TEXAS, USA — We've had quite a bit of rain across Central Texas this week, and this has allowed for improvements in the Central Texas drought over the past several weeks.
While the rounds of rains we saw didn't make a big dent in the drought monitor when looking at the comparison from last week to this week, we did see some improvements along and east of Interstate 35.
For example, more portions of Milam County are now completely out of the drought and places such as Luling, San Marcos and Taylor have dropped a drought category. This is largely due to rainfall totals over the past weeks that have been well ahead of the average pace for the year.
According to the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), many areas in and around Austin have had six to seven inches of rain over the past 30 days. This will not only ease drought conditions but will also help with lake levels in the long run.
However, over the next seven days, there is only one additional chance of heavy rainfall, associated with Friday night's system that will bring in a chance for stronger thunderstorms.
It's also important to note that totals from Wednesday night's storms were not factored into this week's drought monitor, so it's entirely possible that – depending on how much rain falls and where – we could see further improvements in the drought monitor going forward, especially with Friday's system.
After Friday's system, we expect to be mainly dry from Saturday morning through at least the middle of next week.
In the meantime, your 7-day forecast is below:
