Severe drought state could occur within 2 weeks
By ERIC BERGER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
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June, at least according to the Specialty Tea Institute, is National Iced Tea Month.
Unfortunately, that's about the only thirst-quenching thing going for a month that's been so dry only a flood insurer could love it.
Indeed, with no more rain this month — and chances are close to nil for at least the next several days — Houston would set a record for the driest June since annual data collection began in 1889.
At Bush Intercontinental Airport just 0.08 inches have fallen, about the thickness of a nickel. The record for June is 0.12 inches, set in 1934 during the Dust Bowl era.
And although it hasn't been the hottest month ever, daily highs and lows have been, on average, 2 or 3 degrees above normal for the region.
"So I understand you want to discuss this wonderful June we're having," mused George Harvey, a meteorologist at ImpactWeather, on Tuesday.
Wonderful it hasn't been.
As unwatered St. Augustine lawns have withered and browned, Harris and surrounding counties have been marching steadily toward drought conditions.
Much of Brazoria County is already there, and the rest of Houston and its immediate vicinity could reach serious drought conditions within the next two weeks if minimal rain falls, the Texas Forest Service says.
But that doesn't mean people in unincorporated areas of Harris County can't shoot off fireworks on the Fourth of July.
The drought appears to have snuck up quietly on county officials.
Under state law, Harris County Commissioners Court had to impose a ban by June 15 to give fireworks suppliers and consumers sufficient notice in advance of the holiday.
When Commissioner Steve Radack asked in a Commissioners Court meeting today why a fireworks ban had not been sought prior to the deadline, Fire Marshal Mike Montgomery said drought conditions had worsened since the deadline. A fireworks ban would be in order now, but wasn't earlier in June, he said.
Harris County did enact an outdoor burning ban Tuesday, as Montgomery and San Jacinto counties also have done.
A handful of Municipal Utility Districts have called for voluntary water restrictions in the Houston area, but few cities are rationing water.
The area's worst drought conditions exist in northern Brazoria County.
Rising water use
Bobby Whisenant is the water production superintendent for the city of Pearland, which supplies most of the water in northern Brazoria County. Pearland has come close to calling for voluntary rationing several times, Whisenant said, because state law requires the imposition of such rationing when water demand meets or exceeds 70 percent of capacity for three straight days.
"And we're right up there in the high 60s and 70 percent ... of our pumping capability," he said.
Houston pumped the most water this year Monday, said Wes Johnson, a spokesman for the city's Public Works Department. But even at 451 million gallons, it wasn't close to the city's capacity of nearly 800 million gallons a day.
Droughts, of course, are nothing new in Texas, even in its greener eastern half.
The state is at roughly the same latitude as many of Earth's deserts, including the Sahara. What saves the Texas from being one big strip of sand, in large part, is moisture off the Gulf of Mexico.
The problem now, forecasters say, is a broad ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere stretching from Texas to the Great Lakes. This blocks a significant flow from the Gulf.
The high-pressure ridge strengthens as the ground dries out, and rising temperatures only bolster it.
"This feedback loop perpetuates the ridge," said Harvey, the forecaster. "It's why droughts are so hard to break."
Watch what you wish for
So how canthe pattern be changed? The answer may be a little disconcerting. The second half of May and early June 2001 were almost as dry and warm as this year before a little storm called Allison ended any worries about droughts by dumping almost 20 inches of rain across much of the Houston area.
A tropical system can help dislodge the high pressure, Harvey said. The present ridge appears to be moving slowly north, which could allow sea breeze thunderstorms to move into the area by the weekend.
He cautioned, however, that the models have been suggesting this will happen "within several days" for a week or more. In other words, he said, "I'm skeptical."
At least a good drought reduces mosquitoes by cutting down on their breeding ground, right? Well, yes and no. It probably will cut down on the number of salt marsh mosquitoes, said Rudy Bueno, director of Harris County's mosquito control efforts. But because many residents water their lawns, other types of mosquitoes more common in neighborhoods are likely to survive.
"Mosquitoes can't tell the difference between rainwater and tap water," he said.
Another misconception is that foundations must be watered during hot, dry periods.
Instead, said Terry Black, the owner of Clear Lake-based Inspection Concepts, homeowners should water their lawns evenly around the home's exterior with about an inch of water a week. If soil around the foundation begins pulling away from the home, the soil needs watering he said, but never allow water into the gap.
"Foundations," he quipped, "don't grow."
Chronicle reporters Joe Stinebaker, Eric Hanson and Bill Murphy contributed to this story.
Most of the S2K Texas members can attest to how dry it is here. And it is HOT too!!!!!
