Drought Conditions Return to the High Plains

The latest National Weather Service Drought Monitor shows parts of the Oklahoma panhandle are in a severe and moderate drought.
The majority of the Texas panhandle is considered to be in a moderate drought with the Eastern area seeing abnormally dry conditions.
"It is really dry, we are starting to see the soil moisture evaporate to certain depths and of course that hurts the farmers and ranchers and that facilitates blowing dust whenever we have a wind event, Sunday it may be very windy around here so we may have to worry about blowing dust of course fire danger is off the charts again," said Chief Meteorologist John Harris.
Harris says with the ongoing lack of precipitation the risk of wildfires is increasing for our area.
"Because of all of the grasses that were growing when it was soaking wet, during the summer period, now those grasses are dormant they are ready to burn so it doesn’t bode well for us and it looks like this La Nina will be with us at least till the end of March."
Looking to the future, Harris is hoping for a wetter spring.
"As we travel into April the weather pattern starts to change, hopefully, we will get into a severe weather pattern which of course brings rain but also severe weather so we are going to have to put up with the bad to get the good.
But as far as any appreciable moisture headed our way over the next ten days, it is pretty much the same story, we aren’t seeing much at all."
For now, residents need to be mindful of the risk of wildfires.
According to the National Weather Service, Amarillo has now surpassed a record for no measurable precipitation.

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