Storms do little to relieve drought

Though the clouds above this East Texas automated weather station look promising, they didn’t deliver much rain. On July 21, the station, located at Overton, had recorded 0.06 inch of rain by 11 a.m. “We are 10 inches behind in rainfall (for the year) as of today,” said Indre Pemberton. photo by Robert Burns COLLEGE STATION – Storm fronts brought much needed rain and cooler temperatures to parts of Texas.

However, the fronts left other drought-stricken areas – notably the southern half of the state -- high and dry.

Even where there was rain, substantial accumulations were spotty as of the morning of July 21.

Record high temperatures – as high as 108 degrees in the southern parts of the state – further stressed crops and livestock. For the Southwest and other regions, the summer of 2009 was shaping up to be the hottest, driest one on record, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.