We finished 2011 with a much wetter than average December. I recorded 6.2 inches of rain at our house which happened over 11 days, fairly evenly distributed throughout the month. This was the wettest December since I started tracking the rainfall in 2007. The next highest December total was 3 inches in 2009.

While it was nice, it did little to break the drought we’re experiencing. The total 2011 rainfall at our house was 20.5 inches. The average in our part of Texas is about 33 inches.

Here’s our monthly rainfall chart.

The Federal government maintains a drought tracking web site, called the National Integrated Drought Information System. You might find it interesting to see how severe the current drought is.

Here’s today’s version of their overview. Central Texas is in ‘Extreme’ drought.

The outlook through March 31, 2012 is for the drought to persist with little change.