It may be cold, and it may be wet, but there is an upside to this week's soggy weather.
The National Weather Service says moderate and severe drought conditions cover nearly all of North Texas.
Before this week's precipitation -- and Wednesday's record-breaking rainfall -- little rain had fallen in 2009. But with Thursday's rain, the 2009 rain deficit is down to less than a quarter of an inch, meteorologist David Finfrock said. By the end of the week, the deficit should be made up, he said.
However, despite the last three days of rain and stormy weather, North Texas is still in a drought.
The rain deficit for the last 12 months is still near 9 inches, Finfrock said.
This week's precipitation is not enough to refill area lakes and reservoirs that are as much as 10 feet below normal. Grapevine Lake is almost 9 feet below normal and only rose 6 inches Thursday.
The National Weather Service blames the drought on La Nina, a jet stream pattern that keeps precipitation to our north. Gary Woodall, of the National Weather Service, said he hopes it will ease as our normal spring rainy season arrives.
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"We have a chance of making up some more of this precipitation deficit, but it's not something we got into overnight and it's not something we're going to come out of overnight," he said.
