Severe to extreme drought conditions covered much of East Texas and eastern Central Texas throughout the month of April 2026, though minor improvements occurred during the latter half of the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.
Severe to extreme drought conditions covered much of East Texas and eastern Central Texas throughout the month of April 2026, though minor improvements occurred during the latter half of the month.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 11:56 PM CST, 4 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1256 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... - A line of thunderstorms will move into the area from the west late this evening and tonight, with isolated strong or severe storms possible. - Another more widespread round of showers and storms will affect the area from Friday afternoon into Saturday morning, with additional severe thunderstorms and localized flooding possible. - A cold frontal passage on Saturday will bring a few days of near or below normal temperatures from Easter Sunday into early next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Thursday) Issued at 1148 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Convection across western North Texas that initiated along a West Texas dryline has been on a steady weakening trend during the past few hours. However, it is still likely to spill into our northwestern counties through the wee hours of the morning prior to fully dissipating. This activity would be incapable of any strong/severe convective hazards, but is producing frequent lightning and locally heavy rainfall. Most of the daytime today will be warm, dry, and breezy, as a robust warm advection regime is strengthened by an approaching mid-level trough. This disturbance will aid in initiating more widespread convection along the dryline well west of the forecast area late this afternoon and evening. These thunderstorms will eventually consolidate into one or more linear segments and advance eastward into North and Central Texas after sunset. While this activity will initially be capable of isolated wind/hail hazards, it will likely struggle to maintain its intensity the farther east it progresses as it encounters drier air and diurnally increasing convective inhibition. The greatest potential for any strong or severe storms will continue to be advertised west of I-35, with a steady weakening trend as activity moves southeast heading into early Thursday morning. Wind should be the primary hazard given the anticipated linear mode, although hail will be a possibility across our western zones where a few discrete cells may remain before merging into a line. Scattered showers and isolated storms will probably linger into the daytime Thursday, especially across Central Texas, but the majority of the day will be tranquil with highs in the 80s. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Tuesday) Issued at 1148 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Another round of widespread convection will affect the area from Friday afternoon into Saturday, and will once again be capable of isolated/scattered instances of severe weather along with localized flooding. The warm sector will recover quickly Thursday night into Friday as another stronger and deeper trough follows quickly on the heels of the midweek system. Strong low-level southerly flow will advect in ample Gulf moisture, and modest ascent from warm advection could aid in open warm sector convective development on Friday afternoon. This system's attendant strong cold front will then move through the area late Friday night into Saturday morning, and will be accompanied by additional shower and thunderstorm activity. The warm sector environment in advance of this boundary will be sufficiently sheared and unstable to support all modes of severe weather. However, the front's southwest-northeast orientation will be rather parallel to deep layer shear, and given forecast storm motions, the tendency should be for most for the frontal convection to eventually become undercut and elevated. This would be a setup favorable for localized heavy rainfall and flooding though, especially given the near-record forecast PWAT values of around 1.8 inches depicted in recent guidance. If the front begins to slow its southward advance, localized rainfall totals could even exceed 3 inches. Convection is likely to linger into the daytime Saturday, especially across Central Texas, with continued ascent behind the frontal passage supporting post-frontal isolated showers and storms. Much cooler air will arrive with this boundary as well, and daytime temperatures will linger in the 60s for most areas while all rain chances come to an end by the evening. The cooler air will stick around for a few days while we enter a lull in convective chances heading into next week. Expect near or below normal temperatures on Easter Sunday, with highs in the upper 60s and 70s through the extended forecast period. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1148 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Upstream convection across western North Texas is expected to continue dissipating prior to reaching the D10 TAF sites, with rain chances of less than 10% through this morning. An MVFR stratus intrusion will take place towards daybreak, mainly after 09z at Waco and after 11z at DFW area TAF sites. This cloud deck will remain in place through 16-17z before lifting and scattering to VFR. Breezy south winds can be expected all day and into tonight with gusts around 30 kts possible. Later this evening, one or more convective line segments will advance eastward off the dryline into North Texas, and this activity is forecast to reach the TAF sites around or after 06z. This has been introduced to the extended DFW TAF. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 87 67 88 66 / 0 10 10 80 Waco 86 67 89 66 / 0 0 0 60 Paris 84 65 84 65 / 0 10 0 70 Denton 86 64 86 63 / 0 10 10 90 McKinney 85 66 86 66 / 0 10 10 80 Dallas 87 67 88 66 / 0 10 10 80 Terrell 86 66 86 67 / 0 0 0 70 Corsicana 89 68 89 68 / 0 0 0 60 Temple 89 67 89 66 / 0 0 0 50 Mineral Wells 87 64 89 63 / 0 10 10 100 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...Stalley LONG TERM....Stalley AVIATION...Stalley
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Lamar County, with severe drought covering the western half, through all of April 2026.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Delta County, with severe drought covering the western half, through all of April 2026.
Extreme drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Hopkins County, with severe drought covering the western half, through all of April 2026.
Severe to extreme drought conditions persisted across Rains County for much of April, though some improvement was noted during the final week of the month.
Severe to extreme drought conditions persisted across Van Zandt County for much of April, though some improvement was noted during the final week of the month.
Extreme drought conditions covered most of Henderson County for all of April 2026.
Severe drought conditions covered Anderson County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions covered Navarro County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions covered Freestone County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions covered Leon County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions covered Robertson County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions covered Milam County for all of April 2026, along with a few instances of Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions at the beginning of April improved to moderate by the middle of the month for all but the southern part of the county, which remained in Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions at the beginning of April improved to moderate by the middle of the month for all but the southern part of the county, which remained in Extreme Drought.
Severe drought conditions at the beginning of April improved to moderate by the middle of the month.
Severe drought conditions persisted across the southern part of Hill County for all of April 2026.
Severe drought conditions persisted across the southern part of Kaufman County for all of April 2026.
Severe drought conditions persisted across the eastern part of Hunt County for all of April 2026.
Severe drought conditions persisted across the eastern part of Fannin County for all of April 2026.
Severe drought conditions persisted across the southeastern part of Bell County for all of April 2026.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2026
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: 1333205, 1333208, 1333210, 1333232, 1333236, 1333241, 1333244, 1333245, 1333246, 1333247, 1333248, 1333249, 1333250, 1333251, 1333253, 1333255, 1333257, 1333258, 1333260, 1333261.