HOUSTON - The Drought Monitor update just dropped and, no surprises here... things got worse.
Only about 4% of the state is not at least abnormally dry (the first category -- D0) with 86% of the state in categories D1-D4 (Moderate-Exceptional).
RELATED: Conserve water: City of Houston enters Stage 1 of drought contingency plan
It is worth noting though that the update comes out on Thursdays, and it only includes rainfall through Tuesday.
A tropical disturbance will bring us rounds of downpours to end the work week, with some moisture lingering into the day on Saturday. Our soaking today through Saturday will show up next week. The areas that look to see the most rainfall locally are the ones suffering the worst from the drought.
MORE: Invest 95-L to bring rainfall to Texas
We definitely will not see the quantities that we need to end the drought altogether, but we will at least make a dent in some locations.
Burn bans in effect
Many burn bans have been imposed across Texas. As of Thursday morning, there are currently burn bans in 181 of the state’s 254 counties.
In the Greater Houston area, more than a dozen counties have burn bans including Harris County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County and Waller County. Washington County, Chambers County and Montgomery County do not currently have burn bans.
RELATED: Burn ban in Harris County ahead of Fourth of July, but fireworks sales can continue
Burn ban regulations differ per county, so check with your local officials to see what restrictions apply to you.
In general, outdoor flame of any kind is discouraged. Please be extremely careful with cigarette butts, fireworks and grills, especially leading up to the July 4th holiday.