Denton County collected just 0.12 inch of rain in all of July, leaving the area more than 7 inches below its 30-year rainfall average and raising questions about water use heading into what forecasters expect will be another punishing month.
The lone measurable rainfall event was 0.11 inch recorded at Denton Enterprise Airport on July 12. Normal July rainfall is 1.72 inches, making last month's total roughly 93% below average.
Through the first seven months of 2026, the county has received only 13.5 inches of rain against a 30-year average of 20.92 inches for the same period, according to data reported by the Cross Timbers Gazette.
The heat matched the dryness.
July's average high hit 98 degrees, more than 2 degrees above normal, and the thermometer reached 105 on both July 22 and July 31. The peak heat index climbed to 112 degrees.
Brad Barton, chief meteorologist at WBAP 820/93.3 FM and 570 KLIF, wrote in his Aug. 2 weather column that "the Climate Prediction Center has a double bull's-eye on North Texas, forecasting above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall for August." NOAA's national outlook does favor above-normal heat for Texas, though the agency's precipitation forecast for the region is less definitive.
Lake Lewisville still near capacity
Despite the deficit, Lake Lewisville stood at 96.8% full as of Aug. 3, according to Texas Water Development Board data. That's down from 100% on July 3 but nearly identical to the lake's level one year ago, when it was at 96.7%.
The lake's conservation storage held 545,022 acre-feet out of a 563,228 acre-feet capacity, with the water level sitting about 0.70 feet below the conservation pool elevation of 522 feet.
Watering rules already in effect
Flower Mound's year-round water conservation rules limit outdoor irrigation with automatic systems or hose-end sprinklers to two days per week. Even-numbered addresses may water Tuesdays and Fridays; odd-numbered addresses get Wednesdays and Saturdays. No watering is allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The town's website warns that conditions could trigger its Emergency Water Demand Management Plan, which would impose stricter limits beyond the current schedule.
Upper Trinity Regional Water District, the wholesale water provider for Denton County including Flower Mound and Highland Village, launched its "Give a Drip" conservation campaign in late July. The district notes outdoor irrigation accounts for more than half of residential water consumption in North Texas.
Jason Pierce, Upper Trinity's director of government affairs and communications, said in a July 30 press release that residents "can help protect one of our most valuable resources" by cutting back.
What's next
Barton attributed rising overnight lows partly to rapid development across southern Denton County, writing that roads, parking lots and data centers absorb and release heat well after dark.
A free rainwater harvesting and turf management training, hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Denton County Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive in Flower Mound, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
