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Watch A Parched Lake Granbury Rise By 5 Feet In Just 24 Hours (Video)

National Weather Service/YouTube

Drought-stricken North Texas has received lots of rain over the past few days – and Lake Granbury has benefited. We have video proof.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, the water level at Lake Granbury in Hood County was around 682 feet. By 9 a.m. Monday, the level was up to 687 feet – 5 feet in just 24 hours.

The Granbury area got 7.36 inches of rain on Sunday. Granbury previously had about 7 inches of rain all year.

Earlier today, on its YouTube page, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth released a neat time-lapse sequence of the lake filling up:

You might recall that a woman's remains were discovered in Lake Granbury in April thanks to the drought. Low lake levels from the drought revealed a pickup. Inside: a skeleton.

Lake Granbury wasn't the only North Texas lake to benefit from the weekend rain. In just 24 hours, water levels rose by 3 feet at Lake Whitney and 2.6 feet at Lake Pat Cleburne. Other lakes, including Waco Lake and Lake Benbrook, also rose, but by less than a foot. 

It's raining, it's pouring ... 

Over the past couple of days, areas west and south of Dallas-Fort Worth have received the most rain. As of 7 a.m. Monday, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has recorded .85 inches of rain, while Denton has recorded 1.45 inches. Waco has gotten 4.29 inches. Hood, Somervell and Bosque counties are among the areas receiving the most rain over the past three days.

On Sunday, an area south of Glen Rose received the most rain -- 8.5 inches. Glen Rose is in Somervell County. Read more about the recent rainfall on the KERA Weather Blog.

... but the drought continues 

The rain is helping, but it won't erase the drought. On Thursday, the United States Drought Monitorreleased its latest map showing the latest conditions in Texas. Extreme drought persists across Dallas-Fort Worth. But counties to the west of Dallas-Fort Worth, and counties in the Panhandle, remain stuck in exceptional drought. The drought has led Wichita Falls to rely on recycling toilet water.

Credit United States Drought Monitor
A look at drought conditions across Texas as of Thursday.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.