The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), in coordination with The University of Texas at Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, announces the publication of a study on indicators for the early warning of drought in Texas, according to TWDB news release.

The study observed that certain climatic conditions in the spring, such as atmospheric pressure and soil moisture, can be used to better predict drought over Texas in the summer.

If we can predict summer drought in April, or as early as January, water providers have more time to prepare, explained the lead author of the study, Dr. Nelun Fernando of the Texas Water Development Board.

The report, Early Warning of Summer Drought over Texas and the South Central United States: Spring Conditions as a Harbinger of Summer Drought, can be read in its entirety on TWDB’s website.