The Nation - News from Jan. 3, 1989

While year-ending rain and snow brought some relief from the drought in parts of the nation, other areas had little to cheer about, National Weather Service figures showed. Even normally stable Miami and Ft. Myers, Fla., reported big rainfall deficits in 1988. Forecasters said 1988 was the driest year since 1917 for Houston, and they warned that the city and surrounding areas in South Texas face serious water supply problems if the situation does not improve in 1989. Houston received only about half of its normal rainfall in 1988--just 22.93 inches. Some Canadian border states and scattered parts of the Farm Belt reported that heavy rain and snow in November and December wiped out serious rainfall deficits.