DALLAS — As heat waves kept temperatures in the triple digits for weeks and a rain-free streak spanned more than two months in some places, more than 70% of Texas was experiencing severe drought conditions this summer — fueling wildfires, reducing crop yields and even revealing never-before-seen dinosaur tracks.
As of last week, bouts of recent rainfall have drastically improved conditions, with only 38% of the state now experiencing severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The change has been conspicuous in North Texas: All of Dallas County was in the extreme drought stage in mid-August, but now 62% of the county is not experiencing any drought while the remainder is classified merely as abnormally dry. Rockwall County and parts of Collin County are currently drought-free.
