The exceptional drought of 2011

Across Texas, 2011 will long be remembered as the year that the trees died. After over a century of weather station data, 2011 saw record breaking drought across New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana; but it was west Texas in particular, that suffered the greatest and most persistent loss of greenness from drought and the numerous associated fires. In this ForWarn image for late September 2011, there are centers of drought in and around Texas and farther to the Southeast centered on Georgia, but affecting portions of South Carolina, Florida and Alabama as well. This pattern of the areas most affected is indicated by the dashed white lines and in the US Drought Monitor inset map as well.