This in turn creates drier, warmer weather in the southern U.S. The main culprit of the intense 2011 dryness was La Niña, a weather pattern where the surface temperatures are cooler in the Pacific. The state’s reservoirs are 67 percent full. As of June, 2014, 70 percent of Texas is still in drought conditions, while 21 percent is in the worst two stages of drought, either extreme or exceptional drought. That doesn’t mean that the drought is over. Those persisted until late in the summer of 2013, when a sustained rainy period lowered the percentage of the state experiencing drought. The state experienced a short and rainy respite in the winter and spring of 2012, but by the fall of 2012 dry conditions had returned to much of the state. The high summer temperatures increased evaporation, further lowering river and lake levels. 2011 also set new records for low rainfall from March through May, and again from June through August. 2011 was the driest year ever for Texas, with an average of only 14.8 inches of rain. State Climatologist John-Nielsen Gammon has warned that Texas could be in the midst of a drought worse than the drought of record in the 1950s. Most of the state has been under drought conditions for over three years. The majority of Texas is currently experiencing in drought that started in October 2010. How Long Has the Current Drought Been Going On?
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