Texoma drought worsens in latest federal update

_By GvilleTX Newsroom_

All of Texas-side Texoma is now in at least moderate drought, and severe drought has spread across much of the region, according to the newest U.S. Drought Monitor data available Wednesday. For Cooke County residents, the map matters because Drought.gov says the federal monitor can help trigger some USDA disaster declarations and loan eligibility, though local water rules still come from cities and water suppliers.

The latest Drought Monitor map was released Aug. 27 and reflects conditions as of Aug. 25. The Texoma Council of Governments identifies Texas-side Texoma as Cooke, Fannin and Grayson counties.

County statistics from the Drought Monitor show Cooke, Fannin and Grayson counties were all fully in moderate-or-worse drought as of Aug. 25. One week earlier, Cooke County was already fully in that category, while parts of Fannin and Grayson counties had not yet reached moderate drought.

The larger shift was in the severity of the drought. Drought Monitor data show no severe drought in the three Texas-side Texoma counties on Aug. 18. By Aug. 25, severe drought covered more than half of Cooke and Grayson counties and most of Fannin County.

Cooke County’s change came fast. Federal county data show Cooke County was drought-free from late June through late July, then moved through abnormally dry and moderate drought classifications during August before severe drought reached much of the county by Aug. 25.

The same pattern reached counties around Texoma. Drought Monitor data show Denton, Montague, Collin and Delta counties were all fully in at least moderate drought on Aug. 25. On the Oklahoma side of Lake Texoma, Bryan, Carter, Johnston, Love and Marshall counties were also fully in moderate-or-worse drought, with severe drought covering nearly all or all of those counties, according to the federal county data.

State and national figures show the local map was part of a broader dry turn. Drought Monitor state data show moderate-or-worse drought in Texas expanded from about a third of the state to more than half in one week. Oklahoma was already fully in moderate-or-worse drought by Aug. 25, and the continental U.S. also had more land in drought than the week before, according to the same dataset.

In its South-region summary, the Drought Monitor attributed the rapid expansion to a persistent heat-dome ridge. The summary said the sharpest drought growth and intensification occurred across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas, while scattered storms brought only brief local relief in isolated parts of central Oklahoma and Arkansas.

The outlook did not show quick relief in the verified federal summaries. The Drought Monitor said excessive heat could continue driving drought expansion in the south-central U.S., and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said drought was expected to persist in parts of the Great Plains because monthly and seasonal outlooks did not show wet signals.

For Gainesville water customers, the federal drought map is not itself a city restriction. City Council minutes show Gainesville adopted Ordinance 1565-05-2024 on May 21, 2024, approving a Water Conservation and Water Resource and Emergency Management Plan. TCEQ guidance says water suppliers must notify the state within five business days after mandatory drought-plan provisions are implemented, and the Drought Monitor says its map is a broad snapshot rather than a replacement for local guidance.