Drought in Starr, Texas

On March 7 into early March 8, torrential rain, accompanied by wind and hail, dropped between 2 and up to 4-5 inches along the Rio Grande from Roma to the Hidalgo County line. This allowed drought conditions to improve one category, from Extreme (D3) to Severe (D2) along and near the river. Meanwhile, the same storm completely missed central and northern Starr, and Extreme to Exceptional (D4) Drought continued. D4 conditions expanded southward to eventually include all of northern Starr by the 24th.

Cattle ranchers in northern and central Starr continued to cull herds due to the lack of sufficient grazing land, which became dusty in many spots. Water hauling was required to maintain the herds that remained. Unknown was the impact of the drought on any calving.

A supercell thunderstorm dropped between 2 and more than 4 inches, perhaps 5 inches, along and just north of the Rio Grande late March 7 into early March 8, allowing for one category of drought improvement along the US 83 corridor. Meanwhile, the supercell missed the remainder of the county, which continued with no rain, warm to hot conditions, and periods of low humidity to increase the coverage of Exceptional (D4) Drought.