Strong Storms Possible This Weekend

The warm and humid air across East Texas, almost makes it seem like it is late spring or early summer.

Often times when we get this warm and humid, the only way to get rid of it is through rain and thunderstorms.


We need the rain so this is certainly good news. The only downfall, however, is that some of the storms late Saturday and on Sunday could become severe. This means any storms that develop or roll into the Piney Woods could produce small hailstones, and gusty winds.

Considering we are in a drought, we will take the rain any way we can get it at this point.

Our futurecast computer model suggests that the best chance for widespread, heavy downpours, will be along and just east of the Interstate 35 corridor in Central and North Central Texas.

If you plan on traveling up to Waco or Dallas this weekend, you may find yourself in heavy traffic as strong storms are likely in those areas.

Even though we may not see as much rain as our friends to the north and west of us, we have the potential to receive a half inch to one inch in locations where storms do develop this weekend.

The only unfortunate part is that not everyone will receive significant rainfall. Those of you that do, be thankful. I know the vegetation will be.

After the storm system moves out late Sunday, our skies will clear out, but the temperatures won't be falling. Instead, they will be warming into the upper 80's, approaching 90. Our latest computer models suggest our next significant cold front and cool down may take place towards the end of next week.

Parched Soils Lead to More Burn Bans, Drought Conditions

I've said it once and I'll say it again. Too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing when it comes to weather often times.
Our stretch of beautiful weather is making for very dry conditions and is leading to an increased fire risk across all of East Texas.

This map is an updated graphic showing every single county in East Texas currently under a burn ban.

In our KTRE viewing area, the only counties that are not currently under burn bans are Anderson, Cherokee, and Nacogdoches counties. Everyone else has one enacted, meaning outdoor burning where you live is prohibited.

The Texas Forest Service has come out and said that several fires have been ongoing this past month, many of them intentionally set. More than 1500 acres across the Piney Woods have already been burned, including damage to five homes.

The recent dry conditions have led to a "Stage 1 Moderate Drought" for parts of East Texas. This is the first level of a drought and is indicated by the shading of brown in the image to your left. Notice how this area is now encompassing parts of Nacogdoches county and most of Angelina county.

We also have a "Stage 2 Severe Drought" indicated by the orange shading. This includes eastern portions of Shelby, Sabine, and Newton counties.

You'll notice that the farther east you go, the worse the drought becomes. Needless to say, if you live in Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Jasper, and Newton counties, you will want to be especially careful about doing any activity or gesture that would have the potential to lead to a brush or wildfire.

The combination of low humidity and very dry soils means it won't take much for a small brush fire to get out of control.

Make sure you check our weather page daily for any changes to the burn ban list.


In looking into my crystal ball, it appears we might see some showers and storms by the middle of next week. However, it won't be the widespread, soaking rains that we really need to help alleviate the drought conditions.

Rainfall a Welcome Sight, But Dry Conditions Still Persist

After nearly three weeks of clear skies and beautiful weather, we received something just as beautiful: RAIN!

The rainfall on Monday and Monday night was nice to see, as two complexes of showers and storms moved into East Texas.


Our Storm Tracker Live Doppler Network estimated that over 3 inches of rain fell along an east to west stretch just south of Highway 84. It started in Cherokee county near Alto and extended through northern Nacogdoches county and into Shelby county. It is these areas that saw the most rain, which came ahead of another cold front.

As you can see by the image, most areas picked up anywhere from 1/2 to 2" of rain.

What's important to realize is that this rainfall helped the parched soils and lawns across the Piney Woods, but by no means does this mean things are back to normal.


Despite the rainfall, three more East Texas counties have enacted burn bans. On Tuesday, Rusk, Houston, and Trinity counties were placed under a burn ban until further notice.

That now makes ten counties in the KTRE viewing area that are currently prohibited from doing any outdoor burning at this time.

We could stand to use even more rain to help erase our rainfall deficit. The problem, however, is that the clear skies and cooler temperatures will offer no help for the rest of the week.

Dry Conditions and Lack of Rainfall Create Fire Danger

It is really hard to find fault with anything that has to do with our weather. After all, it has been nothing short of spectacular as clear skies and low humidity have made for very pleasant conditions.

However, with the beautiful weather comes no rain. The lack of rainfall is becoming problematic as ground soils and vegetation are starting to dry out significantly.

We now have burn bans in place for five of our local counties in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

Earlier today, Jasper and Newton county were added to the burn ban list. San Augustine county had their burn ban removed.

It should be noted that even if your county is not under a burn ban, it would not be wise to burn as the low humidity and dry conditions could cause a small brush fire to get out of control.

We are now running a rainfall deficit closing in on 9 inches for the year.

Unfortunately, there is no sign of a significant change to our weather pattern over the next week or so. That means you will want to continue watering your lawn and plants as Mother Nature will provide no relief.

Ending September on a Cool and Pleasant Note

It was as if we flipped the switch from summer to fall in a span of 36 hours.
We went from high temperatures in the 90's, to high temperatures in the 80's, and from morning lows in the 70's to the 50's.

The image above shows our morning lows from earier today. Most areas bottomed out in the lower 50's, with a few areas briefly touching the upper 40's.

With a cool and dry airmass in place, the next couple of mornings will see similar readings. That means you might actually need that windbreaker or sweater when you head out the door in the morning to work or school.

The cold front that brought in the cooler and drier air came from a big shift in our overall weather pattern.

Right now, we have a big dip in the jetstream across the eastern half of the United States. It is that big dip or trough, that has brought down some Canadian air into East Texas.

The good news is that this weather pattern will not budge much for the next several days.

This not only means more clear nights and sunny afternoons, but also means no tropical systems will invade the western Gulf.

We currently have another tropical depression, which formed earlier today in the Caribbean. We don't have to worry about that depression heading our way as the trough of low pressure across the Southeast U.S. will help steer that system into Florida and areas along the Atlantic seaboard.

If you have the opportunties to make outdoor plans (play golf, tennis, etc), go ahead and do it over the next week and a half or so.

After all, this weather pattern will eventually change. It will just come later rather than sooner.

New HD Look Coming to Your TV Soon

With fall just days away, we are very aware that usually means change is on the way. Even though it is still very warm and humid, fall indicates that fronts and cooler weather are in the offing.

Our weather department at KTRE-TV 9 will be undergoing some change as well.

Over the past few weeks, I have been in training with some of the newest and greatest weather graphics there are to offer.

On Thursday, we are set to debut our new HD look on air for the first time. You will notice a different look and feel to the weather graphics once they hit the airways.

I want to preface HD by saying that even though our news and weathercasts won't be in HD, it is HD compatible, meaning that when we decide to transition to HD, we will be all set to flip the switch.

This new graphic system will have many of the same features you have come to know and love over the years. However, it also has more bells and whistles, so some items will look and be displayed in a different format.

Right now, we are working out the technical side of things with our graphics and engineering department. I can't wait to debut the new look and I'm sure you will be excited about what it has to offer.

Hermine Leaves Her Mark on the Lone Star State

It was anything but ordinary when it came to the weather across the state of Texas this past week.

Flooding rains and even tornadoes greeted residents across much of North and South Central Texas, thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine.

Even though Hermine was just a tropical storm, she left her impact felt in more ways than one.

Here are some of the impressive rainfall totals from select cities across the state.

Georgetown, TX 15.62"
Killeen, TX 12.38"
Austin, TX 11.95"
Fort Worth, TX 7.48"
Houston, TX 4.47"

Here in East Texas, we picked up anywhere from 1-3" of rain, which certainly helped out our rainfall deficit.

This storm goes to show you that you don't need a major hurricane to cause widespread flooding and damage across a region. Sometimes it is the smaller, less intense storms, that can be just as dangerous.