Drought in Texas, October 1 to 14, 2019

Severe drought (D2) conditions continued across portions of East Texas (including much of Smith and Northern Cherokee Counties) through the first half of October, as near record heat in the mid 90s persisted through the first full week of the month. A strong cold front moved through East Texas on October 7th, which resulted in much cooler and less humid conditions, but offered very little in the way of wetting rainfall across the severe drought stricken areas. It wasn't until the passage of a second strong cold front on the 11th which resulted in widespread 1-2 inches of rain that drought conditions improved a category to moderate drought by the October 15th issuance of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Additional improvements in drought were recorded across East Texas throughout the remainder of the month, as above normal rainfall was observed.