Burn Bans

Drought

Monthly Change in Drought Monitor Classification

Texas continues drying out, high heat little rain--The US Drought Monitor shows that parts of Lubbock County are now under extreme drought conditions while many other areas are listed under moderate to severe drought. No place in Texas is listed under exceptional drought.
KCBD News, James Clark, July 5, 2012

Recent rain helps agriculture, but drought still major issue--Even though the Borderlands has seen a lot of rainfall recently, the NWS says that in order to get completely out of the drought around 9 inches of rain is still needed.
KFOX News, Joshua Zuber, July 6, 2012

Wildfire

Saturday Heat Fuels Grass Fire--A fire broke out 6 miles west of Byers scorching several acres and taking firefighters several hours to contain.
KAUZ News, July 21, 2012

Lightning strike causes massive wild fire in Jefferson County--Lightning sparked a wildfire in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge burning over 150 acres. Officials say the smoke could affect Harris and Galveston Counties.
KPRC News, July 29, 2012

Water Supply

Keller, Roanoke, and Trophy Club Work to Save Water--As the summer brings heat and dry conditions, the cities of Keller, Roanoke, and Trophy Club have increased water restrictions on the city in order to conserve what water resources the area still has.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Mark Wright, July 2, 2012

Texas Seeks New Water Supplies Amid Drought--After last year’s exceptional drought caused many to worry whether there would be enough water to go around, lawmakers now have to find new places to get water. With Texas’s population expected to double by 2060, a massive $53 billion project may be at hand to find new water resources for agricultural and residential water alike.
KERA News, John Burnett, July 8, 2012

Agricultural Impacts

2011 drought costliest in history--After last year’s $7.6 billion drought things are looking up for many farmers and ranchers. New crops have been planted to help resist drought effects, such as sunflowers, while many others are seeing a betterment of growth in the excess rainfall of this year.
KXAN News, Natalie Stoll, July 6, 2012

Rain brings Good News, Bad News to Farmers--Recent rainfall has been good for most farmers, but couldn’t have come at a worse time for cotton and grain farmers. Cotton and grain needs to be harvested completely dry, but rains have prevented harvesting and may have caused some losses for the farmers.
The Valley Morning Star, Allen Essex, July 6, 2012

Rain helps county’s hay production--Rain in the usually dry months of July and August has helped Panola County hay growers with an increase in crop yields.
Panola Watchman, July 23, 2012

U.S. agriculture official seeks to reassure local farmers--A meeting was held in Bryan by the US Department of Agriculture detailing a new plan for farmers in designated disaster areas across the U.S. This new bill will allow farmers to take out low interest loans to help mitigate some of the effects of drought and other disasters that affect crops.
The Eagle, Cassie Smith, July 28, 2012

Drought drains the Panhandle's pocketbooks--As the drought worsens, ranchers continue to thin their herds due to increased corn prices and decreased natural forage for cattle to graze on. A 2% decrease in the cattle herd has been seen so far.
KVII News, Meredith Keller, July 28, 2012

Inclement Weather

Flooding/Rainfall

Stationary rain leads to flooding in Brownsville's Westside--A stationary storm system brought upwards of 6 inches of rain to Brownsville’s Westside causing street flooding and filling up the once dry Ebony Lake. 
The Valley Morning Star, Laura B. Martinez, July 2, 2012

Flooding causes misery in parts of Montgomery County – Heavy rains in Montgomery County are expected to bring rivers to or close to flood level near Conroe, Porter, and Spring Creek. Flooding already occurring has forced citizens of Timber Lakes to evacuate their homes.
The Courier of Montgomery County, July 13, 2012

Houston-area storms flood homes, may end drought--Flooding occurred across Southeast Texas this week as many areas received between 8 and 10 inches of rain. Northern Harris County saw over 14 inches of rain, causing Cypress Creek to overflow and flood a subdivision in Cypress.
The Courier of Montgomery County, AP, July 13, 2012

Heavy Rain Causes Flooding Around Austin--Strong storms moved to the west and south of Austin causing some wind damage as well as flooding in many areas. Water overtopped Highway 71 west of Mopac. 
KVUE News, Mark Wiggins, July 15, 2012

Heat

10-Year-old dies of Heat Exhaustion--Two brothers in Henderson County were overcome by the heat on a walk to a nearby dairy farm. An ambulance was called, but the 10-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
Times Record News, Hanaba Welch, July 22, 2012

Heat Related Illness Likely--As temperatures punch past the century mark medical professionals are urging people to take precautions in the heat, especially for the elderly and those who work outdoors. MedStar in Tarrant County expects to see an increase in heat related emergencies as the heat continues.
KXAS News, Kevin Cokely, July 19, 2012

Boy found in day care van died from heat, driver in custody--After being left in a daycare van for hours in the scorching heat a three year old boy died of heat stroke. The death has police investigating the conduct of the daycare worker who was in charge of the vehicle at the time.
WFAA News, Rebecca Lopez, July 20, 2012

Doctors Warn Extreme Heat Dangerous for Medications--Doctors warn that leaving medications out in extreme heat can cause many to break down into something that is very harmful to the body.
KTEN News, Ashley Prchal, July 25, 2012

DFW under sizzlin' heat advisory 'til Tuesday and maybe beyond--The temperature over next few days across North Texas will shoot into the mid to upper 100’s as a high pressure system sits over the area. This prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for the DFW metro area until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Domingo Ramirez Jr., July 29, 2012

Severe Weather

Oil Tanker Explodes--An oil tanker outside of Rusk was struck by lightning overnight causing it to rupture and explode; no one was injured, but it awoke many neighbors from sleep.
KLTV News, Brett Collar, July 6, 2012

Two Houston Soccer Players Killed by Lightning--A soccer match was interrupted by lightning on July 16 sending players headed for cover when lightning struck a tree, which three players were sheltering under, killing two.
KDFA News, AP, July 16, 2012

Other Climate Impacts

Animals/Aquatic Life

What to Remember to Keep Your Pet Cool This Summer--The record heat also takes its toll on household pets too, so owners should be careful to watch out for the signs of exhaustion in their pets as well as themselves.
KTEN News, Cathy Evans, July 30, 2012

Economics

Drought Hitting Fruit Vendors Hard--The drought has caused many fruit vendors in El Paso to lose business and close down due to high fruit prices and low demand.
KFOX News, Samantha Manning, July 1, 2012

Businesses Feeling the Heat--Summer seasonal businesses see an increase in business when the mercury rises, but once it passes 100 degrees or so customers stop braving the temperatures, even for a snow cone.
KAUZ News, Jack Lamson, July 25, 2012

Homes/Gardening/Trees

Summer Heat Spawns Grasshopper Invasion--Last year’s drought and heat have created the perfect storm for grasshoppers to come and destroy crops and gardens. To get rid of the pests many suggest using soapy water, though calling professionals is probably easier.
WFAA News, Marcus Moore, July 6, 2012

Drought Turned Texas Trees Into Safety Hazards--Trees that last year’s drought killed are now a safety hazard, causing many cities and homeowners to cut down these trees. The Texas Forest Service estimated that up to 500 million trees were killed by last year’s drought alone.
KRLD News, Andrea Lucia, July 29, 2012

Triple Digit Temps Taking Toll on Landscaping--Triple digit heat has many gardeners concerned about what to do to keep flowers blooming and grass green. Employees at Jackson Home and Garden in Dallas suggest light soakings of grass and the use of more drought resistant plants.
KDAF News, Ashley Roberts, July 29, 2012

Recreation/Leisure/Athletics

Anthony Invitational: Favorites battle through rain--Players at the 67th annual Anthony Golf Invitational had to suffer through a strong rain shower during the middle part of the tournament.
The El Paso Times, Bill Knight, July 27, 2012