The latest official drought map, as of Jan. 31. We really do look our most beautiful dressed in white.

So says the U.S. Drought Monitor. Yes, our lake levels have improved over the disaster that they were. Though officials are still warning we remain in a precarious situation.

But the Associated Press notes that Dallas-Fort Worth is the first major metro region of Texas to come out of the most severe year-long drought in the state’s history.

And we’ve got more rain coming tomorrow.

So treat yourself to a cup of DDTW (Delicious Dallas Tap Water).

The rest of the state apparently needs more of Rick Perry’s prayers.

Deported Dallas Teen Back With Family: The Oak Cliff teen who was mistakenly deported to Colombia was back with her mother and grandmother late Friday night and spent all day Saturday with them at an undisclosed location. Reports indicate that the girl, Jakadrien Turner, 15, was adjusting well to life in Colombia, finding a boyfriend, friends, and allegedly coming home pregnant.

Texas Drought Has Killed Estimated 500 Million Trees: That via The Texas Forest Service which believes that after the driest year on record and the second hottest, 10 percent of the state’s trees have died.

Scam Rents Out Foreclosed Homes: The Agee family moved into a house in Rockwall only to be evicted a few weeks later. As it turns out, the house had already been foreclosed upon and was the property of Fannie Mae and not Dan Blackburn from Housmart Inc, who listed the house on Craigslist and had no authority to rent the home.

Baseball Heads to Dallas For Winter Meetings: Dallas (not Arlington) will become the center of the baseball world this week as representatives from teams around the MLB head to the Hilton Anatole for the winter meetings where they will wheel and deal for talent. I’m not sure if the location gives the Rangers any kind of home field advantage, but ESPN DFW notes that Jon Daniels and company have cultivated a reputation for making the best of the annual off season swap meet. Here’s their preview.

The Dallas Morning News running blog has a number of tips for the challenging day. Basically, don’t wear cotton. Have layers, some of which you might be able to dispose of along the way. Don’t overdress. But the best tip comes from Spareribs Lamothe (he of quite possibly the greatest name ever):

And no matter what you do, do NOT bring a jacket, then get hot and tie it around your waist! You will look like an idiot for one, and for another, the jacket will act as a giant sail and slow you down. If I see you out there with a jacket (or worse, a sweat shirt) around your waist I’m going to fine you five dollars.

If you do find yourself getting overwhelmed by the cold, WFAA assures us that doctors will be standing by to help. There will be a relay team of doctors from Baylor running the route so that they’ll be nearby should any emergency needs arise. They’ve also got a fancy piece of equipment, which WFAA calls a “bear hug” in case anyone suffers hypothermia.

The device is actually a “Bair Hugger.” So doctors would be doing something like this.

Not this.

Occupy Dallas Shoved Out of Pioneer Plaza: While Occupy Dallas is forced to move, Occupy Fort Worth protesters are arrested. And even if all of these satellite OWS protests seem more and more irrelevant, I’m starting to think Jim Schutze’s nightmares are reality.

Cold Weather Coming: Today’s expected high of 89 degrees may be the last of it. Here comes fall.

What’s The Most Important Thing to Happen to the Texas Economy: Economist Ray Perryman runs down the top ten things that impacted the growth of Texas’ economy, including some obvious factors, like DFW Airport and the high tech industry, and some not as much, such as the oil embargo and air conditioning.

Rangers Rained Out, First Pitch Today at 3:19 p.m.: Game two of the American League Championship Series was postponed yesterday due to rain, even though Arlington didn’t actually see a drop Sunday night, prompting some to question whether or not The X-Factor had anything to do with the dubious decision to push off the game. The postponement screws Rangers fans who can’t skip work today to catch the game, which was a boon to quick-actors on the secondary ticket market, but those wild deals seem to have dried up. As for today’s weather? Looks like a 10 percent chance, but better yet, Rangers baseball can stand up ratings-wise to the double feature of Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy, the shows which normally occupy the Monday afternoon slot.

The Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put together this map showing just how much rain we need to alleviate the drought conditions. Much of Texas needs more than 15 inches.

And the next 6-8 months don’t look promising.

I need a drink.

Texas just finished the hottest June through August on record in the U.S., the National Weather Service said Thursday.

Weather service meteorologist Victor Murphy told The Associated Press that Texas’ 86.8 average beat out Oklahoma’s 85.2 degrees in 1934.

That Dust Bowl year is now third on the list for the three-month span, behind No. 2 Oklahoma’s heat wave this June through August (86.5 degrees).

Yeah, so, remember The Grapes of Wrath? Worse than what caused that.

Later This Week, The Sun Devil May Finally Show His Mercy: Forecasters are calling (sub. req.) for highs in the low 90s later in the week with a chance of rain. Couldn’t come sooner, as Sunday really strained the power grid. But the DMN article seems to lament that a break in the temperature later this week will mean we will come up short on breaking the record for most 100-degree days. I don’t really understand the desire. Seriously, just make it stop.

Jonathan Hudson Wins Dumbest Juror Ever Award: Why? Because he tried to “friend” the defendant in the case on Facebook. Nice.

Dallas Police Lineup Unit Stands Out From the Crowd: In this Boston Globe article (via the NYT, it would seem) Dallas’ special lineup unit gets a close look ahead of New Jersey’s efforts to overhaul their lineup program. Dallas assigns specially trained officers to lineups who have no relationship with individual cases to avoid witness coercion.

Perry Became a Millionaire While In Office: My favorite bit about this story is that when it comes down to hard cash, the anti-government poster boy, much like Michele Bachmann, has no problem pocketing government agricultural subsidies. Notice how both major Republican candidates have made their living/fortunes off the government or by leveraging their governmental positions.

Dirk Receives Germany’s Top Sports Honor: It’s called the Silver Laurel Leaf, and who else was going to win it this year, Andreas Klöden?

Beltre, Cruz Swap Spots on DL: The good news: Adrian Beltre starts a rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Round Rock today and should return to the Rangers in a few days. The bad news? Friday night’s hero, Nelson Cruz, left last night’s game with a strained hamstring.

Yet Another Fan Seriously Injured At Ranger Game An unidentified 24-year-old man fell from a stairwell after the game Saturday night, proving once and for all that the Ballpark was constructed over an Native American burial ground and it is haunted by spiteful spirits, meaning the Rangers will need to move to a new stadium downtown preferably with a retractable roof so their starters won’t run out of gas mid-August.