April 2020 picked up where March left off - much above average temperatures and dry conditions - which allowed  drought conditions ranging from severe (mainly east of Interstate 69C) to extreme (mainly west of Interstate 69C) to continue to begin the month. On the 3rd and 4th, however, thunderstorms tracked from the ranchlands of northern Zapata into southern Jim Hogg/southern Brooks, then through northern Hidalgo and Willacy County, and improvements would begin to show up by April 7th.

Drought in CAMERON, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 30-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought persisted in northern Cameron County, with a slice of Extreme (D3) Drought from Brownsville to Los Fresnos in southern Cameron County, through the month of April 2020, as welcome rainfall for other parts of the Rio Grande Valley and Deep S. Texas missed most of the county - though just enough fell to preclude any worsening until May.

Drought in COASTAL CAMERON, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 30-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought persisted in northeastern Cameron County, including the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge through Arroyo City, with Extreme (D3) Drought at points south, including Port Isabel and South Padre Island, through the month of April 2020, as welcome rainfall for other parts of the Rio Grande Valley and Deep S. Texas missed most of the county - though just enough fell to preclude any worsening until May.

Drought in WILLACY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought persisted in Willacy County into early April, before a single thunderstorm dropped more than 2 inches in and around Raymondville to San Perlita on the 4th, which would help improve conditions across the northern half of the county by April 7th.

Drought in COASTAL WILLACY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought persisted in Coastal Willacy County into early April, before a single thunderstorm dropped more than 2 inches in and around Raymondville to San Perlita on the 4th. This system would continue and affect all of Coastal Willacy County, which would be removed from D2 drought on April 7th and continue for the rest of the month.

Drought in INLAND KENEDY COUNTY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought would continue across northern and southern Kenedy County into the first few days of April, before a fast moving thunderstorm dropped more than 1 inch of rainfall over the southern half of the county, which would improve drought conditions there by April 7th.

Drought in COASTAL KENEDY COUNTY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought would continue across northern and southern Coastal Kenedy County into the first few days of April, before a fast moving thunderstorm dropped more than 1 inch of rainfall over the southern half of the area, which would improve drought conditions there by April 7th.

Drought in NORTHERN HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Extreme (D3) Drought would persist in most of northern Hidalgo County until showers and thunderstorms tracked across the area on April 3rd and 4th, dropping an estimated 1 to 2 inches and improving the D3 drought by one category by April 7th.

Drought in SOUTHERN HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 13-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Extreme (D3) Drought would persist across southwestern Hidalgo County, with Severe (D2) drought elsewhere in populated southern Hidalgo County, for most of the first half of April 2020.  Rainfall of around an inch on April 9th would remove the sliver of Extreme (D3) drought for the April 14th monitor.

Drought in BROOKS, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Severe (D2) Drought covered most of Brooks County, with a sliver of Extreme (D3) Drought in the southwestern part of the county to begin April. This sliver would be eliminated by April 7th, courtesy of early morning thunderstorms on April 4th that dropped over an inch of welcome rainfall.

Drought in JIM HOGG, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Extreme (D3) Drought covered nearly all of Jim Hogg County, with a sliver of Exceptional (D4) Drought in the westernmost portion against Zapata County, and a very small area of Severe (D2) conditions in the far northeast corner of the county, through April 3rd.  On the 3rd and 4th, enough rain fell from strong thunderstorms (mainly on the morning of the 4th) to remove the D4 area (except for a very small corner of the southwest portion) and reduce the coverage of D3 to just the southwest half of the county.

Drought in STARR, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 13-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Extreme (D3) Drought covered all but a pocket of the eastern/northeastern sliver of the county (D2, or Severe Drought there), and the far western part of the county (Exceptional, or D4 Drought) through most of the first half of April, as the heaviest rainfall associated with thunderstorms on April 4th generally stayed north of the county.

Drought in ZAPATA, TEXAS
From 01-APR-20 00:00:00 to 06-APR-20 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Exceptional (D4) Drought covered all but the northwestern quarter of Zapata County into early April, before torrential rains associated with thunderstorms overnight on April 3rd into the early morning of April 4th dropped between 1.5 and more than 5 inches in a slice of the northern part of the county, bringing a one category improvement in these areas.  Southern Zapata would remain Exceptional a bit longer into April as those rains missed this region.