Texas, 2024Drought in Texas, September 1 to 30, 2024
September 1 to 30, 2024 · NWS EPZ · 6 events in 6 counties and zones
Below normal precipitation for the month of September and the entire monsoon season kept most of far west Texas in Severe(D2) to Extreme(D3) drought.
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
Open the live radar over this ground
- 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.
Below normal precipitation for the month of September and the entire monsoon season kept most of far west Texas in Severe(D2) to Extreme(D3) drought.
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 El Paso, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 10:18 PM MST, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 10:18 PM MST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
1118 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024
...New AVIATION...
.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024
Moisture and storm chances persist across southern and eastern
areas through early next week. Dry air will keep other areas
quiet during that period. The drying trend spreads across the
region for the middle of the week. Temperatures cool off early in
the week, rebounding to near or above normal later in the period.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024
Today has been a battle between upper ridging to the north and a
low-level moisture boundary draped across the CWA. The best
moisture has been south of this boundary where CU build-up has
been ongoing and isolated showers and storms have developed. 1000+
J/kg CAPE is being analyzed by SPC Mesoanalysis south of the I-10
corridor with dew points in the low 60s and PWs of around 1.3"
across far west TX. The strongest storms are expected in Hudspeth
county for the rest of the afternoon with less coverage and
intensity as you go north and west. The activity should decay in
the early evening.
The unsettled pattern is expected to continue for a portion of
our area for the next couple days. Easterly winds keep surface
moisture in place and dew points in the 50s as an inverted trough
develops over the region. For Sunday, the better moisture spreads
westward along the Int'l border with drier air holding on along
the northern tier. Isolated showers and storms develop tomorrow
afternoon mainly over the southern half of the CWA. For Monday, a
surface trough looks to move into west TX, bringing additional
moisture to eastern areas, including the Sacs. Upslope flow and
deeper moisture may result in locally heavy rainfall and flash
flooding out east, especially over the Salt fire burn scar. Some
stronger storms are possible as well due to modest directional
shear and decent instability.
Heading into midweek, the upper ridge is nudged to the southwest
by a shortwave coming across the northern Rockies. The more-
present high pressure will begin to clear out moisture to the east
and weaken the inverted trough on Tuesday. Hudspeth county hangs
on to slight storm chances for Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the
forecast will see the high pressure dominate the region and keep
us mainly dry. The GFS is hinting at a backdoor front moving in
next Friday, giving mountain areas a chance of storms into next
weekend. Temperatures cool to about 10 degrees below normal for
Monday, then warming to near or just above average around midweek
under the building high.
&&
.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 1118 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024
Generally VFR conditions through the period. SCT100 SCT-BKN250
Developing after 18Z, mainly over the mountains and near the
International Border...isolated BKN080CB 5SM -TSRA. Pea-size hail
and wind gusts to 35 knots with a few of these storms.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 108 PM MDT Sat Aug 31 2024
Fire weather concerns remain low through the forecast period.
Moisture and storm chances persist mainly over southern and eastern
areas through Monday. Elsewhere, high pressure and drier air will
keep rain chances at a minimum. Lingering moisture gets flushed out
by midweek as the ridge builds in. Modestly breezy east winds are
expected through early next week. Temperatures will be below normal
early in the week, then warming to near normal around midweek.
Min RHs will be 20-35% on Sunday, then 40-65% in FWZs 113 and 56
on Monday. Vent rates range from good to very good on Sunday, then
poor to good.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
El Paso 70 86 68 82 / 20 30 20 40
Sierra Blanca 62 78 60 73 / 20 50 40 70
Las Cruces 65 86 63 82 / 20 30 20 20
Alamogordo 61 86 60 82 / 10 20 20 30
Cloudcroft 45 62 45 57 / 10 20 30 50
Truth or Consequences 63 85 62 81 / 10 10 10 10
Silver City 58 81 56 80 / 20 40 20 20
Deming 64 85 62 83 / 20 30 20 10
Lordsburg 64 86 63 85 / 30 30 20 10
West El Paso Metro 69 85 66 82 / 20 30 20 40
Dell City 63 84 63 78 / 10 30 40 50
Fort Hancock 66 85 65 81 / 20 50 40 70
Loma Linda 62 78 60 73 / 10 30 20 50
Fabens 67 84 66 81 / 20 40 20 50
Santa Teresa 66 83 64 81 / 20 40 20 40
White Sands HQ 67 85 65 82 / 10 20 20 30
Jornada Range 64 84 62 83 / 10 20 10 30
Hatch 64 87 62 86 / 20 20 20 20
Columbus 66 84 64 83 / 20 40 20 20
Orogrande 62 83 62 80 / 10 20 20 30
Mayhill 49 73 50 66 / 10 20 40 50
Mescalero 49 73 49 69 / 10 20 30 50
Timberon 48 71 47 66 / 10 30 30 50
Winston 52 78 50 76 / 10 20 10 10
Hillsboro 59 84 58 82 / 20 30 20 20
Spaceport 61 86 59 83 / 10 20 10 20
Lake Roberts 52 80 49 79 / 20 40 20 20
Hurley 58 82 57 80 / 20 30 20 10
Cliff 57 90 55 90 / 20 40 10 10
Mule Creek 59 83 56 83 / 20 40 10 10
Faywood 60 81 58 80 / 20 30 20 20
Animas 62 86 61 85 / 30 40 20 10
Hachita 62 83 60 83 / 30 30 20 20
Antelope Wells 62 83 60 83 / 30 40 20 20
Cloverdale 60 81 58 79 / 30 40 20 20
&&
.EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...None.
NM...None.
&&
FORECASTER...17-Hefner
Drought, Western El Paso County
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Western El Paso County forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.769, -106.235 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Severe(D2) drought continued for the zone throughout September.
Drought, Eastern/Central El Paso County
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern/Central El Paso County forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.769, -106.235 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The northern half of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought while the south remained in Moderate(D1) drought. The El Paso airport reported 0.50 inches of precipitation which was 1.02 inches below normal.
Drought, Northern Hudspeth Highlands/Hueco Mountains
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Hudspeth Highlands/Hueco Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.612, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The northern half of the zone remained in Severe(D2) drought while the south continued in Moderate(D1) drought.
Drought, Salt Basin
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Salt Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.456, -105.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The eastern half of the zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the west was in Severe(D2) drought.
Drought, Southern Hudspeth Highlands
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Hudspeth Highlands forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.456, -105.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The eastern half of the zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the west continued in Severe(D2) drought.
Drought, Rio Grande Valley of Eastern Hudspeth County
- When
- September 1, 12:00 AM MST to September 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Rio Grande Valley of Eastern Hudspeth County forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.456, -105.386 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The eastern half of the zone remained in Extreme(D3) drought while the west continued in Severe(D2) drought.
- 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.
- Heat in Arizona, September 1 to 4, 20245 deaths · 4 events
- Heat in Nevada, September 1 to 2, 20243 deaths · 1 event
- Wildfire in Washington, September 1 to 30, 2024$100 million · 1 event
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Texas, September 1 to 3, 20241 death · 16 events
- Wildfire in Oregon, September 1 to 15, 2024$4.0 million · 1 event
- Wildfire in Washington, September 1 to 3, 2024$3.7 million · 1 event
- Wildfire in Idaho, September 1 to 30, 2024$2.0 million · 1 event
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, September 1, 2024$54,000 · 50 kt wind · 12 events
- Drought in West Virginia, September 1 to 30, 202440 events
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, September 1, 2024$60,000 · 56 kt wind · 1 event
- Drought in Tennessee, September 1 to 30, 202435 events
- Damaging Wind in Guam, September 1, 2024$43,000 · 1 event
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: 1216079, 1216080, 1216082, 1216083, 1216084, 1216085.