Weekend storms gave Austin help

State’s picture remains grim, with 78 percent in grip of dry conditions.

Storms that swept across Central Texas over the weekend helped ease drought conditions in some parts of the state, including in the Austin area, according to a new map released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Storms that developed along a low-pressure system to the northwest of Austin dropped between an inch and 2 inches of rain in parts of Travis County from Friday to Monday, according to Lower Colorado River Authority rain gauges.

The rainfall helped lift the county out of moderate drought. It is now in the abnormally dry category, the lowest marker on the

drought scale, maps show.

Some areas in the Hill Country that were in extreme drought, like San Saba and Lampasas counties, are now considered in severe drought, a step down on the scale.

Those areas saw some of the heaviest showers in Central Texas. The San Saba River received 5.91 inches of rain, LCRA gauges show.

Overall, the rain didn’t make much of a dent in the state’s drought picture.

Seventy-eight percent of Texas is still experiencing some level of drought or dryness right now, compared with only 10 percent last year, maps show. More than 12 million people live in drought-ridden areas, the data show.

“I think it’s a pretty phenomenal number when you think about it,” University of Texas meteorology lecturer Troy Kimmel said. “The rain made some changes in certain areas, but what it tended to do was reduce the drought that already existed.”

Much of Mason, Llano and Gillespie counties are still in extreme drought, while parts of Williamson, Blanco, Burnet and Hays counties are in severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Only 22 percent of the state is drought-free, an improvement of 1 percentage point from last week.

Any relief Central Texas did get could be erased in the days to come, Kimmel said.

The National Weather Service isn’t predicting rain for the rest of the week. Instead, more hot and dry conditions with possible triple-digit temperatures are in store the next four days.

Some showers are possible Monday, but the rain chances are a meager 20 percent, forecasters said. Kimmel said confidence in that rain reaching Austin is low.

“Everyone needs to cross their fingers and hope for rain and wish for a stronger cold front,” he said.

The peak of hurricane season is approaching, and forecasters are watching a band of showers and thunderstorms in the Atlantic Ocean near the Windward Islands that could develop into a tropical storm system in the next two weeks, Kimmel said.

“People need to be weather aware, especially on the anniversary of Harvey,” he said.