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Aug. 23 marked the first rainfall in central Texas for over a month.
“I was staying up doing homework when it started storming,” junior Ava Speichert said. “I remember feeling surprised because forecasts did not mention rain.”
Prior to Aug. 23, the last time rainfall hit central Texas covered a small area and only reached .16 inches July 7.
“I’m a person who enjoys spending a lot of time outside with friends but with the extreme heat compared to previous summers, it made me want to stay inside to avoid the heat,” Speichert said.
The lack of rain is a result of a current heat dome caused by high air pressure that is taking over a large portion of the U.S.
“Summer practice for cross country was very difficult,” Speichert said. “I either had to wake up before the sun came up or right when the sun was setting to get in my miles.”
Little rain has resulted in hardships for both people and livestock.
“[The rain] made our water bins for our farm animals dry up at a faster rate, so my family had to make more frequent checks,” Speichert said.
Assistant head football coach Ty Kuhn said “with little rain comes fires and less food for wildlife.”
“The last two summers there has been very little rain which is causing a lot of problems, from food for livestock to problems with the cost of our food,” he said.
Since the rainfall Aug. 23, temperatures have slightly cooled and hope has been restored in many members of the community that the heat and dryness will soon end.
“Please pray for rain,” Kuhn said.
