The rain storm that blew in overnight Wednesday dropped on average of
one to two inches of rain over Central Texas. Despite the steady
downpour, experts say it will not offer long term drought relief.
“We would need many, many more events like we saw last night for it
to make a difference,” said Clara Tuma of the Lower Colorado River
Authority (LCRA).
The Highland Lakes remain well below normal levels. Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan sit between 55 to 60 percent full.
Meteorologists with the LCRA, which oversees the lakes, say a lot more rain is needed to begin filling the lakes again.
“This rain was so welcome, but we didn't get any inflows,” said
Tuma. “The tributaries didn’t fill up and come running into the lakes.
That’s the way you fill up the lakes. You get the rain, and then you get
the tributaries coming in. Our inflow is still extremely low.”
The LCRA says lake levels will continue to drop about a foot a week until substantial rain relief comes.
The ground did not get much relief either. The Travis County Fire
Marshal's Office says the ground needs much more rain to help lower the
drought numbers. They remain in the extreme category on the drought
index. The fireworks ban remains in place as does the county burn ban.
