Texas is drowning

[txbeyer]

For those of you not living in Texas, the amount of rain we have had this year has been beyond belief. In Austin alone, we are more than double our normal rainfall for the year and already exceeded our annual average with half a year to go. Temperatures have been below normal for the past 36 days straight and every day so far this summer (we welcome that but not all the rain). I know Houston and the coastal areas are experiencing the same conditions. Our lakes have been overflowing after a drought last year that had them 35' below normal. They are calling for better than 50% chance of rain every day for the next week and we have had some rain fall every day this past week from .1 to 1.5 inches . Our "dry climate" plants are growing like weeds but I wonder how much stress from excessive rain they can take here in central TX. We are fortunately high and dry at 900' above sea level, but flash flooding has been a real threat to the area. Maybe aquatic gardening will catch on in central TX as the new gardening trend! Wish we could send this rain to other areas of the country that need it badly. We are saturated, soaked, and swamped and have had more than our share.

[PlantSwap]

Yeah, we seem to be getting our share down here too, though not as bad as you folks are getting it. Maybe the Edwards Aquifer will finally start refilling.

Meantime, might want to invest in a good canoe.

[kancheta]

We got drowned here too. I lost my butterfly bush that I tried desperately to save. Lost a few other things too but that one was the saddest. I had wanted one for so long! I guess I'll try again next year.

[cheezyrat]

My neck of the woods is the other extreme. We are in a severe drought. We are on water restrictions and have a statewide burning ban. I feel so sad for the farmers in our area. The crops are parched in the fields. The corn looks like it's late October. Even my oldest trees are struggling. Some are loosing leaves or even whole limbs and turning brown. My peach tree had NO fruit. The pear tree has very few and pathetic looking pears. The persimmons turned black and fell from the tree already. I put a fountain outside for the local wildlife to make sure they have a fresh water source. If something doesn't change soon I hate to see the prices for produce and beef!

[kancheta]

I wish we could pipe some to you out of our local lakes. They have been flooded for months. I hope you get some rain soon.

[PlantSwap]

Hi CR, welcome to the forum.

"It's not easy being cheezy."

Seriously though, central Texas was in the same predicament only the drought lasted about 10 years. They really needed the water - just not all at once.