Texas, 2026

Drought in Texas, March 24 to 31, 2026

March 24 to 31, 2026 · NWS EWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

While nearly all of South-Central Texas had less than 50% of normal precipitation this month, drought conditions were mostly unchanged. Only in Val Verde County did drought conditions worsen.

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

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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 EWX wrote it up.

While nearly all of South-Central Texas had less than 50% of normal precipitation this month, drought conditions were mostly unchanged. Only in Val Verde County did drought conditions worsen. They went from Moderate (D1) Drought to Severe (D2) Drought. All of the other counties remained the same as February. Dimmit remained in Exceptional (D4) Drought. Atascosa, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, De Witt, Fayette, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Maverick, Medina, Travis, Wilson, and Zavala stayed in Extreme (D3) Drought. Blanco, Kendall, Kinney, and Williamson remained in D2. The Edwards Aquifer level dropped 1.5 feet and was 41.1 feet below normal. Area reservoirs were below normal conservation levels. Lake Travis dropped 1.8 feet and was 17.0 feet below normal. |Canyon Lake dropped 0.8 feet and was 22.3 feet below normal. Lake Amistad dropped 1.7 feet and was 68.9 feet below normal. Medina Lake dropped 0.8 feet and was 87.9 feet below normal. |The 7-day average streamflow was much below (<10%) normal on the Lavaca, Blanco, San Marcos, lower Guadalupe, and Atascosa Rivers; below (10%-24%) normal on the Medina, upper Colorado, San Antonio, and Frio Rivers; blow to much below normal on the San Gabriel and upper Guadalupe Rivers; and below normal to normal on the lower Nueces and Frio Rivers. Most water providers encouraged conservation while San Antonio and Universal City imposed stage 3 restrictions and New Braunfels and Austin had stage 2. Of the counties in D2 or worse drought, Atascosa, Bastrop, Blanco, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, De Witt, Dimmit, Fayette, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Lee, Medina, Travis, Williamson, Wilson, and Zavala had outdoor burn bans in effect at the end of 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 Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 24, 4:55 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Well above average high temperatures through the end of the work week
  • Elevated to Near Critical fire weather conditions possible most days of the work week due to low minimum humidities and moderate southerly winds.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 24, 4:55 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX
555 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Well above average high temperatures through the end of the work
  week

- Elevated to Near Critical fire weather conditions possible most
  days of the work week due to low minimum humidities and moderate
  southerly winds.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Today through Wednesday)
Issued at 1235 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

Low clouds will be more prevalent tonight than the last several
nights as cooler air combined with lower dewpoint depressions will
result in low clouds and perhaps some patchy fog developing over the
Edwards Plateau. Temperatures will start out in the mid to upper 50s
from the I-35 Corridor and west, and in the lower 60s over the
Coastal Plains, eventually climbing into the mid to upper 80s in all
locations outside of the Rio Grande Plains, where highs will soar
into the lower 90s. Mid-level ridging will strengthen to our west
over southwestern New Mexico Wednesday, resulting in increased
ambient air temperatures and sunshine. Temperatures will climb back
into the 90s for most location with breezy southeasterly winds
ramping up again Wednesday. Some elevated fire weather conditions
could develop, particularly for the western zones Wednesday
afternoon.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Wednesday night through Monday)
Issued at 1235 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

The long term period starts out dry as well as hot temperatures and
breezy southerly flow. Yet another cold front will approach Friday
evening, but once again, it appears to be a dry passage, as a lack
of deep moisture and good convergence along the boundary means no
precip for South Central Texas. Beyond the weekend, medium range
guidance is in agreement on a pattern change, with moisture and a
chance at rain by the first week of April. For now, continued warm
and dry weather is expected, with the exception being Saturday after
the passage of the cold front, where highs will fall into the mid to
upper 70s and lower 80s.

&&

.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 552 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

Low clouds continue to develop and move across the I-35 terminals
this morning. We will keep cigs MVFR, with some TEMPO IFR possible
over the next few hours. Some patchy fog is also possible, but
cigs should be the main factor in flight categories. Conditions
will improve by late morning, leading to a return of VFR
conditions for the I-35 sites around 17Z. Low clouds look to
return early Wednesday morning as low- level moisture remains
intact. Out west at DRT, we will keep the forecast VFR through the
period.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Austin Camp Mabry              89  64  91  64 /   0   0   0   0
Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport  88  63  91  63 /   0   0   0   0
New Braunfels Muni Airport     87  62  90  62 /   0   0   0   0
Burnet Muni Airport            87  62  88  62 /   0   0   0   0
Del Rio Intl Airport           93  63  94  65 /   0   0   0   0
Georgetown Muni Airport        88  63  90  63 /   0   0   0   0
Hondo Muni Airport             88  61  92  60 /   0   0   0   0
San Marcos Muni Airport        88  63  90  62 /   0   0   0   0
La Grange - Fayette Regional   87  63  89  63 /   0   0   0   0
San Antonio Intl Airport       88  64  91  64 /   0   0   0   0
Stinson Muni Airport           89  64  92  64 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

SHORT TERM...MMM
LONG TERM....MMM
AVIATION...Platt

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Val Verde

When
March 24, 6:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Val Verde forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
29.893, -101.152 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

While nearly all of South-Central Texas had less than 50% of normal precipitation this month, drought conditions were mostly unchanged. Only in Val Verde County did drought conditions worsen. They went from Moderate (D1) Drought to Severe (D2) Drought. All of the other counties remained the same as February. Dimmit remained in Exceptional (D4) Drought. Atascosa, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, De Witt, Fayette, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Maverick, Medina, Travis, Wilson, and Zavala stayed in Extreme (D3) Drought. Blanco, Kendall, Kinney, and Williamson remained in D2. The Edwards Aquifer level dropped 1.5 feet and was 41.1 feet below normal. Area reservoirs were below normal conservation levels. Lake Travis dropped 1.8 feet and was 17.0 feet below normal. |Canyon Lake dropped 0.8 feet and was 22.3 feet below normal. Lake Amistad dropped 1.7 feet and was 68.9 feet below normal. Medina Lake dropped 0.8 feet and was 87.9 feet below normal. |The 7-day average streamflow was much below (<10%) normal on the Lavaca, Blanco, San Marcos, lower Guadalupe, and Atascosa Rivers; below (10%-24%) normal on the Medina, upper Colorado, San Antonio, and Frio Rivers; blow to much below normal on the San Gabriel and upper Guadalupe Rivers; and below normal to normal on the lower Nueces and Frio Rivers. Most water providers encouraged conservation while San Antonio and Universal City imposed stage 3 restrictions and New Braunfels and Austin had stage 2. Of the counties in D2 or worse drought, Atascosa, Bastrop, Blanco, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, De Witt, Dimmit, Fayette, Frio, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Karnes, Lee, Medina, Travis, Williamson, Wilson, and Zavala had outdoor burn bans in effect at the end of the month.

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 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 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: 1325734.