Drought in Oldham, Texas

Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) drought was observed at the beginning of the month. Normal to above normal precipitation fell in roughly the first half of the month, followed by normal to below normal precipitation through much of the second half. Overall, normal to above normal precipitation fell in western Deaf Smith and Oldham counties, and central Potter into southern Randall counties. Drier than normal conditions were observed from central Oldham into central Deaf Smith counties. Drought conditions improved across most of this region by 1 category, but Severe (D2) to D3 remains due to a 120-day rainfall deficit of 2 to 6 inches.

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.