Drought — Coastal Nueces County, Texas

2025-02-25 to 2025-02-28 · Coastal Nueces County, Texas

Event narrative

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to the introduction of severe drought over portions of northern Nueces County during late February.

Texas A&M AgriLife: Recent weather conditions have significantly impacted agricultural activities, particularly fieldwork and forage growth. Persistent light rain showers, cloudy days, and wet fields have delayed pre-planting work, including fertilizer applications and corn planting in some regions. Although some farmers were able to begin planting corn and preparing for sorghum, wet soils and intermittent freezing temperatures disrupted progress. Despite scattered showers and light rainfall (generally under 0.5), soil moisture levels remained inadequate. The mix of recent moisture and fair temperatures did support the growth of winter grasses and volunteer clover, offering some improvement in cool-season forages. However, overall pasture conditions stayed poor due to limited forage growth. As a result, supplemental feeding of livestock with hay and protein remained widespread. While hay supplies were sufficient, they were not easily accessible for purchase. Livestock conditions declined slightly but were expected to rebound with warmer, drier weather and improving grazing. The outlook suggests that more significant rainfall will be crucial to support continued recovery in both crop readiness and pasture health.

Wider weather episode

A long stretch of little to no rainfall led to the introduction of severe drought over portions of the Coastal Bend and Middle Texas Coast.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1235820. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.