County drought conditions improve as summer nears

Brad Kellar, The Herald Banner, Greenville, Texas
·2 min read

May 29—Hunt County is entering the summer in better shape, in terms of drought conditions and fire danger, than at the start of the year.

While recent rains have helped to reduce the threat of fire locally, they have not done much to raise the level of Lake Tawakoni, Greenville's primary source of water, which began the Memorial holiday about a foot below the fill level.

A United States Drought Monitor report released Thursday indicated the southern of Hunt County remains under a "moderate drought," while the rest of the county is listed as "abnormally dry." Readings were taken Tuesday morning.

Starting in early February, Hunt County and much of the surrounding area had been listed as under severe to extreme drought conditions. The county remained under an extreme drought through early April, and the Texas A&M Forest Service included Hunt County and much of the region under "very high" or "high" threats of grass and wild fires.

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, monitors soil moisture levels and is a gauge used to determine the threat of fire danger.

A reading of "zero" under the index means the soil is saturated, while 800 is the highest reading on the index, indicating it would take eight or more inches of rainfall to bring the soil to saturation.

As of Thursday, Hunt County's reading under the index ranged from 117 to 266, with the average listed at 212.

The latest report from the Texas A&M Forest Service indicates Hunt County remains under a "low" risk of fire with the conditions forecast to continue through the start of next week.

While the threat of grass fire has been reduced, the precipitation has left Lake Tawakoni in worse shape than a year ago.

In mid-May 2021, the water level on the reservoir was at 438.79 feet, more than a foot above the spillway mark of 437.5 feet. As of Thursday morning, the level was at 436.25 feet. Lake Tawakoni's all-time record of 442.58 feet was set on May 1, 1966.

The National Weather Service does not have any rain in the forecast for the next week.