Drouth is the old-timey Texas spelling [straight out of the King James Bible] of drought, an on-again, off-again condition around here. Some old weathermen say that drought is the normal state of affairs in Texas. When you have a really good, long one, the ground gets so dry that the air just gets hotter and hotter, and here we are, coming up on thirty days of triple-digits. So it’s no surprise that Texas agriculture is starting to look like the drier parts of Rancho Roly Poly.
"Estimated drought losses for Texas have reached $4.1 billion, eclipsing the $2.1 billion mark set in 1998, Texas Cooperative Extension economists reported Friday…said Dr. Travis Miller, Extension agronomist. "Much of the corn and soybean crop has been harvested for silage or hay; pastures are bare and hay barns are empty. Much of the hay being fed is from out-of-state or along the upper coast, which has received favorable rains. Livestock water supplies are disappearing and ranchers are unable to sustain herds with purchased hay and dry tanks."
National Weather Service infrared satellite image of the Gulf of Mexico shows why big rains are expected by tomorrow, if not before, as far inland as Rancho Rolly Polly. The weather service in New Braunfels expects to be putting up a flash flood watch on Wednesday. But LCRA’s Bob Rose thinks the hill country might not get much: "…the latest forecast guidance indicates the heaviest and most concentrated area of rain will occur across the coastal plains region and the eastern half of Central Texas, generally to the east of Interstate 35. Within this area, there will be some potential for localized flooding tonight and Wednesday."
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 