Drought — Mcmullen, Texas

2025-02-01 to 2025-02-28 · Mcmullen, Texas

Event narrative

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to continued drought over portions of north and central McMullen County during the month of February.

Texas A&M AgriLife: Unseasonably warm and dry conditions followed by sudden freezing temperatures have created a challenging environment for agriculture. Temperatures fluctuated from highs in the 70s to lows in the 20s and 30s, with intermittent drizzle, fog, and dew offering no measurable rainfall. As a result, both topsoil and subsoil moisture levels remained poor or very short across much of the region, severely limiting planting activities and pasture recovery. While some fields had dried enough for early corn and grain sorghum planting, many farmers remained idle or considered delaying planting due to inadequate moisture. Freeze conditions caused damage to leafy greens and stressed citrus trees, though citrus fruit appeared largely undamaged. Meanwhile, some vegetables and oats rebounded well, and winter weed growth was spurred by brief warm spells. Pastures and rangelands remained in poor condition, especially after the freeze, which left many with burnt forage tops and limited grazing options. This forced producers to rely heavily on supplemental feeding'using hay, range cubes, protein tubs, and even burning prickly pear for cattle. Water hauling became necessary in some areas where stock tanks were dry. The high demand for hay, coupled with shrinking supplies, drove prices up to $100 per round bale. Livestock markets responded with strong prices across all classes, encouraging ranchers to market cattle more aggressively. Wildlife also felt the strain, with deer and wild hogs foraging along roadsides due to scarce food. Overall, the combination of erratic temperatures, insufficient rainfall, and prolonged drought created significant stress on crops, pastures, livestock, and wildlife alike, emphasizing the urgent need for sustained precipitation.

Wider weather episode

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to continued and introduced severe drought over portions of South Texas through the month of February. This mainly impacted San Patricio, Live Oak, Bee, southern Refugio, northern McMullen, northern La Salle counties, northern Nueces, northeastern Victoria, southern Aransas, and the Aransas and Nueces Islands.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1235813. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.