BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville has been classified as a "severe" drought area, the National Weather Service said Friday.

The area's rainfall has been below average for the past four months, said Tim Speece, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Brownsville. Just 0.69 inches of rain has fallen in Brownsville since Jan. 1.

McAllen has received a total of 0.96 inches of rain this year - 2.31 inches below average for the region.

The local shortage of rainfall is part of a larger Texas drought that has left Central Texas with conditions categorized as "exceptional" and "extreme."

La Niña - a weather phenomenon characterized by an abnormal cooling of waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean - has contributed to the lack of rainfall, Speece said.

"March is normally our driest time of the year," he said. "Hopefully, as we head into summer there will be a light at the end of the tunnel."

Although Brownsville has a high level of humidity, the area's scorching temperatures contribute to rapid evaporation rates, canceling out any possible benefit, Speece said.

Hurricane season - designated as June 1 to Nov. 30 - will likely bring more rainfall to the area, he said.

"Unfortunately, though, drought conditions will likely persist until the end of April and into May of this year."

It is unclear whether the recent drought is part of a larger pattern, Speece said. During 2005 and 2006 the area had drought conditions, but 2007 and 2008 both brought higher-than-average rainfall.

"The good news is the Falcon and Amistad reservoirs are both pretty full," Speece said. The Falcon reservoir is in Zapata County and the Amistad reservoir is in Val Verde County.

According to Geoff Bogorad, also a meteorologist with the National Weather Service here, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties all have burn bans in effect. He cautioned not to start fires of any kind.

"Don't throw your cigarette out the window when you're driving," Bogorad said. "That's true anytime - even if there's not a burn ban going on. And if for some reason you do have a fire, always keep a water hose nearby."

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Laura Tillman is a reporter for The Brownsville Herald.