Drought in Texas

After experiencing a brief and intense thunderstorm last night, which included a blackout at a restaurant where I was dining with My Hero and her son, it seems strange to read the following paragraph in a news story that appears today in The New York Times:

"The worst drought in nearly 100 years is racking three-quarters of Texas. Much of the state has not had a significant rainfall since August. Winter wheat crops have failed. Ponds have dried up. Ranchers are spending heavily on hay and feed pellets to get their cattle through the winter. Some wonder if they will have to slaughter their herds come summer. Farmers say the soil is too dry for seeds to germinate and are considering not planting."

The story did mention recent rains in Dallas and Austin but said they were "not enough to offset the 20-inch deficit in rainfall over the last 18 months."

The piece continues: "A weather pattern over the Pacific known as La Nina has pushed the Gulf Stream northward, keeping the normal fall and winter rains away, meteorologists say. In the last three months, only about a quarter of the usual rain and snow has fallen across the state."

Maybe I missed it, but I have not seen stories about this in the local media.