Texas, 1998

Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 1998

October 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS MAF · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Drought conditions continued in Southwest Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Agricultural losses will be great but will not be included until the end of the harvest when totals are calculated.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
None recorded
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 MAF wrote it up.

Drought conditions continued in Southwest Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Agricultural losses will be great but will not be included until the end of the harvest when totals are calculated. October was the wettest month for 1998 across much of the region with most stations reporting more than 1 inch of rain and many reporting over 2 inches. However, the effects of the drought were still being felt across the region.

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, Andrews

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Andrews forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.305, -102.638 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Big Bend Area

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Big Bend Area forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Borden

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Borden forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.744, -101.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Crane

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Crane forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.429, -102.516 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Davis Mountains

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Davis Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Dawson

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Dawson forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.743, -101.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ector

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ector forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.869, -102.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Gaines

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Gaines forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.741, -102.635 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Glasscock

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Glasscock forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.870, -101.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Howard

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Howard forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.306, -101.435 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Loving

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Loving forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.849, -103.580 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Marfa Plateau

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Marfa Plateau forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Martin

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Martin forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.306, -101.951 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Midland

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Midland forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.869, -102.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Pecos

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pecos forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
30.781, -102.724 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Presidio Valley

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Presidio Valley forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Reagan

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Reagan forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.366, -101.523 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Scurry

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Scurry forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
32.746, -100.916 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Terrell

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Terrell forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
30.225, -102.076 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Upton

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Upton forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.369, -102.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Van Horn/Guadalupe Mountains Area

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Van Horn/Guadalupe Mountains Area forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER

Drought, Ward

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Ward forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.510, -103.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Winkler

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Winkler forecast zone
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
31.850, -103.048 (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, October 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: 5671054, 5671055, 5671056, 5671057, 5671058, 5671059, 5671060, 5671061, 5671062, 5671063, 5671064, 5671065, 5671066, 5671067, 5671068, 5671069, 5671070, 5671071, 5671072, 5671073, 5671074, 5671075, 5671076, 5671077.