Drought in Randall County, Texas

Randall County remained dry through the month with Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3) drought conditions in the western half and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions to the east. The County remained in 4 to 10 rainfall deficit from last year. With much of the county receiving less than a quarter of an inch of precipitation there was a slight eastward expansion of the D2 by the end of the month.

Some light rain and snow fell during the month of February. However, several high wind days dried the moisture right out. Soil moisture remained short to very short across the combined Oklahoma, and Texas Panhandle. The dryness of the soils and the high winds made it difficult to plant wheat as fields were blown out. A lot of farmers were having to replant despite having low expectations. As pastures and rangelands remained in dire straights, ranchers had to continue to supplementally feed livestock. With very dry soils the high winds also caused issues with blowing dust, especially across the northern and western combined Panhandles. Several high wind events caused some dust storms with visibilities dropping to below a quarter of a mile. There were even some automobile accidents and road closures due to the low visibility from blowing dust.