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Rain! Tornadoes! Hail! No, the Drought Ain’t Over

(Terrence Henry/State Impact Texas)
The drought has certainly lessened in recent month. The percentage of Texas in the most extreme, “exceptional” stage of drought is down from a whopping 86 percent in late September to 25 percent today. But there is still a long way to go.

Every bit of rain (or bucket, in today’s case) helps, and the last few months of above-average wet weather have been wonderful not just for lawns but also ranchers and farmers.

The issue at this point is water sources. Reservoirs, lakes and aquifers have a long way to go to recover from the record single-year drought. A quick glance at lake levels shows little recharge from recent rains.
(Read the full story at State Impact Texas)

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