Drought in Armstrong, Texas

Much of the central to southeastern Texas Panhandle, including Carson, Wheeler, Armstrong and Collingsworth counties, ended the month of May with a 120 day rainfall deficit around 3 to 5. The driest of these counties, northeast Gray, southeast Carson and northwest Armstrong developed Exceptional Drought (D4) conditions. The rest of these counties developed Extreme Drought (D3) if it did not start in D3). A late month rainfall event helped much of Collingsworth and Donley counties to reverse back to Severe Drought (D2) by month's end.

A very dry spring led to the development of Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) drought in the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. With an extra prolonged period of dryness and abnormally warm temperatures both in May and leading up to May, drought impacts were felt quite a bit. Not only were crops not surviving spring planting, but grasses remained abnormally dry and dormant for this time of year. This lead to extreme wildfire conditions as temperatures reached the upper 90s.