Temperatures remained cool in March, ending well below average for the month, but began warming up in the last week. Rainfall, conversely, hasn’t picked up, leaving Texas statewide with one of the driest January-March periods on record, and the low cool-season rainfall has many concerned for reservoir levels this summer. Garza, Dickens, and Crosby counties are within 90 days of running out of water, and Mineral Wells is between 400 and 500 days on their current water supply. New reservoirs in Wharton, Midland, and El Paso are planned to be under way soon, the latter of which is also working on a new $80 million water treatment plant to convert waste water into drinking water.

On top of the long-term hydrological problems are new short-term drought effects. Businesses along lakefronts are hurting and hydropower coming from the Colorado River and Lake Texoma is at an all-time low due to continued low streamflows. Fire conditions in west Texas are starting to become more of an issue as temperatures begin rising, with two small grassfires already having occurred in Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Smith County. Farmers are worried that a new dust bowl may develop in the Panhandle due to record low rainfall, and continuous dust storms that have brought soil from the Panhandle all the way to Dallas, El Paso, and Austin.

On March 3 a blast of cold air and a storm system brought icy conditions as far south as Houston, knocking power out for 26,000 people and wreaking havoc on Texas roads. The cold, ice, and rain also decreased voter turnout for primary elections across the state with some offices electing to open late and close later in the day. The only severe weather seen this month was on the 29 th when a strong line of storms produced heavy rain, hail, and lighting from Central Texas to Houston. In Belton, Texas golf ball sized hail broke windows and high winds toppled trees.