Drought in Moore, Texas

Severe (D2) to Extreme (D3) drought was observed in early June, but around normal to slightly above normal precipitation was observed for 3 of the 4 weeks of June. A very dry week around mid-June managed to reduce or flip any normal to above normal rainfall that had been present to normal or below normal for the month. Still, some spotty normal to above normal anomalies were observed in Dallam and Hartley counties. Moore county was almost entirely below normal for the month. Drought conditions improved by 1 category due to the rainfall observed, but Moderate (D1) to D2 persists due to a 1-4 inch rainfall deficit over the previous 180 days.

The vast majority of the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles saw significant rainfall deficits, ranging from 4 to 8 inches below normal, from January through the end of June. Only some small areas scattered across the region had near normal rainfall by the end of June. After seeing winter wheat failures this year, summer crop planting and emergence were delayed. Soil moisture had been too short to support seed germination, stunting cotton, corn and sorghum crops. Dryland cotton that did sprout did not establish uniform stands. Much of the rangelands were unable to grow, leaving ranchers relying heavily on supplemental feeding and watering, leading some producers to start considering herd reductions.