HOUSTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Climate experts in Texas say the state's worse drought in 50 years is over, ending a dry spell costing ranchers and farmers an estimated $4 billion.
Heavy rainfall starting in September has refilled reservoirs and restored dried-out farmlands, The New York Times reported Saturday.
"The back of the drought is broken," said John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist. "It's still lingering in a few areas, but there aren't any places right now feeling acute drought."
But for some farmers, the rains came too late. In one Texas county, the cotton crop failed for the first time since 1904.
"Nothing grew, zero," said cotton farmer Jon Whatley.
The driest period on record in the state lasted from September 2008 to last September, state officials said.
Climatologists said two winters of the El Nino phenomenon, when surface water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are above normal, was a factor in the drought.
One Texas farmer is pinning his hopes on the coming year.
"It's rained more in the last 90 days than it did in all of 2008 combined," Mat Huie of Beeville said. "After two lousy years in a row -- one really, really bad -- this year had better be a home run, or there are going to be a lot of people out of business here in the (agriculture) industry."
