Rainy February helps whittle away at SE Texas drought

Above-normal rain is good news for the region

HOUSTON – February brought a continuation of good news for drought-stricken southeast Texas. 

With rainfall up to 6 inches above normal in some places, most of the region is now classified as being either in an "abnormally dry" or "moderate drought" condition. Only areas north and west of Houston are still experiencing a severe drought. 

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Last September, during the peak of the drought, virtually all of southeast Texas was suffering through an extreme drought that required 15 to 25 inches of rain to alleviate.

Even more good news is that drought conditions shouldn't worsen as we head through spring.  Rainfall is forecasted to be near normal, so we could actually see some continued improvement in the months ahead.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which publishes drought information nationwide, the southeast part of the state would need up to six additional inches of rain to bring back near-normal conditions. 

Extreme drought still persist in parts of Texas, with the Coastal Bend area near Corpus Christi and west Texas being the areas being hardest hit.

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