Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1996

A long dry spell for North Texas beginning in the Fall of 1995 resulted in moderate drought conditions across the entire area, except for the extreme eastern portions where severe drought conditions were prevalent. Typically the wettest month of the year, May was unusually dry in 1996. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, rainfall recorded during the month was the 7th driest May of all time. The period from January through May was the 4th driest of all time while the 10 month period ending in May 1996 was the 7th driest of all time. This extended period of low precipitation resulted in numerous problems for the agricultural community including low harvest yields of wheat and hay, and minimal to low planting success of corn, cotton, grain sorghum, peanuts and rice; ranchers and dairy farmers were forced to sell cattle at record low prices due to the lack of grazelands, high price of hay (the price of hay doubled in a year), and the shortage of surface drinking water. Wheat production across the state was down 50 to 90 percent from 1995 levels and was at the lowest level since 1978. Additionally, area lake levels were down, impacting the recreational economy, as well. Water conservation began in several of the smaller communities in North Texas. The 1996 Drought is being labelled as the second worst natural disaster in Texas history, with crop and livestock losses estimated at $2.4 billion statewide and related losses estimated at $4.1 billion.