Drought, San Augustine
- When
- February 26, 12:00 AM CST to February 28, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- San Augustine forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 31.394, -94.168 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Texas, February 26 to 28, 2026
S. Drought Monitor across San Augustine County in East Texas by the final few days of February.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Persistently dry conditions coupled with much above normal temperatures from Fall 2025 into Winter 2026 led to the development of severe (D2) drought conditions from the U.S. Drought Monitor across San Augustine County in East Texas by the final few days of February. Rainfall amounts during February only tallied to 1.00-2.00 inches, which was only half or less than the normal amount of rainfall for the month. Coupled with the consistently below normal rain observed since Fall 2025, considerable hardships from area agricultural producers developed, as pastures had become dormant early, forcing farmers to provide hay and other supplemental feed much earlier than normal, as well as water as multiple ponds had dried up. An increase in wildfires was also observed, with the above normal temperatures continuing the drying of fuels. Streamflow from area creeks and bayous also fell below to much below normal as well.
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 Feb 25, 6:51 PM CST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Issued at 1203 PM CST Wed Feb 25 2026
- Strong south wind today to weaken on Thursday as a frontal boundary drifts south aross the region.
- Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms possible mainly across our eastern zones Thu Aftn/Ngt.
- South winds return for the upcoming weekend with temperatures rebounding into the 80s ahead of another weak cold front and
Area forecast discussion, Feb 25, 6:51 PM CST, 5 hours 9 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Shreveport LA 651 PM CST Wed Feb 25 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1203 PM CST Wed Feb 25 2026 - Strong south wind today to weaken on Thursday as a frontal boundary drifts south aross the region. - Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms possible mainly across our eastern zones Thu Aftn/Ngt. - South winds return for the upcoming weekend with temperatures rebounding into the 80s ahead of another weak cold front and && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1203 PM CST Wed Feb 25 2026 High pressure across the eastern gulf combined with a surface low across north Texas continues to maintain an enhanced pressure gradient across the ArkLaTex allowing for elevated south winds from 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts. Southerly flow of moisture will continue to drive dewpoint values up areawide, from the upper 50s this afternoon across most locations to the mid 60s by Thursday afternoon across East Texas and northeast Louisiana. A frontal boundary will shift south across the region on Thursday. Winds are forecast to become light and variable in the vicinity of the front with lower dewpoints in the mid 40s returning to the Ouachitas behind the front. However, moisture pooling ahead of the front combined with a weak low to mid-level trough moving through the region could result in scattered convection across portions of north Louisiana and south-central Arkansas on Thursday afternoon and evening. Surface and upper-level ridging to prevail through the weekend allowing for seasonably warm temperatures with highs forecast to climb into the upper 70s to lower 80s on Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lows through the weekend will average in the 50s. A weak frontal boundary will stall across Arkansas early next week allowing for an unsettled weather pattern across the ArkLaTex from Monday through the end of the forecast period on Tuesday night characterized by overcast conditions and widely scattered showers each period. /05/ && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 541 PM CST Wed Feb 25 2026 For the 26/00Z TAF update, VFR vis/cigs will give way to MVFR/IFR low cloud development across all terminals from 26/08Z-20Z before slow VFR improvements. Light southerly winds will continue through the period. /16/ && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1130 AM CST Wed Feb 25 2026 Sustained south winds from 10-20 mph with gusts near 30 mph will be possible through the remainder of the afternoon. The stronger winds can be expected aross northeast Texas and into north and central Louisiana. Minimum afternoon humidity values will range from near 40 percent across Northeast Texas to near 55 percent across portions of north-central and northeast Louisiana as moisture increases with southerly flow. Due to ongoing drought conditions allowing for dry fuels, a Fire Danger Statement has been issued all Fire Districts across Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, Northeast Texas and Northern Louisiana through this afternoon. 05 && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Issued at 944 PM CST Tue Feb 24 2026 Spotter activation is still not expected throughout this week. However, please continue to relay information on wildfire activity Four-State area wide, to help our first responders protect life and property. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 62 80 55 78 / 10 20 20 0 MLU 62 79 54 74 / 10 40 50 0 DEQ 50 77 44 75 / 10 10 10 0 TXK 59 79 51 77 / 10 20 10 0 ELD 57 78 48 75 / 10 30 20 0 TYR 61 81 53 79 / 0 10 10 0 GGG 60 81 52 79 / 0 10 10 0 LFK 62 82 57 80 / 0 10 10 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. LA...None. OK...None. TX...None. && DISCUSSION...05 AVIATION...16
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Flood and Hail in Alabama, February 26 to 27, 2026
- Tornado and Hail in Alabama, February 26, 2026
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Mississippi, February 26, 2026
- High Wind in Wyoming, February 26 to 28, 2026
- Hail in Georgia, February 26, 2026
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, February 26, 2026
- Hail in Mississippi, February 26, 2026
- Hail in Tennessee, February 26, 2026
- High Wind in Montana, February 26, 2026
- Hail in Arkansas, February 26, 2026
- Hail in Tennessee, February 26, 2026
More
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 2026
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: 1319468.