July was overall much drier than the previous two months. The beginning and end of the month did see some showers, and the middle of the month was mostly dry for the majority of Texas. Many cities reached the triple digits and required heat advisories, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which saw their first 100 degree temperature day later than the past eight years, and Houston, which hit the 100s officially for the first time in two years. Burn bans are starting to be put into effect around the eastern half the state, where rains from earlier in the year and a lack of rain the past month and a half have produced wildfire conditions. An official from the Texas A&M Forest Service says this year is shaping up to be like 2011, which was the most devastating wildfire outbreak in Texas’ history.

Agricultural effects were incredibly varied. Wineries were negatively impacted from the previous month’s excessive rainfall as the grapes began growing fungi. The increase in rain early on in the month caused grasshoppers to migrate to the Panhandle area where there was less rain, reducing pesticide use in other regions. Chigger populations meanwhile benefited from the excess rainfall. The beginning of the month brought hardships to the shellfish industry. The dry spell towards the end of the month meant the farmers were also able to better use their equipment without having to worry about them sticking in the mud. Cattle and most crops thrived during July.

Excessive rainfall caused damage to several Texas State Parks in July. Overall, there were an estimated $2.3 million dollars in damage, and over a dozen parks were closed. High winds postponed the first day of balloon races in East Texas. The triple digit heat was welcomed by a group of engineers in North Texas, who built solar powered cars that were judged by how long they could run. Some heavy rain also occurred late in the month for West Texas and caused flooding in El Paso and Amarillo.