The latest drought map from the Texas Water Deveolpment Board can be found online at www.twdb.texas.gov.
FLOYD COUNTY, TX – After a historic drought in 2011, many residents may have thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime weather event.
Unfortunately, the drought of 2022 may top it.
According to the final U.S. drought monitor for this year, almost half of the state remains in drought conditions, with the Texas Panhandle and South Plains sitting in at least D1 conditions.
David Gibson is the Executive Director of the Texas Corn Producers Association and says this was the worst year for corn in the state he’s ever seen, and although final numbers are not ready for the state’s cotton crop, Mark Brown with Plains Cotton Growers suggests production this season will be just one-third of 2021.
The drought is also affecting much of the western United States, with the culling of the domestic cow herd leading to lower supplies and potentially higher beef costs for consumers in 2023.
According to some climatologists, one bright spot is a changing weather pattern that could spell an end to the drought. Matt Makens with Makens Weather in Denver, CO, says, “this is the weakest La Niña in more than two years (and while the) overall weather pattern over Canada and the U.S. is still in a La Niña phase as are the ocean basins where we look for La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific, the transition out of La Niña does continue, gradually.”
(SOURCE: All Ag News)
