Drought expands dramatically in Texas, losses mount

By Carey Gillam; editing by Dale Hudson
16 May 2011 Another dry week in the southern United States has driven the spread of a devastating drought further across Texas and neighboring states, promising to add to economic losses that could top $3 billion. Texas, suffering its longest dry spell on record, saw the highest level of drought — dubbed “exceptional” by climatologists — jump from 26 percent of the state to 48 percent over the last week, a report released Thursday by a consortium of national climate experts said. So far at least 9,000 wildfires have destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes and scorched 2.2 million acres (890,000 hectares) across Texas, according to state officials who have asked for federal assistance. The region’s new wheat crop has largely withered as other crops being planted now thirst for moisture, while pastures and rangeland are so poor they cannot sustain grazing cattle. … March had the lowest rainfall totals ever for Texas and in April they were the fifth driest on record, according to state climatology data. The October-April period marked the driest seven consecutive months on record for Texas going back to 1895, according to the National Climatic Data Center. … The drought “dramatically expanded” across southwestern Oklahoma and southeastern New Mexico as well as Texas, according to the Drought Monitor report issued Thursday. …

Drought Expands Dramatically in Texas, Losses Mount