Blake Trester

Water running towards the Window

Date: September 14, 2007
Contact: David Elkowitz, 432 477-1108

The Chisos Mountains Basin, located in the center of Big Bend National Park, has received over twenty inches of rainfall for the calendar year. This is the second time since 1992, and the first since 2003, that rainfall in the Chisos Basin has eclipsed the twenty-inch mark.

Throughout much of the 1990’s rainfall in the Big Bend region was low and drought conditions developed and persisted even unto recently. With several years of well above average precipitation in the 2000’s drought conditions in the region have been lifted.

Rainfall in 2007 has been well spaced and has been more abundant than in many of the recently preceding years. This pattern has often resulted in many areas of the park having a brilliant green color and other positive effects such as healthy spring flows and many visiting bird species. The relatively high levels of rainfall should benefit much of the park’s flora and fauna and possibly provide for excellent future shows of wildflowers.

Park Superintendent William E. Wellman said, “We are pleased to be receiving rainfall amounts that are in line or even above our normal expectations and look forward hopefully to an abundant spring wildflower bloom this coming season.” With three months to go until year’s end, the park hopes to meet or exceed annual average rainfall amounts throughout its varied areas.