Houston’s ‘Scorching-tober’ warmth linked to worsening drought that would prolong into November

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It should not come as a shock that this October is on its solution to turning into one of many warmest on document for the month in Houston.

There have been a minimum of 14 days this month with excessive temperatures within the 90s, which is uncommon to see that many and so late into October. In reality, our companions at Local weather Central discovered that Houston’s final 90 diploma day is 17 days later at this time than what it was within the Seventies, a development related to a warming local weather.

This sizzling month follows a heat and dry stretch that started on the finish of September. As of Oct. 20, Houston hasn’t obtained measurable rainfall since Sept. 24– nearly a month in the past. Pair that with nicely above regular temperatures for this time of yr, drought situations have set in throughout most of southeast Texas. Native drought situations might proceed to worsen earlier than they get higher. Not simply from the shortage of rain, however warmth too.

A brand new examine from Local weather Central discovered that on the flip of the century, drought situations throughout the western half of the nation started to be pushed by the warmth, not simply the shortage of rain. It is a vital discovering as earlier than that, knowledge from the Nineteen Forties to Nineteen Nineties means that droughts had been primarily pushed by a scarcity of precipitation.

This is a vital local weather connection to contemplate when predicting the size and severity of a possible drought. This additionally implies that in a warming world, drought situations might settle in sooner than beforehand thought.

Contemplating the present drought and forecast over the subsequent two weeks, drought situations which can be already in place will possible proceed into November. Whereas there may be some rain within the forecast for southeast Texas earlier than the tip of October, present projections present this rainfall will solely be sufficient to stop the present drought from getting worse. In different phrases, the quantity of rain at present within the forecast will not be sufficient to start to reverse what’s already set into place.

One motive that is regarding is due to the potential wintertime sample that would set in throughout the US. This as a weak La Niña will possible develop over the subsequent few months, and a La Niña wintertime sample sometimes favors a heat and drier climate sample throughout Texas with the jet stream farther north throughout the nation.

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