Based on the timeline of the "Rain is outdoors..." thread (started April 2015) and historical Texas weather data, the thread documents several dramatic shifts between extreme drought and catastrophic flooding.
Here are the key years and events identified within the thread's lifespan:

1. 2015: The "Drought Breaker" (April May)
The thread was created on April 14, 2015, specifically to track the storms that finally ended the "20112015 Drought" (the second worst in Texas history).
* The Flood: May 2015 became the wettest month in Texas history.
* Key Event: The Memorial Day Floods (notably the Blanco River in Wimberley), which saw the river rise 33 feet in three hours.
* Forum Context: Early pages of the thread show users celebrating the "lake fillers" while expressing shock at the scale of the destruction.
2. 2016 2017: Record Rainfall & Hurricanes
* 2016 Floods: Major "Tax Day" floods (April) and Memorial Day floods hit Houston and East Texas for the second year in a row.
* 2017 (Hurricane Harvey): While the thread is for general "Rain," Harvey's massive rainfall (50+ inches in some areas) dominated the discussion in August 2017.
3. 2021 2023: The Return of Exceptional Drought
After several wet years, Texas entered a prolonged dry cycle.
* The Drought: Beginning in late 2021 and intensifying through 2022 and 2023, large swaths of Texas entered "Exceptional Drought" (D4).
* Forum Context: This is the period where the "Greedy" banter is most prevalent. Users in West Texas and the Hill Country post photos of dry lake beds and cracked earth, while coastal users occasionally report small "turd floaters" that miss the reservoirs.
4. 2024: Heavy Spring Flooding
* The Flood: April and May 2024 saw major federal disaster declarations across dozens of Texas counties (including Harris, Dallas, and Liberty) due to continuous severe storms and river flooding.
* Recovery: This period significantly helped refill many East and Central Texas lakes that had been depleted during the 202223 drought.
5. 2025: "Weather Whiplash" (Projected/Recent)
* Drought to Flood: Data indicates that early 2025 saw a continuation of drought in Central Texas, which was abruptly ended by a "1-in-1000 year" precipitation event in July 2025. This event caused major flash flooding in "Flash Flood Alley" (the Hill Country/Guadalupe River area).
Summary Timeline Table
| Year | Primary State | Key Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Flood | Ended 5-year drought; Wettest month in TX history (May). |
| 2016 | Flood | Tax Day and Memorial Day floods in Houston/East TX. |
| 2017 | Flood | Hurricane Harvey (Record coastal/Houston rain). |
| 2018-21 | Variable | Mix of normal and wet years; lakes mostly full. |
| 2022 | Drought | Severe agricultural losses; lake levels drop rapidly. |
| 2023 | Drought | Heat dome and extreme lack of rain across the state. |
| 2024 | Flood | Major spring storms; disaster declarations in 100+ counties. |
| 2025 | Whiplash | Exceptional drought followed by July 4th Hill Country floods. |
If you look at the middle pages of that thread (around page 100-150), you will see the tone shift from the "dust bowl" complaints of 2023 to the "enough is enough" flood reports of 2024.

AgGrad99 said:

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zooguy96 said:

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I don't know why the whole state of Texas except for maybe East Texas and Houston doesn't Institute water restrictions like Arizona has. It makes no sense to let people keep on having blush green yards for no freaking reason.

The resource is going to be gone, and then what will you have?

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They pretty much have, for quite a while now.

I dont know when the last time was, we weren't on some sort of water restriction. (usually 1/wk).

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I guess I'm talking more about restricting certain types of landscaping (I.e. saint Augustine anywhere but Houston) and the like.

zooguy96 said:

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AgGrad99 said:

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zooguy96 said:

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I don't know why the whole state of Texas except for maybe East Texas and Houston doesn't Institute water restrictions like Arizona has. It makes no sense to let people keep on having blush green yards for no freaking reason.

The resource is going to be gone, and then what will you have?

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They pretty much have, for quite a while now.

I dont know when the last time was, we weren't on some sort of water restriction. (usually 1/wk).

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I guess I'm talking more about restricting certain types of landscaping (I.e. saint Augustine anywhere but Houston) and the like.

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Gotcha. I think that'll come soon...

Jbob04 said:

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La Niña is the worst for Texas. We need rain badly and we need El Niño to move in.

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Apparently this is going to happen as we move into Fall 2026.

schmellba99 said:

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96ags said:

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schmellba99 said:

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96ags said:

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Jbob04 said:

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La Niña is the worst for Texas. We need rain badly and we need El Niño to move in.

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Thankfully La Nina is out and hopefully a solid El Nino is headed in.

We got an 1.20 last night in central Texas with hopefully more to come this weekend. Need to break this 20 plus year drought.

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Hyperbole much?

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Nope. I believe the number is actually 26 or 27

Brian Bledsoe has some good videos and articles about it.

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The hill country has not been in drought for 20+ years.

Now, if you want to make the argument that groundwater is disappearing at a significantly increased rate over the last 20+ years, that is factual. But a different story than drought.

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This is just high plains gibberish.

HTownAg98 said:

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schmellba99 said:

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96ags said:

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schmellba99 said:

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96ags said:

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Jbob04 said:

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La Niña is the worst for Texas. We need rain badly and we need El Niño to move in.

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Thankfully La Nina is out and hopefully a solid El Nino is headed in.

We got an 1.20 last night in central Texas with hopefully more to come this weekend. Need to break this 20 plus year drought.

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Hyperbole much?

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Nope. I believe the number is actually 26 or 27

Brian Bledsoe has some good videos and articles about it.

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The hill country has not been in drought for 20+ years.

Now, if you want to make the argument that groundwater is disappearing at a significantly increased rate over the last 20+ years, that is factual. But a different story than drought.

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This is just high plains gibberish.

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I don't think picking one example makes an argument for either direction.

Oh I don't doubt it, the climate is always changing. I just don't like when people pull one data point from 20 years worth of data to try and make their point.

I think Schmelba was responding to the claim that the hill country has been in a consecutive* drought for 20+ years - which is not at all true. We have had some bad years and some great years as pointed out in this thread.

That's my feeling living in Bandera last 25yrs. Medina flow
considerably down over the years, likely pressure on water table. As for rain totals can def be misleading. It can rain 6" 20mi from the house like it did a couple weeks ago and we get a couple tenths. Some areas just get skipped over sometimes. Rain seems to go north or south of lots of time. Idk if it has to do with our geography or what but def frustrating

Story of Bandera right here….time lapse shows it going around us. Had one small quick shower

Raining here in East Texas. Been rained on since Mississippi.

This is how we stay in drought

Like I say every time it doesn't rain…."oh well, at least it's cool out now."

There was an epic cluster of storms just to the west of us and it rained hard for 7 minutes. The dust isn't even really settled.

The latest model runs are trending down in rain totals. Starting to look like a busted forecast. But, I do get to hear thunder for the first time in several months which was nice.

Raining so hard in Kingwood that I've been sitting in my truck in the driveway for 30 minutes waiting for it to slack up. My son is home for spring break and parked in my spot under the carport.
ETA. 3 inches thru Sunday morning. Yard irrigation is now turned off, and Milo/ sunflower planted recently will be on schedule for September 1 dove season opener.

Yep. Just think how many people leave the water running when brushing their teeth etc etc.
Thousands of gallons waisted daily and few think about it.

We got 6 today in Pleasanton!!!!! 6 rain drops. It is becoming demoralizing. 80% chance of rain and 1 min of big raindrops that were 15' apart. I guess me putting fertilizer down today jinxed it.

Yep I hydroseeded yard last Friday banking on rain Wednesday… jinx. All we got was 0.11". Be dry by noon tomorrow if no more rain comes.

I bought a brand new pair of muck boots last September on clearance and haven't had cause to use them yet.

Craploads of thunder all afternoon. Maybe a tenth of an inch all day long. Another bust.

Good words.

In 2024, the ranch we bought in western Kerr County received 14 inches of rain. Last year we received over 30 inches, but 80% of that came during a two-week period in July (when Hunt flooded in devastating fashion). Take away that rainfall, which was localized, and you are right about where we were last year.

I live in Corpus and it is frankly sad how badly the country is suffering. We received a tiny amount of rain early this morning and it is simply overcast now. My yard looks like the Middle East after a bombing run.

Very little rain here in Austin County. Lake Somerville is 3.13 feet low, 78% full. Hoping to March and April brings a few showers for the first cut of hay. Hate to waste money on fertilizer at the current price.

Yes sir. Damn. I have a good marine dealer friend in Alice. He has lived there all his life and also ranches there. He says it's horrible.

Choke, Lake Mathis all going dry. All my years growing up and staying in Lagarto creek I remember some years water be up and some years water be down, but never as low and prolonged as this. Lake CC is just too shallow and silted in to be a reservoir for Corpus. Corpus is just now starting to panic when this has been a problem for years. I really hope this year is the year to correct some of this.