Drought in Palo Doro Canyon, Texas

Severe Drought (D2) continued in the Palo Duro Canyon area into April and degraded further into Extreme Drought (D3) by the middle to latter portions of the month. This lack of rain continued through much of the month, but there were a few showers and storms that moved through the area. In total, Palo Duro Canyon measured less than one tenth of an inch and ended the month 1.4 inches below normal. The 120 day departure from normal was around 3.1 inches below normal.

The Texas Panhandle experienced a stark and worsening drought throughout April. While a few isolated showers and storms moved through the area, the vast majority of the region suffered from a severe lack of continuous, meaningful precipitation. The month was defined by the complete erasure of lower-level drought categories and an aggressive expansion of Extreme Drought (D3) as long-term moisture deficits deepened.

Precipitation was incredibly sparse. Most counties recorded less than half an inch for the entire month, with several seeing less than one tenth of an inch. A few lucky, localized areas in the northern portions of the Texas Panhandle managed to catch 1 to 1.5 inches of rain from passing storms but this was the exception rather than the norm. The majority of the Panhandle finished April anywhere from 0.5 to over 2 inches below normal. The isolated spots in that saw heavier showers actually finished the month 0.2 to 0.4 inches above normal, though this did little to dent the overarching dry pattern.

However, it 120 day precipitation totals truly highlight true severity of the situation. Deficits broadly ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 inches below normal across the region. This remains the reason behind the growing drought across the region. This drought combined with dry fuels and windy conditions to help fuel wildfires across the area during the month.