7/20/2023

With widespread precipitation last week and relatively cooler temperatures, drought conditions were able to improve in some regions. Unfortunately, though, this was not the case for the entirety of the region, as Texas was still experiencing record-setting heat and lacked the necessary precipitation to prevent drought conditions from worsening. Due to these conditions, much of central, south, and west Texas saw one class degradation, and some areas experienced two class degradation, which expanded the region of D3 drought conditions in central Texas. However, more seasonable amounts of rainfall and anomalously cool temperatures in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi allowed for some one class improvements in areas across those states.

Looking into the future, as outlined by the 8-14 Probabilistic Hazards Outlook, large portions of Texas and central Louisiana are at "rapid onset drought risk," as the majority of the region faces some level of risk for excessive heat in the upcoming days.