Texas Drought: Rain May Be On the Way to Parched Southern Plains Midweek

The severe drought which has plagued Texas, and other areas of the parched Southern Plains including southern Kansas and Oklahoma, may finally benefit from a developing midweek storm system likely to bring much-needed rains.

The region is mired in its worst drought conditions in decades, and Texas has experienced the state's driest consecutive months since record-keeping began in 1895. Some parts of the state have received no measurable rain in almost a year, and some weather experts predict it could last into next year.

Last month, many cities experienced 100-degree weather for more than a month as the parched soil allowed temperatures to soar. But some rain may be on the way to parts of the region, forecasters say -- as areas including southern Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas are likely to get rain from the developing system.

The rain is expected to develop over of Front Range of the Rockies Wednesday, expanding south and east along a stalled front boundary extending across the Plains in Thursday. The pattern will bring cooler temperatures to the south, and give a chance for some rain to parched regions.

The forecast is still unclear how much rain may fall and where, as exact positioning of the front will determine those specifics. But parts of Texas, including the panhandle and Rio Grande Valley could get more than a half inch of rain starting Wednesday evening and into the weekend.

Areas that get the benefit of developing thunderstorms along the frontal boundary could get more than a half inch.

But since some areas in the region are so dry, rainfall in the amount of a half inch to an inch will only provide momentary relief. Also, the rain is not expected to reach areas of the southern plans including central and southern Texas, where firefighters are still dealing with wildfires that have burned more than three million acres.