Flash drought hits Texas

One meteorologist is warning that flash drought has struck Texas after Austin saw its driest September since 2008 and the sixth-driest September on record.

The warning comes as the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that nearly 11 percent of the Lone Star State is experiencing severe drought conditions or worse.

Newsweek reached out to the monitor team via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Spring is usually the wettest time of year for Austin, the state capital. Dry weather is common in the summer, but rain typically returns in the fall. Although heavy—and at times fatal—amounts of rain fell across Central Texas earlier in the summer, rain has stayed largely absent in Austin amid the early fall, which has exacerbated some short-term drought concerns.

The area is now experiencing a flash drought, according to CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco.

What To Know

On Wednesday, Tomasco posted the information about the drought on social media.

“Fall continues to look terrible for Central Texas. September: Driest since 2008, 6th driest on record,” Tomasco wrote on X. “Flash drought is underway. October: Looking similar initially. New monthly outlook keeps our 2nd wettest month of the year drier than average.”

Flash droughts occur when there is a rapid onset or intensification of drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). Below average precipitation, abnormally high temperatures, wind or radiation can trigger flash drought.

Throughout the entire month of September, the Camp Mabry climate site in Austin only received .08 inches of rainfall, which is 3.37 inches below average for the area, according to Tomasco.

As of the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map, which was published Thursday, the entirety of Travis County where Austin sits is experiencing “abnormally dry conditions.” More than 76 percent of the county is experiencing moderate drought, with nearly 15 percent enduring severe drought.

The drought conditions worsened from the week prior, when only 44 percent of the county was seeing moderate drought.

What People Are Saying

NIDIS, on a webpage about flash drought: “Flash drought intensifies rapidly due to changes in precipitation, temperature, wind, and radiation. These changes in the weather increase evapotranspiration and lower soil moisture. Flash droughts can cause extensive damage to agriculture, economies, and ecosystems if they are not predicted and discovered early.”

Tomasco, in a follow-up post on X Wednesday morning: “This is eerily similar to fall 2024 which was our hottest on record and one of our driest on record. The difference? At least our lake levels are healthy & above average. Still need to conserve this as much as possible, especially given the forecast.”

What Happens Next

Rain is not in Austin’s forecast this week. But conditions could soon change, as the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center shows an above-average chance for precipitation across much of Texas from October 6 to October 10.