The longest drought in Texas lasted more than five years, from 2010 to mid-2015. That’s a long, long time to be with little or no water. The drought that affected Texas also left much of the Southeast and Southwest without water — including New Mexico, Arizona and parts of Nevada and California — causing more than $1 billion in overall damage during that five-year period.
The main culprit of the intense dryness was the La Niña weather pattern. High temperatures related to climate change exacerbated the drought. Though a few years of normal rainfall have helped, climatologists are concerned that another drought may again be on the way.