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People typically think droughts take months to develop, and just as long to fix. But “flash droughts” can happen if the conditions are just right.
Even with the record rainfall we had this spring, it took only one hot, dry month for things to get parched.
“You have both temperature increasing and precipitation pretty much eliminated during that period and you’ll see a rapidly developing situation,” says Brian Fuchs, University of Nebraska climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center. He puts together the U.S. Drought Monitor — with an update every week on drought conditions across the country.
Harris County and all adjacent counties are considered “abnormally dry” right now. Half of Brazoria County is already in a “moderate drought.” That label could apply to more of the Houston metro area by the end of the week.
Fuchs says he’ll know once he finishes analyzing what’s happening with rivers, streams, and fields — many of which have seen no significant rainfall since early July.
A month ago, only five percent of the entire state was abnormally dry. Today, almost a third is either dry or in a drought. The driest places are the Hill Country, and eastern third of Texas.
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