Rainfall Nearly 10 inches Below Normal
In case you haven't noticed, Southeast Texas is on the verge of falling back under drought conditions.
Local 2 Meteorologist Frank Billingsley says the El Nino we're expecting, so far hasn't developed.
"We're about nine-and-a-half inches below normal since September 1," Billingsley tells KTRH News. "We were doing pretty well this year. Of course we had a wet July, but the last couple of months have certainly dried us out."
Then, the low pressure systems from the Rockies roll in this spring.
"That usually comes in with a lot of wind," he says. "If you're already dry and the ground is dry, and all of the timber is dry on the ground, that's when you get into a wildfire situation."
And 2013 could be another tough year for ranchers.
"If you don't have the rain, you don't have the hay and the grass, so you don't have anything to feed the cattle," says Billingsley.
All this is a hangover from last year's severe drought which most forecasters predicted would continue for at least a few years.
