AUSTIN, Texas — Not only is it the first day of February, it's also a Thursday, which means a new drought monitor has been released.
Here's the latest on our drought conditions, as well as if any further improvements are ahead.
Drought Monitor Comparison
There were vast improvements, mainly east of Interstate 35, as well as statewide. There was a 9% increase in areas not in a drought, and a 5% decrease in areas that are "abnormally dry." There was also a 2% decrease in areas in a "moderate" drought, and minuscule decreases in the "severe" and "extreme" drought categories.
We also still lack any "exceptional" drought statewide, which is good news, and with the El Niño pattern still active across the country, we expect these trends to continue.
Locally, we're tracking only "abnormally dry" conditions east of I-35, with much of Milam, Fayette and Lee counties now almost completely out of the drought. Additionally, eastern Hays County, including San Marcos, as well as Caldwell County dropped a drought level. Eastern Travis County and all of Bastrop County did as well.
This presumably includes the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, as well as places such as Elgin, Bastrop, Lockhart and Luling.
Rain and storm chances Friday night
We're tracking yet another round of rain for your Friday night, heading into Saturday. This could likely impact your late Friday night plans, including the Texas Stars home game at the H-E-B Center against the Bakersfield Condors.
Some of those storms could contain strong winds and hail, but in the context of our drought monitor, the focus will be on our rainfall totals. High-resolution model data shows that we could have rainfall get to around 1 to 2 inches and possibly even more in spots.
Depending on who receives the heaviest rain, we could see a minor flooding concern due to already saturated ground. However, should portions of the Hill Country receive a good bit of rainfall, we could see great improvement in our Highland Lake levels, including Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan.
Stick with KVUE for the latest as we continue to track the improvement of the Texas drought and the El Niño winter so far.
In the meantime, your 7-day outlook is below.
