By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Bob Rose, chief meteorologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), detailed weather conditions, and its affect on crops, during the recent field day at the Luling Foundation. -- Staff photo by Taylor

June 1, 2006 - “Even though we’ve had some rain in the area … we have a long way to go before we get out of this drought,” said Bob Rose, chief meteorologist with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) in Austin. Rose was one of the speakers addressing the full-house crowd during the 79th Annual Field Day at the Luling Foundation on May 18.

Rose likened the present drought to the one Texas saw in 1996, and said that the “period from last April to the present is one of the driest periods ever.”

He explained that while the northern and eastern regions of Texas have received more moisture, the farther south you go the drier and worse the conditions are … especially, for ag producers. Although the immediate Austin area has seen over 12 inches of rain, this year, much of the south central areas of Texas missed the “hit-and-miss” rains of earlier this spring.

Areas of east and northeast Texas have more soil moisture, but Rose noted that deep South Texas has the worse drought. “It (moisture) goes from pretty good to pretty bad,” he explained.

As everyone knows, most areas of Texas didn’t have much of a spring season, with an immediate transition from winter right into summer — with all the hot, dry weather.

“Through August, the U.S. outlook is not good,” said Rose, although the “La Nina” condition is over, with cooler water in the Pacific. “This is the typical time of the year we’re getting rain and cooler weather,” explained Rose.

It is his professional belief that the next rains for Texas will come up from the Gulf of Mexico, and predicts that by mid-summer to early fall, the tropical weather will “take over.”

“Another busy year in the tropics is shaping up, and the Western Gulf and Atlantic is ‘ready to go,’” noted Rose. There are 17 named storms predicted for the upcoming hurricane season, he added.

By June, Rose believes the Texas coast will see a storm, since the weather patterns in the area are very similar to those in 1996 and 1999, when tropical storms came to Texas. Hopefully, by late summer or early fall, Rose believes parts of Texas “could be somewhat wet.”

Many producers have already planted crops. Some are growing well, yet fields just down the road are really hurting for moisture. Many areas in the Rio Grande Valley have already been declared disaster areas for cotton.

Finally, Rose did give hope to the producers that were present at the field day. Chances are they will see rain … eventually. Hopefully, it won’t be too little … too late.