The historic drought that has gripped Texas for more than a year is slowly easing, but the relief could be temporary if the current La Niña weather pattern persists into a third year, scientists said yesterday. Dry conditions in the Great Plains are a signature of the weather phenomenon, which is sparked by unusually cool surface waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean. "We are very clearly heading out of La Niña, at least for the summer months," said Klaus Wolter, a research scientist at the University of Colorado. Go to story #1