Published: February 13, 2009 11:29 pm      

Storms fail to relieve drought

GREENVILLE — The severe weather which crossed North Texas Tuesday night brought damaging winds, occasional hail and a few tornadoes.

Many locations in Hunt County also received a brief drenching, but the precipitation was not even close to what was needed to relieve the current drought conditions.

In fact, only .13 of an inch of rain was officially recorded at Majors Field Municipal Airport in Greenville Tuesday, none of which was attributed to that night’s thunderstorms. City of Greenville officials also did not have a rainfall total to report, although Community Relations Manager Lori Philyaw said the city received less than one inch.

“We did not receive enough rain to lift the voluntary water restrictions,” Philyaw said.

Two of the five requirements necessary for putting the plan into place are still being met; namely the levels on Lake Tawakoni remain below 434 feet (432.44 feet as of Friday), and the Palmer Drought Severity Index continues to list Greenville under a moderate drought. Residents and businesses are being asked to voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas, to practice water conservation and to discontinue water use for non-essential purposes. Wholesale water customers of the City of Greenville are also being asked to abide by the restrictions. The cutbacks will be rescinded when two or more conditions listed as triggering the events have ceased in the event of substantial rainfall.

Hunt County also remains under a ban on outdoor burning, and the number of counties listed under burn bans had expanded by Friday to also include Delta, Fannin, Kaufman, Lamar, Rains and Rockwall counties.