Texas, 1998

Drought in Texas, August 1 to 31, 1998

August 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS SJT · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

The devastating drought of 1998 that began when little or no rain fell during the normally wet spring months continued through the end of summer. The two main crops across the area, wheat and cotton, were both near total losses, with additional losses to the cattle, sheep, and goat industries.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$150 million
Events
24

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SJT wrote it up.

The devastating drought of 1998 that began when little or no rain fell during the normally wet spring months continued through the end of summer. The two main crops across the area, wheat and cotton, were both near total losses, with additional losses to the cattle, sheep, and goat industries. Preliminary loss figures top $150 million dollars.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Brown

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Brown forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.5 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.774, -99.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Callahan

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Callahan forecast zone
Crop damage
$5.5 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.298, -99.373 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Coke

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Coke forecast zone
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.889, -100.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Crockett

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Crockett forecast zone
Crop damage
$225,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.723, -101.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Haskell

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Haskell forecast zone
Crop damage
$10 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
33.178, -99.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Irion

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Irion forecast zone
Crop damage
$3.2 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.304, -100.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jones

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jones forecast zone
Crop damage
$40 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.740, -99.879 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McCulloch

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
McCulloch forecast zone
Crop damage
$3.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.199, -99.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Mitchell

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Crop damage
$5.5 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.306, -100.921 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Nolan

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Nolan forecast zone
Crop damage
$5.5 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.304, -100.406 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Shackelford

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Shackelford forecast zone
Crop damage
$575,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.736, -99.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sterling

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Sterling forecast zone
Crop damage
$1.5 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.828, -101.050 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sutton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Sutton forecast zone
Crop damage
$300,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.498, -100.538 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Taylor

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Taylor forecast zone
Crop damage
$30 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.301, -99.890 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Throckmorton

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Throckmorton forecast zone
Crop damage
$800,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
33.178, -99.212 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tom Green

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Tom Green forecast zone
Crop damage
$12 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.404, -100.462 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Menard

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Menard forecast zone
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.890, -99.821 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kimble

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Kimble forecast zone
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.487, -99.749 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Mason

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Mason forecast zone
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.718, -99.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Schleicher

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Schleicher forecast zone
Crop damage
$200,000
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
30.897, -100.539 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Coleman

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Coleman forecast zone
Crop damage
$8.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.773, -99.454 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Runnels

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Runnels forecast zone
Crop damage
$8.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.831, -99.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Concho

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Concho forecast zone
Crop damage
$6.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
31.327, -99.864 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Fisher

When
August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Fisher forecast zone
Crop damage
$5.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
32.743, -100.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5666026, 5666027, 5666028, 5666029, 5666256, 5666257, 5666258, 5666259, 5666260, 5666261, 5666262, 5666263, 5666264, 5666265, 5666266, 5666267, 5666268, 5666269, 5666270, 5666271, 5666272, 5666273, 5666274, 5666275.