By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Editor
About four percent of Texas is now experiencing dry or moderate drought conditions.
Over the past week, abnormally dry conditions have expanded across parts of north and Central Texas, according to the Texas Water Development Board’s (TWDB) Water Weekly.
Abnormally dry is the first level of intensity, or D0, on the drought scale used by TWDB.
D0 conditions this week extend from Gaines County on the Texas-New Mexico border east across the state to Stephens County and from Bailey County east to Childress County.
Moderate drought exists in Jack, Wise, Denton, and parts of Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Fannin and Grayson counties in North Texas.
Williamson and Bell counties in Central Texas are also experiencing abnormally dry conditions with the soil cracking due to dryness in some areas.
In South Texas, moderate drought lingers in Jim Wells, Live Oak and parts of Medina, Bexar and Bandera counties.
Abnormally dry conditions spread from west from Crockett to Harris county and from Guadalupe County north to Burnet County.
Along the Coastal Bend, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio, Aransas, Jim Wells, Live Oak, Bee and parts of Refugio and McMullen counties are abnormally dry.
Maverick and Dimmit counties near the Winter Garden are also abnormally dry along with Presidio, Pecos, Culberson, Hudspeth and El Paso counties in West Texas.
Along the Texas-Mexico border in the Lower Rio Grande Valley drought conditions have improved over the past week. Cameron, Willacy and Hidalgo counties are all abnormally dry this week.
Some much-needed rain across Texas last week may help to alleviate some of the dry conditions.
Areas of the Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Trans-Pecos and South Texas regions reported rainfall from one to five inches last week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS).
The Coastal Bend, Southern Low Plains and East Texas reportedly received from 1.5 to six inches of rainfall. The rest of the state received from half an inch to three inches.
Flooding and small amounts of hail damage was reported across the Cross Timbers.