Southeast Texas braces for La Niña winter as drought worsens and wildfire risk rises with no rain forecast

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — It’s been almost a month since rain fell in Houston, the last of which was measurable on September 24th. This, combined with above-average and warm temperatures over the past three weeks, has led to worsening drought conditions in Southeast Texas.

As of October 21, much of the region, including all of Harris County, is in a dry to moderate drought.

Some areas will need 8 inches of rain or more to offset current conditions, but unfortunately that amount is not forecast for the next two weeks or longer.

There is growing concern about the worsening of current drought conditions and the growing threat of local wildfires.

Matt Schwartz with the Texas Forest Service spoke with ABC13 meteorologist Elise Smith on Monday.

The statewide office says they are currently moving additional resources, including planes and helicopters, to Southeast Texas due to current and future drought forecasts.

There are also a few things you can do at home to reduce the chance of wildfires spreading over the next few weeks.

Schwartz explained that dry weather causes leaves and needles to fall off trees prematurely. This debris can easily catch fire when a wildfire approaches, so he advised removing dry or dead vegetation around your home.

During the height of fall events, be careful when parking on dry grass. The car engine can spark and potentially cause a fire.

Burn bans are in effect in several counties in southeast Texas. As of Oct. 21, 165 Texas counties had burn bans in effect.

The developing La Niña is another cause for concern about the current drought. A La Niña winter pattern will bring warmer, drier conditions to Texas, so the droughts that are developing now could last through the fall and even winter. The last time Houston had an October this dry was during the El Niño to La Niña transition of 2010 to 2011, which produced one of the worst droughts in state history.

For more on this story, follow Elise Smith on Facebook. X and Instagram.