Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)

Study Region: Texas, U.S.A. Study Focus: Understanding climate variability is critical in Texas, a region influenced by moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and arid air from the Mexican Plateau. We investigated trends in annual and monthly mean temperature, total precipitation, and mean specific humid...

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Main Authors: M.Shahriar Sonet, Yunuen Reygadas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003647
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author M.Shahriar Sonet
Yunuen Reygadas
author_facet M.Shahriar Sonet
Yunuen Reygadas
author_sort M.Shahriar Sonet
collection DOAJ
description Study Region: Texas, U.S.A. Study Focus: Understanding climate variability is critical in Texas, a region influenced by moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and arid air from the Mexican Plateau. We investigated trends in annual and monthly mean temperature, total precipitation, and mean specific humidity, along with their monthly variability, from 1981 to 2023. We applied the modified Mann-Kendall test and Theil-Sen slope estimator to PRISM and GridMET 4-km datasets. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: The most pronounced changes occurred during early summer, with Central Texas experiencing precipitation declines up to 125.27 mm and Far West Texas exhibiting temperature increases up to 3.68°C and humidity decreases up to 2.33 g/kg. A northwest–southeast gradient in humidity trends was observed, with declines across the Panhandle and increases near the Coast. Variability trends were more spatially and temporally extensive. Temperature variability increased from spring through fall by up to 1.19°C, particularly in Far West Texas. Precipitation variability intensified in May, August, and September, with swings up to 320 mm, especially in Central, Eastern, and Southern Texas. Humidity variability peaked in July and August in North Central and East Texas (up to 0.63 g/kg), while South Texas showed consistent declines. This reveals a growing climatic divide between humid and arid regions and underscores the need for adjusting cropcalendars, upgrading stormwater-systems, and expanding irrigation-infrastructure.
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spelling doaj-art-d43b7ed08e974befae8796abfb62c1fe2025-08-20T02:48:34ZengElsevierJournal of Hydrology: Regional Studies2214-58182025-08-016010253910.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102539Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)M.Shahriar Sonet0Yunuen Reygadas1School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USADepartment of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA; Corresponding author.Study Region: Texas, U.S.A. Study Focus: Understanding climate variability is critical in Texas, a region influenced by moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and arid air from the Mexican Plateau. We investigated trends in annual and monthly mean temperature, total precipitation, and mean specific humidity, along with their monthly variability, from 1981 to 2023. We applied the modified Mann-Kendall test and Theil-Sen slope estimator to PRISM and GridMET 4-km datasets. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: The most pronounced changes occurred during early summer, with Central Texas experiencing precipitation declines up to 125.27 mm and Far West Texas exhibiting temperature increases up to 3.68°C and humidity decreases up to 2.33 g/kg. A northwest–southeast gradient in humidity trends was observed, with declines across the Panhandle and increases near the Coast. Variability trends were more spatially and temporally extensive. Temperature variability increased from spring through fall by up to 1.19°C, particularly in Far West Texas. Precipitation variability intensified in May, August, and September, with swings up to 320 mm, especially in Central, Eastern, and Southern Texas. Humidity variability peaked in July and August in North Central and East Texas (up to 0.63 g/kg), while South Texas showed consistent declines. This reveals a growing climatic divide between humid and arid regions and underscores the need for adjusting cropcalendars, upgrading stormwater-systems, and expanding irrigation-infrastructure.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003647Spatiotemporal TrendsMann-Kendall TestTheil-Sen Slope EstimatorPRISM, GridMETClimate variability
spellingShingle M.Shahriar Sonet
Yunuen Reygadas
Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Spatiotemporal Trends
Mann-Kendall Test
Theil-Sen Slope Estimator
PRISM, GridMET
Climate variability
title Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
title_full Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
title_fullStr Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
title_full_unstemmed Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
title_short Unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in Texas (1981–2023)
title_sort unveiling four decades of spatiotemporal climate trends in texas 1981 2023
topic Spatiotemporal Trends
Mann-Kendall Test
Theil-Sen Slope Estimator
PRISM, GridMET
Climate variability
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581825003647
work_keys_str_mv AT mshahriarsonet unveilingfourdecadesofspatiotemporalclimatetrendsintexas19812023
AT yunuenreygadas unveilingfourdecadesofspatiotemporalclimatetrendsintexas19812023