It Rained A Little In Amarillo, Texas, Which Is Huge For Them

On Tuesday, about a quarter inch of rain fell on Amarillo, Texas.

Stuck weather patterns: Western Oklahoma has had almost no rain so far
this year. Southeastern Oklahoma has nearly drowned in two feet
of precipitation since January 1. 

That's not a big deal, not a lot of rain, and for most of us, we'd consider it just routine, ho-hum showers. 

But Amarillo celebrated this light rain storm in a big way. It was the first time there was any appreciable rain there in 163 days. 

During that time, there were a few sprinkles, and one day in February managed to squeeze out a whopping 0.01 inches of rain -- barely enough to wet the pavement, if that. 

The result has been drought, and dangerous rangeland fires that have swept right up to the edges and even into Amarillo subdivisions.  The rain might temporarily alleviate the wildfire threat, but there's a long way to go before the drought is over. 

Plus, the light rain might green up the grass a little, which means ranchers might not have to buy as much feed, saving them some precious pennies. 

This lack of rain is all part of a drought that is hitting an expansive area that covers much of the high western plains of the United States, and much of the Southwest. The panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma, and a good chunk of Kansas are particularly hard hit. 

The Texas and Oklahoma panhandles are normally pretty dry, but this is ridiculous. That quarter inch of rain so far this year in Amarillo is a drop in the bucket. They should have had 2.5 inches of rain  just since January 1 - three months ago. A quarter inch of rain in almost half a year is terrible.

It's even worse in the Oklahoma panhandle, where extreme drought has dug in. The light rain that hit Amarillo missed the Oklahoma panhandle, so the dusty, crop-wilting mess goes on. 

The eastern parts of Texas and Oklahoma are normally much wetter than the west, but the precpitation gradient between the two halfs of these states is ridiculous. Eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas seem to constantly fall under flood alerts so far this year (as do adjoining states to the east.)

We just can't seem to shut off the water in the east or redirect it to the west.

Oklahoma is a wild example. So far this year, some towns in far western Oklahoma have had only a tenth of an inch of rain - basically nothing.  Meanwhile, in southeastern parts of that state, up to 28 inches of rain have been reported since January 1. 

This stuck weather pattern in the southern Plains doesn't look like it will end anytime soon. Over the next seven days, no rain is in the forecast for the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. Over that same period, an additional one half to one inch of rain is in the forecast for the eastern parts of those states. 

By the way, we up here in Vermont are heading into spring in good shape, water-wise. The slowly melting snow has a water content that's pretty high, and it's seeping into the ground as it erodes. Ground water amounts are above normal, and there are several periods of rain and snow in the forecast over the next week. 

In fact, some minor flooding is possible later tonight and tomorrow in Vermont due to rain, warm temperatures and snow melt.