Drought in Texas, March 26 to 31, 2026

Name: Drought in Texas, March 26 to 31, 2026
Start: 2026-03-26T00:00
End: 2026-03-31T23:59
Location: Texas

March 26 to 31, 2026 · NWS SHV · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

S. Drought Monitor across Gregg, Smith, and Upshur Counties in East Texas by late March.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

An extended period of below normal rainfall 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 Gregg, Smith, and Upshur Counties in East Texas by late March. Rainfall amounts during March only averaged between 2-4 inches, which was a continuation of below normal rainfall for the month. Coupled with the consistently below normal rain observed since Fall 2025, considerable hardships from area agricultural producers continued, 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 also persisted, 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. As a result, severe (D2) drought expanded across more of East Texas by 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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 25, 7:04 PM CST, 4 hours 56 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Issued at 158 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026
Warmer temperatures are expected to remain in place through the rest of the week.
A weak cool front will bring some slightly cooler and more normal temperatures for the weekend.
Dry conditions remain for the foreseeable future, with only very low end chances possible over the next 5-7 days.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 25, 7:04 PM CST, 4 hours 56 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Shreveport LA
804 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

...New AVIATION...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Issued at 158 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

 - Warmer temperatures are expected to remain in place through the
   rest of the week.

 - A weak cool front will bring some slightly cooler and more
   normal temperatures for the weekend.

 - Dry conditions remain for the foreseeable future, with only
   very low end chances possible over the next 5-7 days.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 158 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

Wish I could write this today and say that we have some decent
rain chances in the forecast, but unfortunately we do not. A
large dome of high pressure aloft remains centered over the
Arizona/New Mexico line, with our area sitting on the eastern
peripheral of this feature. We will see some slight eastward
movement over the next few days, but the overall trend is that it
will remain where it is and as a result, we will continue to see
above normal temperatures throughout the rest of the week. Towards
the weekend and into next week, we do see this high pressure push
further to the east with some troughing returning to the
northwest. This will at least introduce some low end chances for
precipitation to return to portions of the area by the start of
next week, however, confidence is not very high. Moving into the
middle and end of next week though, pattern seems to shift some
with the return of more widespread chances possible. Granted, it
is many days away, and much can change, so for now, we deal with
the dry and warm conditions. /33/

&&

.AVIATION...
(00Z TAFS)
Issued at 800 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

VFR across the airspace tonight as mostly SKC/FEW prevails the TAF
package. That being said, low clouds will return again overnight
with a mix of MVFR and periods of IFR CIGs across the airspace.
The good news is that similar to today, VFR is expected to return
by the afternoon as the clouds lift and scatter out. Surface
terminal winds are also expected to increase through the afternoon
as southerlies around 10kt are expected, with gusts nearing 20kt
for some.

KNAPP

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Issued at 158 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  63  85  61  84 /   0   0   0   0
MLU  60  86  59  86 /   0   0   0   0
DEQ  58  86  57  79 /   0   0   0  10
TXK  64  88  62  81 /   0   0   0  10
ELD  60  86  58  82 /   0   0   0  10
TYR  63  86  61  84 /   0   0   0  10
GGG  61  86  59  83 /   0   0   0  10
LFK  62  85  60  85 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...None.
LA...None.
OK...None.
TX...None.
&&

DISCUSSION...33
AVIATION...53

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Gregg

When: March 26, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Gregg forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 32.481, -94.817 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Smith

When: March 26, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Smith forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 32.375, -95.269 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Upshur

When: March 26, 12:00 AM CST to March 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Upshur forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 32.736, -94.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Texas in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 1326842, 1326843, 1326844.