Drought in Big Bend Area, Texas

Drought conditions continued across west Texas during the month of August. Despite record amounts of rainfall throughout the month, drought conditions existed across much of west Texas throughout the end of the month. These drought conditions prolonged the already long fire season that began in April of 2005, according to Texas Forest Service officials. The U.S. Drought Monitor officially indicated D2 (severe) drought conditions over all of west Texas except portions of western Culberson county. D3 (extreme) drought conditions existed across the central and eastern portions of the Permian Basin, lower Trans-Pecos, Davis Mountains, lower Presidio Valley, the Stockton Plateau, and the Marfa Plateau. By the end of August, the U.S. Drought Monitor had decreased the area of D2 (severe) drought conditions to just the western Low Rolling Plains, western Permian Basin, lower Trans-Pecos, Big Bend, and Stockton Plateau. D3 (extreme) drought conditions existed only across the extreme lower Trans-Pecos, central Permian Basin, and the southern Big Bend region. Additional agricultural losses beyond those experienced and reported in July's storm data report were not reported.