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An Interactive Look at the Texas Drought

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Background

Just how much damage has the record single-year drought done to Texas? For the first time, you can see an interactive map and several visualizations that show just how severe the drought has been. On our new interactive web app, ‘Dried Out: Confronting the Texas Drought,’ you can see the intensity of the worst single-year drought in Texas’ history; learn more about the hard choices the state has to make; see the drought’s progression and its impact on the state; explore the pros and cons of the policy decisions that need to be made and share your stories.

See for yourself at our new interactive webpage, Dried Out: Confronting the Texas Drought.

Latest Posts

July 11, 2012

How Climate Change Exacerbated the Drought

Last year, Texas suffered the worst single-year drought on record. It resulted in nearly $10 billion dollars in losses to crops, livestock and timber in Texas, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In a new report from NOAA, “State of The Climate,” the agency suggests that thanks to climate change, Texas is likely to see […]

Texas’ Biggest Cash Crop, Cotton, Makes Gradual Rebound

Texas is cattle country, an image known the world over. What’s perhaps not so well known is the primacy of the other big C: Cotton. In fact, Texas has led the country in cotton production for over a century. The fate of the state’s cattle industry as it recovers from last year’s drought is well […]

July 6, 2012

Latest Drought Outlook: Those Dreaded Words ‘Persist or Intensify’

NOAA The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center released the latest drought outlook this week. This is a prediction of what lays ahead in the next three months, and the news for Texas isn’t great: for much of the state, the drought is expected to “persist or intensify.” It was a different story this spring. […]

To Break the Drought, Hoping for a Perfect Storm

It’s a typical summer in Texas: hot and dry with occasional bursts of scattered showers. But as the state continues to recover from a historic drought, more than typical weather is needed. One way the state can receive precipitation during the summer’s dog days is a tropical storm. Of course, such an event can do […]

July 5, 2012

The Kids Are All Right: The Lower Colorado Is Low on Oxygen

Some high school ecological enthusiasts have collected new data showing the Lower Colorado river ecosystem might be in jeopardy. The river not only supplies much of Texas with its drinking water, it’s also a cherished destination for summer recreation. But all is not well on the Colorado, and authorities might not have known about the […]

For Texas Ranchers, the Grass Isn’t Always Greener

Last year’s drought dried up hay fields, sent feed prices through the roof and forced many Texas ranchers to sell off large portions of their herds. And while winter rains helped ease the drought in Central and East Texas, they weren’t enough to wipe it out completely. Yes, grass initially came back on the ranches of Central […]

June 29, 2012

Life By the Drop: Where Drought Meets the Sea, A Q&A With Leslie Hartman

Drought looks different along the Texas coast.  When you hear the cries of seagulls and the roll of the surf you might be forgiven for thinking that nothing is wrong at all. But as last year’s drought pushed through the summer, the Colorado River brought less and less fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico and […]

Life By the Drop: A Tale of Drought Told in the Flow of the Colorado

Running from headwaters near New Mexico, the Colorado cuts southeast through Texas, feeding cities, farms, power plants and ecosystems before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the longest river to start and end all within the state of Texas. In good years, its water is enough to sustain communities at every point as it cuts its […]

June 28, 2012

Weekely Drought Update: With Record Heat, Drought Creeps Back

Last week, Texas hit a milestone in its recovery from drought: no portion of the state was any longer in the worst “exceptional” stage of drought.   The news this week is not quite as good. The drought has returned to some previously drought-free parts of Texas. A greater amount of the state – seven percent, […]

Life By the Drop: Eyes of the Drought

Wyman Meinzer, the state photographer of Texas, is used to finding beauty across the Lone Star State. But during the great drought, Meinzer was faced with the question of how to document devastation and destruction. In an interview with Jake Silverstein, editor of Texas Monthly, Meinzer talks about his work putting a lens to the drought. […]

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