Here is what the drought in Texas looks like...

[scooper77515]

Here is our lake, and the trees on the way home from work.

Normally, our leaves don't change color until Halloween or after, but this year, they started to brown around June. Not green to orange, to red, to brown, but just green to brown. The limbs fall off soon after, and most, if not all of these trees will not come back next spring.

On my drive home from work, I go through about 20 miles of this, and it all looks just like this. I estimate we will lose at least 25% of our trees to drought this year. It will take MANY years to recover.

At least firewood will be cheap...

 

[RFoster130]

Thats crazy. I was in houston back in july and i was freakin HOT. it actually rained 1 day for like 30 minutes.

 

[scooper77515]

You caught that little storm that blew through and spawned tornadoes and dropped 1/4-1/2" rain? That thing uprooted all the new trees in our neighborhood, and tore down some serious old oaks. That was about all the rain we got since February.

We are currently 25" or so below normal.

 

[RFoster130]

That must have been the day, it was nasty but didnt last long. Here in KY are are still like 25" over on the year.

 

[scooper77515]

Definitely an odd year for our weather. We had triple digits everyday in August, all of our lawns are dead, our trees are dying, and our lakes are drying up.

I keep expecting some sunburnt dude in a cape with a forked tail and pitchfork waiting for me on the front lawn some morning...

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Let's all pray to the rain god to get Texas some water....hurry.

Those pics are insane. Must be 20 feet down from normal level.

 

[fractus]

Lk Travis here is down 30' I'll shoot some pictures tomorrow. We also have a webcam. http://www.golaketravis.com/webcam/
Have had 80days 100+ today was HUMID to boot! Water is 88 degrees!:reddevil:
At 7:35 this morning, the level of Lake Buchanan was declining at 992.39 ft msl, which is about 18.4 feet below its historic September average of 1,010.76 ft msl. Lake Travis was falling at 633.98 ft msl which is about 30.7 feet below its historic September average of 664.70 ft msl. The total combined storage in the Highland Lakes two water storage reservoirs, Buchanan and Travis, is at 859,000 acre-feet, or 43 percent of capacity. The surface water temperature of Lake Travis as measured near Mansfield Dam is 88 degrees.

 

[wildone72]

Dang that is bad.

 

[mojohn]

Lk Travis here is down 30' I'll shoot some pictures tomorrow.

Where ya launching these days? My ramp is out of the water.

 

[scooper77515]

Our ramps are high and dry also...

We are only 8' low here, but this lake is fairly shallow to begin with.

 

[fractus]

Where ya launching these days? My ramp is out of the water.

Mansfield dam *getting close to closing* and also Ladybird lake I live in Steiner so either are easy.

 

[Gamerse]

Our ramps are high and dry also...

We are only 8' low here, but this lake is fairly shallow to begin with.

Looks like you may have to trade in the ski for a 4x4 atv and just go play in the mud.

:cheers:
Ernest

p.s. the TVA in TN controlls our water, so we have as much or as little as they allow. We have to put anything larger than a john boat up for the winter every year, to much dirt and not enough water. Plenty of mud for the 4x4s though.

 

[scooper77515]

LOTS of guys doing exactly that. Fourwheelers everywhere! The motorcycle kind, not the jeep kind.

 

[BMANN06]

Definitely an odd year for our weather. We had triple digits everyday in August, all of our lawns are dead, our trees are dying, and our lakes are drying up.

I keep expecting some sunburnt dude in a cape with a forked tail and pitchfork waiting for me on the front lawn some morning...

I remember hearing about that ... it was covered on the news quite a bit up here. Man that's alot of heat!! Hopefully you get some rain in the fall. But I think your right that'll take some time to come back to where it should be.

 

[fractus]

Mansfield dam *getting close to closing* and also Ladybird lake I live in Steiner so either are easy.

I'm replying to my own post!? Was evacutaed last night. Fire. One way in and one way out I guess the reasoning. 25 homes burned 20 damaged as of this morn still only 10% contained. I believe my house and skis are fine. Wife's in China kids off to school; just me and the dog hanging in my old 'hood until I can get back.

 

[scooper77515]

Now we have a damned fire in the woods just outside of the neighborhood...

 

[Seadoobuddy]

scooper - Hope it doesn't come closer than that, stay safe.

Fresh out of seadoos....what ya do, sell them all?

 

[scooper77515]

Sold the challenger and bought a 19' glastron with 4.3 volvo penta (sound familiar?), and my dad "claim-jumped" the 96 XP, and took it to Yuma with him. Where he quickly fried the electronics and wants me to fix it by long distance...

I shouldn't say he "stole" the XP. He gave me a rider mower in the process...Not QUITE an even swap, but with a half acre of grass (before it dried up and died in the drought) it was an ease of my weekly mowing burden.

Here is what I got in return for the XP...

 

[Gamerse]

I would leave my boat hooked to the truck wherever I went until you receive some rain. Grats on the Glastron, not a better inboard under 25' in my humble. Good luck, hope your peoples make it out ok.

:cheers:
Ernest