So much for the Texas drought

Several rounds of drenching rain in Texas this month — following a wet winter and early spring — entirely eliminated "extreme" drought in the state for the first time in nearly five years.

Just 15% of the state is now in a "moderate" to "severe" drought, the lowest percentage since October 2010, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal website that tracks conditions.

Parts of Texas have already seen three times their normal amount of rainfall so far this month, Texas state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said. Some spots have seen nearly 20 inches of rain, the Weather Channel reported.

While there has been serious flooding, the rain is "mostly welcome" across the previously parched state, especially for farmers, Nielsen-Gammon said. "Agriculture looks good this summer," he added, though the rain has made it harder for farmers to work their fields.

Another round of downpours and thunderstorms will bring a renewed threat for flooding across the southern Plains over the Memorial Day weekend, AccuWeather reported.

Reservoirs are filling up due to all the rain: As of Wednesday, water storage in Texas' reservoirs had climbed to 78.5% of capacity — the highest in more than four years — meteorologist Brad Rippey wrote in this week's drought report.

Several rivers, including the Red River near DeKalb, Texas, and the Poteau River near Panama, Okla., climbed to their highest levels since May 1990, Rippey said.

Tommy Monk wrote:Scotland...!?

Tommy Monk wrote:Scotland...!?

Original Quill wrote:Saw that Ben.  But you are letting all that water get away.  The Trinity River is running amok.