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Dr. Mark Wentzel – Hydrologist, Texas Water Development Board

Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Texas Water Development Board's latest Water and Weather report. I'm Dr. Mark Wenzel, a hydrologist in the Surface Water Division here at the agency. And today, we'll be taking a look at conditions for our state at the end of November.

Let's take a look at some of the big water and weather headlines. November was wetter than normal for the state, while temperatures were about normal. That's a recipe for improving drought conditions at the end of November. Drought conditions covered 52 percent of the state, down 23 percentage points from the end of October and the lowest value this year. Storage in our water supply reservoirs is at 70 percent of capacity, 11 percentage points below normal for this time of year. Despite the bit of relief we've had in November, drought conditions are expected to expand over the next few months.

Let's take a closer look at drought in Texas. The drought monitor map for conditions as of November 29 shows 52 percent of the state in drought, the smallest area since late November 2021. Most of the eastern half of the state saw at least a one category improvement in drought conditions during the last month. Unfortunately, drought continues to persist in Central Texas and the Panhandle. Let's take a closer look at how November conditions varied from Houston in East Texas to San Antonio in Central Texas.

This chart shows monthly precipitation for Houston in 2022, along with average and record low values for each month. Like many areas of the state, Houston's precipitation was below average for the first 10 months of the year. Through the end of October, Houston was experiencing its fourth driest start to the year, and the area was in moderate to severe drought. November precipitation, however, was more than 7 inches, nearly 3 inches more than average for the month. That abundant rainfall pushed drought out of the area, at least for the time being.

Two hundred miles to the west, November conditions were not so favorable in San Antonio. Just like Houston, the first 10 months of 2022 brought well below-average rainfall through the end of October. San Antonio was experiencing its driest start to a year since 1895, and the area was in extreme to exceptional drought. Total November rainfall was about 1.8 inches, about a quarter of what Houston received and well below average for the area. Extreme and exceptional drought remains entrenched in the area, and San Antonio is on pace to record its driest year in more than 100 years. Any chance for improvements in the San Antonio area in the next few months? Not likely. In fact, the National Weather Service is predicting that South Texas, currently drought-free, will slip back into drought by the end of February 2023. But with La Niña conditions expected to dissipate after that, spring 2023 may bring some much-needed relief to areas of our state impacted by drought.

That concludes our report. Until next time, I hope you all stay healthy and safe.