Texas, 2016

Drought in Texas, December 1 to 5, 2016

December 1 to 5, 2016 · NWS SHV · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Severe (D2) drought conditions continued across much of Northeast Texas to start December, before widespread rainfall of an inch to an inch and a half fell across much of this area during the first week of the month. This needed rainfall resulted in drought conditions improving to moderate (D1) by the second week of December, with additional rainfall amounts of two to in excess of four inches…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 SHV wrote it up.

Severe (D2) drought conditions continued across much of Northeast Texas to start December, before widespread rainfall of an inch to an inch and a half fell across much of this area during the first week of the month. This needed rainfall resulted in drought conditions improving to moderate (D1) by the second week of December, with additional rainfall amounts of two to in excess of four inches falling during the final 10 days of the month enough to eliminate drought conditions across areas along and north of the Interstate 30 Corridor. Rainfall amounts were notably lighter farther south along the Interstate 20 corridor, where moderate drought conditions were maintained across Smith and Gregg Counties to end the month.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 30, 11:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 11:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
1130 PM CST Wed Nov 30 2016

.AVIATION...
For the 01/06z TAFs, VFR conditions will prevail areawide. Light
and variable winds are expected for the first half of the TAF
period before gradually becoming southeasterly after 01/18z as
the center of a surface high pressure moves east of the region.

/09/

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 931 PM CST Wed Nov 30 2016/

DISCUSSION...
Temperatures across the Arklatex currently in the upper 30s to
lower 40s. Under clear skies and light winds, overnight temps to
radiate down to near freezing across the interstate 30 corridor
and low to mid 30s elsewhere. Low-level moisture across the region
could lead to patchy frost in areas where the temperatures
approach freezing. Current forecast is on track. No changes at
this time. /05/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  36  64  38  63 /   0   0   0  10
MLU  36  63  34  63 /   0   0   0  10
DEQ  28  62  32  61 /   0   0   0  10
TXK  35  61  38  62 /   0   0   0  10
ELD  33  61  32  62 /   0   0   0  10
TYR  37  64  41  65 /   0   0   0  20
GGG  35  65  39  65 /   0   0   0  10
LFK  37  66  39  66 /   0   0   0  20

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...None.
LA...None.
OK...None.
TX...None.
&&

05/09
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 30, 12:40 PM CST, 11 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1240 PM CST WED NOV 30 2016

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-017>022-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-149>153-165>167-011845-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-UNION-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-DE SOTO-
RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-SABINE-NATCHITOCHES-WINN-
GRANT-CALDWELL-LA SALLE-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-
MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-HARRISON-CHEROKEE-RUSK-
PANOLA-NACOGDOCHES-SHELBY-ANGELINA-SAN AUGUSTINE-
1240 PM CST WED NOV 30 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...FOR
NORTHERN LOUISIANA...FOR EASTERN TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

RAINFALL WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE FOUR STATE AREA EARLY ON
SATURDAY AND PERSIST OFF AND ON THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH WAVES OF
IN AND OUT ACTIVITY BEFORE FINALLY CLEARING OUT LATE MONDAY WITH
PERHAPS SOME VIGOR...AS A STRONG UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE
PATTERN. DEPENDING ON THE WARM FRONTAL LOCATION AND A POSSIBLE
SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT...MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING COULD SEE
SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...AMATEUR RADIO
OPERATORS AND STORM SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

24

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Red River

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Red River forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
33.621, -95.050 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Bowie

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Bowie forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
33.446, -94.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Titus

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Titus forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
33.217, -94.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Smith

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Smith forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.375, -95.269 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cherokee

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cherokee forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
31.837, -95.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Camp

When
December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 5, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Camp forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
32.973, -94.978 (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 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2016

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: 668649, 668650, 668651, 668652, 668653, 668658.