alive during water-restricted months. Researchers say it’s a matter of watering with the right sprinklers and the right techniques. Texas A&M Agrilife researchers studied the best watering techniques during water restrictions by simulating drought-restrictions […]

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