Flower Mound and Highland Village have gone 53 consecutive days without measurable rain, the seventh-longest dry stretch on record at DFW Airport.
The National Weather Service Fort Worth reported the milestone as of Sunday, Sept. 6, noting that records at DFW Airport date to 1898. The dry spell started July 16, the day after the airport recorded its last measurable rainfall of 0.07 inches, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The weather service defines "measurable" as more than 0.01 inches of rain. Anything less is logged as a trace and does not break the streak.
The all-time record is 84 consecutive dry days, set from July 1 through Sept. 22, 2000, according to NWS historical data.
Heat compounds the drought
DFW Airport logged 42 days at or above 100 degrees through Sunday, Sept. 6, the 11th-highest total on record, according to the weather service. August 2026 ranked among the driest on record for the region. Normal August rainfall is just over 2 inches.
The weather service said both rankings were expected to keep climbing, with no rain in the forecast as of Sept. 7.
Burn ban, fire risk remain in place
Denton County Judge Andy Eads signed a Local Disaster Declaration for wildfire threat on Aug. 25, placing a mandatory burn ban across the county. Denton County became the 178th of Texas' 254 counties under a burn ban that day. Tarrant County is also under an active ban, covering Flower Mound residents on both sides of the county line.
The ban prohibits all outdoor burning, outdoor welding and cutting-torch work, and open-flame cooking. Enclosed propane or natural gas grills are still allowed. Violators face a Class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500.
No end date has been set.
"Residents should take measures to protect their home by removing unwanted combustible debris and vegetation away from their homes and be sure to keep water hoses ready and accessible in the event a small fire starts," Denton County Chief Fire Marshal Brad Sebastian said in the Aug. 25 declaration.
County fire resources have been stretched thin. Firefighters from Lewisville, Little Elm and other nearby departments deployed since mid-August to help battle the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto County. That blaze burned more than 90,000 acres and destroyed 157 structures as of Wednesday, Sept. 2, making it the second-largest wildfire in North Texas recorded history behind the 2011 Possum Kingdom Complex Fire, KERA News reported.
Water restrictions already active
Flower Mound's mandatory outdoor watering schedule under Ordinance No. 40-25 has been in effect since March 20. Even-numbered addresses water on Tuesday and Friday. Odd-numbered addresses water on Wednesday and Saturday. No automatic irrigation or hose-end sprinklers are allowed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The town is in Stage 1 of its Emergency Water Demand Management Plan, according to the Flower Mound water conservation page.
Residents can reach the Denton County Emergency Services Office at 940-349-2840 for burn ban updates.
