Texas heat and drought persist into fall as the state braces for wildfires

Texas is entering the fall with little relief from summerlike weather, as hot, dry conditions continue to grip most of the state.

According to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor , drought conditions have worsened throughout Texas compared to several months ago. Nearly half the Lone Star State is now classified as abnormally dry, and roughly a quarter is in moderate to severe drought. Smaller pockets in the west, along with parts of Central Texas, have slipped into extreme or even exceptional drought.

On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate additional emergency response resources “in anticipation of a growing wildfire danger across the state.” The governor also amended and renewed the state’s wildfire disaster declaration