Drought in Gray, Texas

Severe (D2) drought was observed to begin the month for much of Donley and Collingsworth counties while Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) was observed elsewhere in this region. Normal to above normal precipitation was observed for 3 of the 4 weeks of June, with a mostly dry period in mid-June. Well above normal precipitation occurred in Wheeler, Collingsworth, and eastern Donley counties, while below normal precipitation was observed elsewhere. The drought categories improved 1 to 2 categories across this region through the month as most of this region is now in D2 to D3 conditions due to a 2 to 8 inch rainfall deficit over the previous 120 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.