Burn Bans

Drought

Monthly Change in Drought Monitor Classification

State climatologist updates Texas' drought situation -- Texas is still in the second worst drought in recorded history, but there is still hope for the future. According to Dr. Nielsen-Gammon, the drought is over half-way through, but it is not the sole cause for the water loss. Population actually affects water amounts available more than drought.
KSAT, Justin Horne, December 10, 2014

Water Supply

Lake Levels benefit from late November Rain -- The low lake levels have been keeping Wichita Falls under Stage 5 Drought Catastrophe usage restriction, and some rain from November has marginally helped lake levels.
Times Record News, Lynn Walker, December 2014

Funding now open for East Texas Water Projects -- The funding is said to help Texas have a stable water system for the next 50 years. This will also allow East Texas a chance to develop regionally and other areas of Texas will be able to focus more on their areas.
KTRE, Caleb Beams, December 1, 2014

Drought forces Mineral Wells to seek new source of water -- For Mineral Wells, Lake Palo Pinto was its main water source, but it is only 10 percent full. If it does not have any new inflow, the county would end up running out of water by spring. To avoid this, the county is planning on installing a reverse osmosis well, which will cost 6 million dollars. This will increase their water rates by 50 percent, so the 31,000 people receiving water from Mineral Wells will have a more expensive water bill in the future.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Bill Hanna, December 6, 2014

Water emergency in Mineral Wells -- The Mineral Wells’ water board has two drought contingency plans, both of which involve getting water from places other than Lake Palo Pinto. The first is to get water from Lake Mineral Wells and the second is to get water from the Brazos River.
WFAA, Sebastian Robertson, December 2, 2014

State might help fund new College Station water well -- The current wells in College Station have been pushed to their limits, and the new well would be able to help in meeting the pumping restrictions, and would provide backup for the other wells.
The Eagle, Emily Wilkins, December 11, 2014

Bush School report says fracking could lead to Texas water shortage -- Because of the possible future shortage of water, these three conservation regulations would help: 1- Require all groundwater users to report any and all groundwater utilized; 2-Create economic incentives for companies who use brackish water instead of fresh groundwater; 3- Establish a definition for groundwater property rights on a per-acre ownership basis.
The Eagle, Maggie Kiely, December 15, 2014

Agriculture

New Reservoir to Help Downstream Rice Farmers -- There are many farmers struggling, and to aid with this a new reservoir in Lane City will be made. The reservoir will hold the amount of Marble Falls, Austin and Lady Bird lakes combined.
Time Warner Cable, Alese Underwood, December 11, 2014

Expert: Consequences of Texas drought continue to linger -- Texas will not have enough water come 2050 if no new water programs are made to meet the needs of the expected population growth. To address the problem SWIFT (State Water Implementation Fund for Texas) with $2 billion to help. At least 20% is going to conservation and at least 10% is going to agricultural and rural areas.
Agrilife, Blair Fannin, December 11, 2014

Texas and New Mexico laws discourage water conservation, experts say -- Many farmers want to be conservative with their water and resources to secure a future for future farmers, but laws do not reward them for doing so, which forces them to be less conservative at times.
El Paso Times, Marty Schladen, December 14, 2014

Drought Hitting Rio Grande Valley Irrigators -- Upper Rio Grande area farmers were forced to use less water due to the regulations caused by drought. This is forcing the farmers to use other conservation measures for their crops to survive.
The Texas Tribune, December 16, 2014

Drought opens Texas ranchers’ eyes to income options -- Profits were cut in half for the Muleshoe Ranch, and for others. In order to have more stability, many ranches are considering other sources of income, such as having antelopes on their property for others to pay to hunt. Some have even been forced to have side jobs due to persisting drought.
TribLive, The Associated Press, December 20, 2014

Cultural shift: Record beef prices don't keep Texas ranchers from seeking alternative income -- The drought from 2011 is still effecting ranchers, as they are having to work other jobs, sell mistletoe, and let people hunt on their properties in order to make a living. Ongoing drought conditions are causing some ranchers to move their cattle northward.
Fox Business, Associated Press, December 20, 2014

Inclement Weather

Cold/Winter Weather

Weekly Weather: Cooler, gray week ahead after weekend warmth -- Houston started off warmer than normal for December, but that did not stay the case for long, as a cold front was forecasted to come in early on in December.
The Houston Chronicle, Eric Berger, December 1, 2014

Area Christmas parades begin; weather could dampen some -- Many Longview-area parades had to keep a watchful eye on the weather to be able to cancel them if freezing drizzle or too much rain was expected to come that day.
The Longview News-Journal, Richard Yeakley, December 2, 2014

For MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, a December date just works -- December is a great time in Texas for the cooler, lower humidity conditions preferred by marathon runners.
The Dallas Morning News, Debbie Fetterman, December 2, 2014

Foggy, rainy morning on tap again Friday for Central Texas -- Patchy fog caused a decrease in visibility for much of Central Texas.
The Austin American-Statesman, December 5, 2014

Weak Cold Front Expected Saturday Afternoon -- For Corpus Christi, the first few days of December was warmer and more humid than the next week, which brought cooler temperature and heavier cloud coverage.
KZTV10, Sonya Hill, December 5, 2014

Winter storm won’t ruin college football championship, DFW officials vow -- There has been a great deal of planning so that even if a huge storm came in like last year, they would have the tools to get people to the game safely, in any cold weather. They were prompted to improve especially when they were criticized that they had poorly functioned in cold weather.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Gordin Dickson, December 6, 2014

Weak El Nino could mean wet, early spring in Texas -- Currently, Texas’s moisture is coming from the Atlantic and being forced upward to produce clouds and moisture by the topography of Texas and northeastern Mexico, and there is a ⅔ chance of an El Nino developing.
The Courier of Montgomery, Associated Press, December 6, 2014

BTU Preparing For Winter Months at Dansby Power Plant -- Bryan Texas Utilities took the proper measures to ensure families would stay warm this winter.
KBTX, Clay Falls, December 6, 2014

Some flights delayed in Texas amid lingering fog -- Around 50 departures were cancelled due to heavy fog, and about 40 inbound flights scheduled to land at DFW were diverted.
KDH News, David Miller, December 10, 2014

Downtown San Antonio's New Years Eve plans still on track, Austin cancels celebration -- The freezing rain expected in the Austin area is not expected to make it to San Antonio, where they will still be celebrating the new year, rain or shine.
San Antonio Express-News, Maria Luisa Cesar, December 30, 2014

Rough driving conditions expected -- Many West Texas counties received winter storm warnings from the National Weather Service, and many roads were expected to freeze. Even though the amount of rain did not seem like much, there was a chance of black ice, which can prove to be very dangerous.
The Midland Reporter-Telegram, Joe Basco, December 30, 2014

'Treacherous' road conditions in Hill Country and West Texas cause major backups --In Crockett and Kimble counties, parts of I-10 were closed due to winter weather. Some areas were also iced up and TxDot trucks were needed in order to de-ice the roads.
San Antonio Express-News, Kolten Parker & Vianna Davila, December 31, 2014

Winter Weather Advisories, Warnings Issued For Central Texas -- Rain, freezing rain, and other frozen precipitation were expected for many areas in Northern Texas.
KWTX, Staff Writers, December 31, 2014

Severe Weather

Isolated severe storms possible over East Texas this evening -- Scattered showers in East Texas were expected to become severe storms.
KLTV, Sarah Fletcher, December 14, 2014

Chances of severe thunderstorms Thursday -- Much of Central Texas including Austin were expected to receive thunderstorms, and some areas were under a flood warning. Before the expected thunderstorms, many areas experienced light rain.
The Austin American-Statesman, December 17, 2014

Heavy rains soak SE Texas; Dry skies by evening -- The morning rains caused difficulties for morning commuters on Friday. Some areas in Houston had flooding and puddles on the road.
KPRC, Eric Braate, December 19, 2014

Other Climate Impacts

No El Niño yet, but more rain coming to Texas -- El Niño effects are being experienced in Texas through the tropical moisture, even though it has not been made official yet.
The Dallas Morning News, Michael E. Young, December 6, 2014

Weak El Niño remains possible -- There is a ⅔ chance of the El Nino forming, and the present conditions are giving Texas a good chance to get more rain. Lake levels across Texas are 62.5% full and 2.6% of Texas is in Extreme Drought.
San Angelo Standard-Times, Betsy Blaney, December 6, 2014

Flash flood warning system to be installed in New Braunfels -- Flooding monitors would be put in 8 places along the Guadalupe River in order to better alert the people to flooding.
KSAT, Robert Taylor, December 8, 2014

Two Texas Co-ops Get Oklahoma Wind -- Texas EC is adding the renewable wind energy to continue to give their customers reliable power for a good cost. The wind energy will be used along other forms currently in use to create power.
Electric Co-op Today, Derrill Holly, December 8, 2014

‘Cedar fever’ hits Central Texas earlier than usual -- The cedar count was already higher than normal in the Central Texas area, and it affects those with allergies to cedar.
KXAN, Rob Scott, December 8, 2014

EPA and Texas Collaborate to Supply Safe Drinking Water to Texans -- Texas is receiving $63 million to fund Safe Drinking Water Programs in order to make cleaner drinking water from Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
KTAB, Staff Writer, December 17, 2014