September 1, 2026

By Mary Beth Gahan

Yes, it really is that dry.

Dallas-Fort Worth has not had measurable rainfall for 47 consecutive days, making it one of the driest Augusts on record, according to the National Weather Service.

Some parts of north Texas saw rain last week, but the official site for measurement for the NWS is DFW Airport, which only saw a trace of precipitation. On Monday, it was tied for the 10th longest streak without rain. By Wednesday, if Tropical Storm Edouard doesn’t bring rain to the airport, it’ll jump to the 8th longest streak.

In the summer of 2000, DFW went 84 days without rain.

In response to worsening drought conditions, Denton County Commissioners recently voted to institute a county-wide burn ban. More than 80 percent of the county is classified as being in a “severe drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Conditions have  degraded from mid-August when 95 percent of the county was considered to be in a “moderate drought.”

The burn ban, which prohibits outdoor burning and includes restrictions on welding, will continue until conditions improve, the county said in a news release.