A drought for the centuries: It hasn’t been this dry in Texas since 1789
(Texas Climate News)
There was only one other year in almost five centuries when Texas’ summer drought was as severe as it was in 2011, federal climate experts have concluded.
Instrumental weather records used to measure drought severity don’t go back much before the 20th century. (In Texas, they date to 1895.) To establish a longer-range record, scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have analyzed tree-ring data and calculated how drought conditions dating back hundreds of years (to 1550 in Texas) ranked on the standard Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). (Read more here)
Of related interest: Can Texas Make It Rain? (Texas Tribune)
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