Texas Panhandle, West Texas see drought conditions improve and worsen in late July

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The most recent report from the Texas Water Development Board showed that drought conditions both improved and degraded in the Texas Panhandle and West Texas amid a record-breakingly hot July, with drought conditions impacting the smallest area of the state since mid-February.

In the most recent “Water Weekly” report from the TWDB, overall drought conditions across Texas stood at 21% compared to 25% one week ago, 28% three months ago and 49% one year ago, highlighting significant year-over-year improvement.

While most counties in the Texas Panhandle reported continued “abnormally dry” conditions in the latter half of July, the region took steps toward improvement with only the two counties along its easternmost edge experiencing “moderate” drought conditions.

Meanwhile, the TWDB report noted that drought conditions worsened in Culberson County in West Texas, they also improved slightly in both El Paso and Hudspeth counties.

However, despite recent rain-wrought improvements, the TWDB previously noted that the seasonal drought outlook for the region does not anticipate lasting drought removal for Texas through the end of October.

The TWDB further reported that while statewide water supply storage usually declines during July, cooler and wetter than normal conditions in 2024 have allowed storage to be maintained at about 77% of capacity. That was noted as 4% above last year, albeit more than 6% lower than normal for the time of year altogether.

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