Verhalen, Texas — Dry weeds surround a wooden cross in a field near the town of Verhalen, 21 May 2011. The state is suffering from a severe drought that is causing wildfires and hardship for ranchers and farmers. PHOTOGRAPH BY: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

By Adriana Acosta
26 May 2011 BAY CITY – With much of the nation focused on historic floods and deadly tornadoes, Texas has been suffering through a drought being compared to the severe record drought of 1895. “With history as a guide, we have some very serious times coming our way without any significant rain in the next few months,” said Bob Rose, chief meteorologist for the Lower Colorado River Authority. Rose spoke to a full house at the 16th annual Matagorda County Local Emergency Planning Committee luncheon on Thursday. “The past few months have brought on some interesting and bizarre weather, making 2011 the worst drought in 100 years,” Rose said. He discussed the weather conditions in Texas, including rain fall, tornadoes as well as the latest drought impacting the region. “It has been an interesting year for weather, just phenomenal with the severe weather that the nation has seen,” he said. Rose said severe weather reports have been off the charts this year with tornado fatalities being one of the highest since 1950. “Normally, we see big tornadoes hitting rural areas but this year, tornadoes have been hitting big cities,” he said. …

2011 drought worst in Texas since 1895