| Event |
Drought |
| State |
TEXAS |
| County/Area |
GONZALES |
| WFO |
EWX |
| Begin Date |
12/01/2011 00:00:00 CST-6 |
| End Date |
12/31/2011 23:59:00 CST-6 |
| Deaths Direct/Indirect |
0/0 (fatality details below, when available...) |
| Injuries Direct/Indirect |
0/0 |
| Property Damage |
0.00K |
| Crop Damage |
0.00K |
| Episode Narrative |
The weak to moderate La Nina event continued during December according to the Climate Prediction Center. The drought continued over South Central Texas, but there was some improvement. There were several significant rainfall events during the month with precipitation ranging from near one inch across the Rio Grande Plains to five inches over the eastern Hill Country and adjacent portions of South Central Texas. Just over half of the counties remained in exceptional drought conditions (Stage D4). Blanco, Guadalupe, Kendall, Llano, and Travis counties improved to extreme drought category (Stage D3) while Atascosa, Bexar, Burnet, Comal, Dimmit, Hays, Medina, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala counties remained in this category. Most of Maverick County moved into the moderate drought category (Stage D1). All the other counties remained in exceptional drought. Due to recent rain and cooler temperatures, fire danger was low by the end of December and only 14 counties still had burn bans in effect. The Texas A&M Crop and Weather report stated soil-moisture levels improved slightly, but remained very low in the deep soil profile. At the end of the month the seven day stream flow average remained in the below or much below normal range for basins across South Central Texas and the Rio Grande Plains. Area lakes and reservoirs remained well below normal pool elevations with Lake Travis around 55 feet below normal and Medina Lake near 51 feet below. The Edwards Aquifer rose slightly with the rains and was 16.9 feet below normal and 20.9 feet below the level from one year ago. The City of Kerrville remained in Stage 4 water restrictions, while the City of Austin remained in Stage 2. San Antonio Water System (SAWS) and the City of San Marcos improved to Stage 1. Many other communities across South Central Texas continued with some level of water restrictions. |
| Event Narrative |
The weak to moderate La Nina event continued during December according to the Climate Prediction Center. The drought continued over South Central Texas, but there was some improvement. There were several significant rainfall events during the month with precipitation ranging from near one inch across the Rio Grande Plains to five inches over the eastern Hill Country and adjacent portions of South Central Texas. Just over half of the counties remained in exceptional drought conditions (Stage D4). Blanco, Guadalupe, Kendall, Llano, and Travis counties improved to extreme drought category (Stage D3) while Atascosa, Bexar, Burnet, Comal, Dimmit, Hays, Medina, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Zavala counties remained in this category. Most of Maverick County moved into the moderate drought category (Stage D1). All the other counties remained in exceptional drought. Due to recent rain and cooler temperatures, fire danger was low by the end of December and only 14 counties still had burn bans in effect. The Texas A&M Crop and Weather report stated soil-moisture levels improved slightly, but remained very low in the deep soil profile. At the end of the month the seven day stream flow average remained in the below or much below normal range for basins across South Central Texas and the Rio Grande Plains. Area lakes and reservoirs remained well below normal pool elevations with Lake Travis around 55 feet below normal and Medina Lake near 51 feet below. The Edwards Aquifer rose slightly with the rains and was 16.9 feet below normal and 20.9 feet below the level from one year ago. The City of Kerrville remained in Stage 4 water restrictions, while the City of Austin remained in Stage 2. San Antonio Water System (SAWS) and the City of San Marcos improved to Stage 1. Many other communities across South Central Texas continued with some level of water restrictions. |
