It was only taking a breather...
Category: Local...
Posted Monday, May 17, 2004 at 03:34 PM [GMT-6]

How long does it take to go from wet to dry in west Texas? By my estimation, precisely 30 days, which is how long it's been since our last measurable rainfall.

Up until April 18, we were enjoying abundant precipitation, with rainfall totals well ahead of average. The result was wildflowers where once there was bare dirt, and money left in the checking account where once there was payment of the city water bill.

These things are just sweet memories today. I noticed today that if you stand at the edge of the pasture, the view from fence-post level is still shaded green. But this is a tromp d'oeil carried out by the dominance at eye-level of the mesquite, whose taproots are sucking up water at depths that the grass and weeds cannot access. If you revise your focus to concentrate on the spaces instead of the objects, then the more accurate indicators appear: the grass is brown and the wildflowers are shriveling.

This portends the worst possible situation, one where spring rains were sufficient to bring temporary growth spurts in ground cover, but summer moisture isn't sufficient to sustain it. Throw in some hot wind and a careless (or intentional) spark, and the threat of wildfire suddenly hits very close to home.

I fear that the drought hasn't really slouched off to other parts, but was just taking a siesta. The good news is that there are still parts of the Permian Basin and Edwards Plateau that are continuing to receive consistent rainfall.

Texas Bix Bender says that we might not be so bad off if we had a little less of everything. I don't think, however, that he was referring to rainfall.