Please Take Care of Our Natural Resource - Lake Rita Blanca

Dalhart Weather Review

by Aaron Graves

Snow on the walking trail at Lake Rita Blanca.

The approaching fog took on a yellowish glow, as did everything nearby due to the rising sun. I watched as it began to swallow up familiar sights on the horizon. The red and white water tower near the airport. The grain elevator - Dalhart's lone skyscraper. The tops of houses. Finally, the opposite shore of Lake Rita Blanca began to fade away.

I was sitting in my car, parked along side the burnt out remains of a picnic table. The fog approached from the west. The sounds of Canadian and snow geese, along with mallard ducks and wigeons, were the only things to be heard. It was a thin blanket of fog. As it finally overtook me, more and more of the lake surface disappeared, but I could look straight up and see the sky. 

Snow geese landing at Rita Blanca Lake.

Suddenly, there came the sound of hundreds of flapping wings and "honks" as the geese decided to depart. Usually, the sight is impressive, a massive sheet of white and brown lifting from the water. However, the fog shrouded them from view. Somewhere, nearby, they circled upward and away. 

Dalhart, somewhat isolated in a semi-arid corner of the Texas panhandle, is blessed to have a lake so close. Along the walking trails, evidence of the nearby town all but disappears, leaving one to contemplate whatever one wishes. The dam area provides and unobstructed view of sunrise and sunset, moon and stars, and approaching thunderstorms. It is pleasing to the eye, and soothing to the proverbial soul.

Please take care of our lake. Take the time to dispose of trash properly. Above all, teach your children to value the lake as well, be they five or fifteen. All too often the view is marred by discarded energy drink cans and fast food bags. And the burnt picnic table, along with some disturbing graffiti and broken trash cans along the dam area, speak of vandalism and disrespect. 

I also humbly ask the city of Dalhart to continue to maintain the entire lake area, not just the softball fields and where the XIT Reunion is held, and be quick to fix what is broken. It encourages us citizens to care.

An overnight thunderstorm and light rain showers on Sunday, Dec. 17 brought 0.17" of rain to Dalhart. That puts our yearly precipitation total to 11.52". Temperatures since Dec. 1 have generally been near 60 degrees with overnight lows around 30. 

It looks like a period of rain or snow that was expected this weekend is not going to take place. However, as always, keep an eye on the forecast. Daytime temperatures should be in the upper 40’s to low 50’s, with overnight lows dropping into the mid 20’s.

High and low temps the past two weeks

Dec 2: 60, 19

Dec 3: 47, 28

Dec 4: 49, 28

Dec 5: 64, 36

Dec 6: 56, 30

Dec 7: 66, 32

Dec 8: 64, 30

Dec 9: 60, 31

Dec 10: 60, 32

Dec 11: 62, 23

Dec 12: 64, 25

Dec 13: 70, 33

Dec 14: 53, 36

Dec 15: 52, 30

Drought relief expectations begin to sink

Dalhart Weather Review
by Aaron Graves

It's that time of month again to check on the progress of the drought. While we are still expected to see above average precipitation over the winter months, long range predictions for drought relief are a bit more muted now compared to the last couple of months. 

The upper portion of the Texas panhandle is forecast a 33% chance of seeing above average precipitation and below average temperatures through the end of February 2015, according to the Climate Prediction Center's latest seasonal outlook. However, the CPC is calling for the drought to persist or intensify through the same time period. 

Likewise, forecasters at the CPC have dropped expectations of an El Niño weather pattern developing over the winter months to 58%. If it emerges this year, it is likely to be weak. El Niño traditionally brings more rain and snow to the panhandle. 

November 2014, which brought Dalhart 1.5" of snow and a record low of 5 degrees, wrapped up with two incredibly beautiful, warm days which broke high temperature records. On Friday, Nov. 28, the high of 82 degrees beat the old record of 80 set way back in 1949. The following day, Nov. 29, the high of 81 beat the old record of 74 set back in 1970. 

The last day of the month saw a high of 73. Overall, November had an average high of 59.1 degrees and an average low of 26.3 degrees. This made the month a degree cooler than normal. 

December 1 was the official start of "meteorological winter". "Astronomical winter" occurs with the solstice on Sunday, Dec. 21, but colder weather patterns usually precede the change in season by several weeks. Dec. 1 did not disappoint, with a high of only 34 degrees. 

There was no rain or snow the past week. November ended with 0.15" of total precipitation, which included 0.08" from the 1.5" of snow back on the 16th. (This is an updated total since last week's article). We fell 0.43" below normal for the month. Since the first of the year, we have had 11.35" of precipitation, the wettest year since the drought began. 

Not much has changed on the latest U.S. Drought Monitor (issued Nov. 25). Most of Dallam County is considered in "severe drought" while Hartley County is split between "moderate drought" in the west and "severe drought" in the east. There is still a swath of "extreme drought" that extends from Dalhart southeast towards Dumas and beyond. 

It is lightly raining as I post this on Thursday, Dec. 4. After today, no rain is in the forecast through Sunday. We will warm back into the mid 50’s to lower 60’s through the weekend. Overnight lows will generally fall into the upper 20’s. 

High and low temps the past week

Nov 25: 53, 22
Nov 26: 50, 27
Nov 27: 62, 20
Nov 28: 82, 30
Nov 29: 81, 29
Nov 30: 73, 21
Dec 1: 34, 15

November is transition month, from warm autumn to just plan cold!

Note: this is a compilation of two previous articles from "The County Times Two"

Dalhart Weather Review
By Aaron Graves

Eagles can now be seen again at Rita Blanca Lake.

Our first taste of winter arrived Monday, Nov. 10, just like spring did earlier this year - with a wall of dust. A calm day with a beautiful blue sky gave way to a strong cold front that blew in after 5 p.m. Our winds shifted from the southwest to the north, with gusts as high as 51 mph. We had just set a new record high for the day, 84 degrees, which beat out the old record of 79 set in 1980. After the front arrived and the initial wave of dirt blew through, we dropped to an overnight low of 19 degrees. The following day, we struggled to get to 34 degrees for a high temperature.

That cold front followed our first official freeze on Nov. 9 when the low got down to 30 degrees. Up until then, we had been enjoying mild autumn weather with daytime highs generally in the 60s.

Since Nov. 10, overnight lows have continually fallen below freezing. The low of 5 degrees on Nov. 17 broke the record low of 9 degrees set in 1980. Likewise, the low of 14 degrees on Nov. 12 broke the old record of 16 degrees set in 2012. We have seen a couple of 70 degrees days since, but generally daytime highs have ranged from the mid 40’s to the mid 60’s. 

With the cold comes the annual migration of Canadian Geese to Lake Rita Blanca. The lake is also full of Mallard Ducks, and if you keep a sharp eye you might see a couple of Eagles. Two have been spotted the past week. 

To date, we have seen only 0.08” of precipitation for November. We enjoyed light rain showers and a few rumbles of thunder on Nov. 2. The National Weather Service in Amarillo recorded 0.07" at the airport. 

Our first measurable snowfall came earlier, with 1.5" of snow falling on Nov. 16. It broke the old daily record of 0.70" set back in 1980. Unfortunately, it was a dry snow, delivering the equivalent of only 0.01" of moisture. In general, according to the NWS, Dallam County saw 1" to 2" of snow; Hartley County totals ranged from 2" to 3". 

Snow flurries on Nov. 12 and Nov. 23 brought only a trace of moisture. Our current year-to-date precipitation total is 11.28". 

October 2014 ended with an average high of 75.0 degrees and an average low of 44.7 degrees. It was about 4 degrees warmer than average. We received 1.01" of rainfall, about a half inch below normal for October.

High and low temps the past four weeks

Oct 28: 64, 36
Oct 29: 72, 34
Oct 30: 71, 40
Oct 31: 61, 36
Nov 1: 70, 40
Nov. 2: 82, 43
Nov 3: 70, 44
Nov 4: 57, 38
Nov 5: 67, 35
Nov 6: 67, 34
Nov 7: 78, 35
Nov 8: 65, 41
Nov 9: 78, 30
Nov 10: 84, 26
Nov 11: 34, 18
Nov 12: 19, 14
Nov 13: 22, 13
Nov 14: 45, 21
Nov 15: 70, 23
Nov 16: 31, 12
Nov 17: 41, 5
Nov 18: 52, 13
Nov 19: 53, 26
Nov 20: 55, 25
Nov 21: 61, 24
Nov 22: 71, 27
Nov 23: 50, 29
Nov 24: 51, 25

Continued good news on drought

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

Yes, we are still in a drought. And yes, conditions are still expected to improve!

The latest seasonal outlook from the Climate Prediction Center calls for drought conditions in our area to ‘remain but improve’ through the end of January 2015. We still have a 33% chance of seeing above average precipitation over the next three months, which is great

news considering this is our driest time of the year. 

The U.S. Drought Monitor map issued Oct. 21 has most of Dallam County in “severe drought”. Hartley County is split between “moderate drought” in the southwestern part and “severe drought” in the northeastern part. There is a patch of land considered “extreme drought” running from east of Dalhart southeast into most of Moore County. 

Over the past week, we did not see any rain. Our month-to-date precipitation total stands at 1.01”, our year-to-date total is 11.20”. We enjoyed a warm weekend. Our high of 87 on Oct. 24 broke the record high of 85 degrees set in 2012. We finally maxed out with a high of 90 degrees on Oct. 26, before falling back into the 60's the next day. 

High temperatures will continue in the upper 60's for the rest of this week. Overnight lows look to fall into the low 40's or upper 30's. 

As for El Niño , forecasters at the CPC expect it “to develop during October-December 2014 and to continue into early 2015," according to their latest report. "The consensus of forecasters indicates a 2-in-3 chance of El Niño during the November 2014 - January 2015 season.”

El Niño is a warming of the Pacific Ocean water, which in turn shifts weather patterns around the world. Traditionally, El Niño makes our little corner of Texas wetter. By how much? That remains to be seen. “This El Niño will likely remain weak throughout its duration” and might last into the spring of 2015. 

High and low temps the past week

Oct 21: 77, 45

Oct 22: 78, 56

Oct 23: 79, 49

Oct 24: 87, 47

Oct 25: 88, 42

Oct 26: 90, 47

Oct 27: 64, 45

No Freeze, Instead Warm Up Under Way

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

When will it freeze in Dalhart? It is always hard to say for sure. Our average first freeze date is Oct. 14th, according to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. October 14th has come and gone, and we have not seen our first freeze yet.

Overnight low temperatures did drop below 40 on the 14th and 15th. However, a warm up is underway, as forecast. Overnight lows are expected to get back up to near 50 degrees and daytime temps will warm back into the mid 80’s through Sunday of this week. Of course, check the forecast daily. You never know if something is going to sneak up on us. 

We picked up another 0.09” of rain on Saturday, Oct. 18. This brings our monthly total precipitation to 1.01” and our year-to-date total to 11.20”. We have rain in the forecast again for today. 

How do you get your weather information? Is it by a smart phone app? The Amarillo TV stations? The local KXIT radio? A shared link to a weather graphic on Facebook? What follows is my personal opinion, but I hope it contains some good advice. 

First of all, weather should come from a meteorologist, preferably one who lives in the Texas Panhandle and understands Panhandle weather. Thus, if my smart phone app says sunshine, but Doppler Dave in Amarillo says rain, I’m gonna grab my umbrella. Likewise, if the Weather Channel’s national outlook disagrees with the local TV weatherman or weatherwoman, I’m gonna listen to the local forecaster.

However, thanks to smart phones and tablets, we don’t have to wait until the 6 o’clock news to see the forecast. It is soooo much easier to download a weather app. Some apps provide automated weather information not vetted by an actual meteorologist. With that in mind, I recommend you create a link on your device to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo. The web address is www.weather.gov/ama. 

When you visit that web address, you will see a map of the Texas Panhandle. Click on Dalhart and you will be taken to the forecast page for our area. If a change in the weather is a-brewing, usually there is a graphic on the home page as well. This will be as accurate a forecast as is possible, created by trained meteorologists that live in our area. 

In future articles, I will talk more about how to access trustworthy weather information online.

High and low temps the past week: 

Oct 14: 73, 39

Oct 15: 85, 37

Oct 16: 84, 44

Oct 17: 69, 44

Oct 18: 56, 44

Oct 19: 77, 46

Oct 20: 77, 46

October Tornado - Just How Close Was It?

Dalhart Weather Review 

by Aaron Graves

Thursday evening, Oct. 9, held the promise of rain. Clouds were approaching from the west. The sun had set, its rays replaced by flashes of lightning. Another beneficial downpour was at hand. Suddenly, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Dalhart, with a possible tornado 10 miles from town. It was 10:07 p.m.

The "October Tornado" had everyone talking, but what really happened? Officially, no funnel cloud or tornado, or tornado damage for that matter, was reported to the National Weather Service in Amarillo. The warning was issued because Doppler radar detected a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. 

"This storm was not a classic tornadic supercell," says Todd Lindley, Science and Operations Officer at the NWS, "but the structure and rotation was enough to support a brief, weak tornado." Lindley knows this because Doppler radar can determine which direction rain drops are moving in a storm, and can thus see rotating winds. 

Figure 1 - Courtesy NWS Amarillo

"The rotation with this storm reached about 100 mph about 6,000 feet above the ground," Lindley added. This can be seen in Figure 1. The green and red colors depict winds moving in opposite directions. The circled area indicates the rotation that triggered the warning. Figure 2 is a traditional radar image. Notice the notch in the storm as rain is wrapping around the rotation. 

Figure 2 - Courtesy National Weather Service

Both images indicate that a tornado was possible Thursday. However, with the NWS radar some 90 miles away from Dalhart, it cannot see the winds close to the ground due to the curve of the earth's surface. There is really no way to know if a tornado touched down if it wasn't seen by someone close by. 

Fortunately, the storm was moving due east and not headed towards Dalhart. Even though a tornado was not confirmed, the storm dumped hail up to 2.75" in diameter (baseball size) as it crossed U.S. Hwy. 87 between Dalhart and Hartley. 

It is surprising to have to deal with a tornado warning in October, but bad weather cannot be ruled out this time of year. "In addition to the typical spring severe weather season, we do see a relative peak in severe weather in the fall," Lindley said. "There typically is a window of opportunity for severe weather roughly from September to early November. This is when we start to see strong weather systems containing cold fronts and stronger winds aloft move through the area before the warm-season moisture is totally vacated from the region."

Such was the case on Oct. 9. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK had sent word there was a slight risk of tornadoes across the Texas Panhandle. In addition, a cold front had stalled over the nearby. Such a boundary can enhance rotation in a storm, Lindley added. 

Officially, we received 0.81" of rain at the airport from Thursday's storm. Texaspivot.com shows rain totals up to 1.40" where the core of the storm moved south of Dalhart. Storms rolled through again Oct. 12, giving us another 0.11" of rain. 

Therefore, we have 0.92" of rain for October. This is a very good thing! Our year-to-date total precipitation is 11.11", still about 5" short of normal. However, this time last year, we only had 6.66". 

A CoCoRahs volunteer reported 0.55" of rain in Texline on Oct. 9. Another volunteer on S. Sedan Road reported a total of 0.79" for Oct. 9 and Oct. 12. 

September 2012 ended with 1.55" of precipitation for Dalhart, an average high of 82.1 degrees, and an average low of 57.6 degrees. Since October 1, our daily high temperatures have generally been in the 70s and 80s, although it got a bit chilly with a high of only 58 degrees on Oct. 10. 

High and low temps the past two weeks

Sep 30: 81, 52

Oct 1: 83, 51

Oct 2: 71, 50

Oct 3: 64, 43

Oct 4: 77, 37

Oct 5: 82, 45

Oct 6: 84, 45

Oct 7: 87, 47

Oct 8: 86, 53

Oct 9: 77, 57

Oct 10: 58, 47

Oct 11: 60, 47

Oct 12: 82, 44

Oct 13: 62, 43

Drought Improvement Noted on U.S. Drought Monitor

Dalhart Weather Review (and Bird Report)

By Aaron Graves

This raccoon was taking dining on some
berries at Lake Rita Blanca, which
is green again thanks to recent rains.

September has been a good month. We have seen rain and cooler temperatures. Most important, however, is that drought conditions have improved somewhat. 

The last time the U.S. Drought Monitor categorized our area as experiencing “D4 Exceptional Drought”, the worst ranking on a scale of D0 to D4, was back on Sept. 2. Since then, the area from Dalhart southeast to Dumas has been downgraded to “D3 Extreme Drought”, with the rest of Dallam County listed as “D2 Severe”.

Of note is an area from southwestern Hartley County south to Hereford, where the drought ranking is listed as “D1 Moderate” to just “D0 Abnormally Dry”. What a far cry from May of this year, when the entire Texas Panhandle was considered in “Exceptional Drought”.  

Drought improvement for our area is still being forecast by the Climate Prediction Center. Expect the drought to remain but improve through the end of December, according to the latest seasonal outlook issued Sept. 18. Likewise, the three month precipitation outlook gives us a 33% chance of above average rain/snowfall through December.

Monday evening saw a line of thunderstorms move across northwestern Dallam County. The heaviest rainfall, according to Texaspivot.com, stayed north of Hwy. 54, with rain totals between 0.25” and 0.50”. The core of the storm dropped between 0.75” northwest of Dalhart, to over an inch in places north of town along Hwy. 385. Rain totals dropped off significantly east of Dalhart and around Hartley, with only 0.10” or less being recorded in places. 

The National Weather Service in Amarillo measured 0.42” at the Dalhart airport, which brings us to 1.55” for the month and - drum roll, please - 10.19” for the year. (Yes! Double Digits! WooHoo!) I received 0.50” in my rain gauge on the southeast side of Dalhart. CoCoRahs volunteers reported 0.80” along S. Sedan Road, and 0.73” in Texline. 

Bird Report

Keep your eyes sharp to spot these birds at Rita Blanca Lake. I have seen them myself over the past week. 

Most impressive is the Great Blue Heron, a large bird that can be seen standing upright in the lake or up in the trees along its edge. Common Terns (a white bird with a black hood) fly over the lake in small groups, dive-bombing the lake’s surface to get food. The smaller birds you might see skimming the lake’s surface are swallows. 

Around the grassy edges is a funny looking black duck with a white beak. That’s not a duck, it’s a Coot. There are a lot of them this year. Another noticeable bird is the Avocet (white with black stripes and an unforgettable curved bill). They stick their heads under water and turn tail up. 

As for ducks, I spotted the Northern Shoveler. The are a smaller duck and easy to spot thanks to an unusually large bill. They also dip head first into the lake, leaving their tails sticking up. 

Flying overhead in small flocks are the Red-Winged Blackbirds. Especially numerous this time of year is the gigantic Turkey Vulture, which can be seen gliding in lazy circles around town. 

High and low temps the past week

Sept 22: 80, 63

Sept 23: 88, 63

Sept 24: 83, 56

Sept 25: 83, 50

Sept 26: 82, 52

Sept 27: 83, 54

Sept 28: 82, 58

Sept 29: 81, 58

Local Corn Crop Looking Good Says Crop Consultant

Dalhart Weather Review

by Aaron Graves

Dalhart remained dry this past week, despite a hurricane's best effort to send moisture our way. Remnants of Hurricane Odile, a Pacific hurricane that hit the Baja California peninsula, traveled northeast into New Mexico and Texas. Initially, we were forecast to get some good rain from the system, but high pressure located near El Paso kept most of the tropical moisture from traveling too far north. 

Autumn officially began yesterday, Sept. 23. Temperatures have been in the lower 80’s for most of the week, making for pleasant morning and evening walks at the local parks. 

The rain we enjoyed mid-September was welcome, but might be causing a few problems for Panhandle area farmers. "Corn harvesters were waiting for dry-down in some areas," reads the Texas Crop and Weather Report for Sept. 16, provided by Texas A&M, "while picking was underway in others. Wheat planting was delayed due to recent rains. Cooler temperatures have slowed cotton development." Soil moisture was rated "short to adequate", and pastures and rangelands varied from "poor to excellent, with most counties reporting fair." Cattle were reported in good condition. 

On the local level, I asked Kerry Todd how this year's corn crop was doing. Todd is a Certified Crop Advisor and Account Manager for DuPont Pioneer. Previously, he worked with a crop consulting firm in southwest Kansas for 12 years before moving to Dalhart in 2003. Since then, he has worked with producers in Dallam and Hartley Counties, as well as in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, and Union and Colfax Counties in New Mexico. Part of his job includes drawing on 23 years of field experience to help local producers stay successful despite declining groundwater and drought.

Todd estimates 60 to 65% of Dallam and Hartley Counties is planted to corn. "We do have a good crop this year," Todd says, "and the summer rains have been a tremendous help. We will see more consistent yields out of the fields with less irrigation water, as the rain will cover some of the weak spots."

Since the drought first intensified in 2011, there has been a lot of variation in crop yields each year, Todd said. "This year should look more like 2008 to 2010 when we had closer to normal moisture."

As for the recent rains and cooler temperatures? "Rain at harvest can be a hassle," Todd answered, "but we will gladly take it anytime."  

Kerry Todd is married to Debbie, and they have three daughters playing volleyball for the Lady Wolves - Samantha, Madison and Rhiana. I look forward to asking him more crop and weather questions in the future. 

High and low temps the past week:

Sept 15: 72, 59

Sept 16: 82, 58

Sept 17: 81, 58

Sept 18: 82, 54

Sept 19: 81, 60

Sept 20: 86, 61

Sept 21: 81, 64

Hurray for Northwest Flow

Dalhart Weather Review
by Aaron Graves

It seems a lot of attention is given to spring thunderstorms, and rightly so. Spring is the peak of our tornado season (during non-drought years, of course). Storms that form along the dryline and move east bring with them large hail, heavy rain, damaging winds, and a wide variety of storm chasers. 

However, as spring turns into summer, the dryline fades away as a weather producer. Yet Dalhart traditionally sees more rain in July and August than it does in April and May (see stats below). Most of the activity comes from New Mexico and Colorado and arrives in the evening or overnight hours. Why? 

The answer, in case it comes up on a test, is “Northwest Flow”. What is that? The Amarillo office of the National Weather Service provides the answer in the latest edition of “The Dryline”, their quarterly newsletter. It can be read online at www.weather.gov/ama. 

Simply put: Storms like to form along the Rocky Mountains during summer. Northwest flow refers to upper air currents (moving from northwest to southeast) that blow the storms in our direction. 

More complicated: Imagine a big letter “H” hovering over Arizona on a weather map. This is the subtropical ridge, and area of upper level high pressure that sets up over the southwestern United States during summer. Air moves clockwise around the “H”. If you trace your finger around the top of the “H”, you cross over the Rocky Mountains and circle down towards the Texas Panhandle. Any storms that get in the way are brought along for the ride. 

Sometimes these storms can be severe. In fact, a single storm back in 2008 traveled due south from Kansas, circling around the top of  the high pressure area. It was tornado-warned for over two hours, and a tornado was spotted near Black Mesa in Oklahoma. As the storm approached Dalhart’s city limits, it finally made a turn towards the east, and we didn’t see a drop of rain. 

In addition, these summer storms can bring heavy rain over several evenings. Thanks to “Northwest Flow”, we receive beneficial rains from June through August and even into September. 

Dalhart picked up an additional 0.36” of rain at the airport during the early morning hours of Sept. 12, according to the NWS. This brings our monthly total to 1.13”, a good quarter-inch above what we should have at this time of month. Our year to date precipitation total is 9.77”. 

Additional rain reports from Sept. 12 include: 0.75” in my rain gauge on the southeast side of Dalhart, 1.10” from a CoCoRahs observer on S. Sedan Road, and 0.73” from a CoCoRahs observer in Texline. Texaspivot.com reports most areas of Dallam and Hartley Counties got between 0.40” and 0.60” of rain, including up near Texline, north of Dalhart along Hwy. 385, around Hartley, and north of Channing. However, some pivots reported less than 0.20”. 

September has not disappointed us when it comes to cooling things down a bit. Our average daily high for the first half of the month is 82.5 degrees. In fact, the cold front that brought us rain on Sept. 12 kept our high temperature at 62 degrees. The last 60 degree day we enjoyed before Sept. 12 was on May 14. Likewise, our low temperature on Sept. 12 was 44 degrees. The last 40 degree night was on June 10. 

Above, I mentioned that Dalhart receives more rain during July and August than during April and May. This is based on information provided by the National Climatic Data Center. They establish normal high and low temperatures and precipitation totals by using statistics over a 30 year period. The current 30 year period is from 1981 to 2010. Here is a look at what is normal for Dalhart by month in this format: High Temperature, Low Temperature, Precipitation:

30 Year Averages for Dalhart

Jan: 50.0, 19.4, 0.52”
Feb: 53.0, 22.6, 0.40”
Mar: 61.2, 29.4, 1.17”
Apr: 69.5, 37.7, 1.08”
May: 78.4, 48.4, 2.24”
June: 87.4, 57.8, 2.30”
July: 91.4, 62.1, 2.79”
Aug: 89.2, 61.3, 2.85”
Sept: 82.0, 52.8, 1.65”
Oct: 71.1, 40.4, 1.47”
Nov: 59.6, 28.1, 0.58”
Dec: 49.0, 19.8, 0.54”

High and low temps the past week:

Sep 8: 87, 61
Sep 9: 95, 67
Sep 10: 80, 63
Sep 11: 77, 58
Sep 12: 62, 44
Sep 13: 73, 45
Sep 14: 83, 53

Rain helps breaks summer heat

Dalhart Weather Review
by Aaron Graves

This swallowtail butterfly was enjoying the fruits of the recent rains.

August was running hot when rain on the 26th cooled things down a bit. However, it was the weather on Friday, Sept 5, that caused a collective sigh of relief and satisfaction. Indeed, summer's grip on the Texas Panhandle has shown the first signs of giving way. 

Tropical moisture moved in Thursday from - of all places - the Pacific ocean, moving up across the deserts of Mexico towards us. Some light rain fell overnight, but the sky really opened up on Friday. The National Weather Service in Amarillo reports 0.77" of rain fell at the Dalhart airport. Additional reports relayed to the NWS include 1.60" about 4 miles east of Dalhart, and 1.30" inside the city. 

CoCoRahs observers reported 1.28" eight miles northwest of Dalhart and 1.31" in Texline. Texaspivot.com shows 1.60" of rain from a pivot close to Hartley and 2.00" from a pivot north of Channing. Pivots near Middlewater showed 1.40" to 1.60" of rain. Similar rain totals were reported from pivots near Texline, north of Dalhart along Hwy. 385, and along Hwy. 54 heading towards Stratford.  

Previously, Dalhart benefited from another good rain on Aug. 26. The NWS recorded 0.51" of rain at the airport, which brought our total rainfall for August to 0.88". I got 1.20" in my rain gauge on the southeast side of town. CoCoRahs reported 0.69" eight miles northwest of town and 0.93" in Texline. 

As of Sept. 7, we have received 9.41" of precipitation throughout 2014. On average, we usually have 13.77" by Sept. 7, so we are running 4.36" behind, according to stats from the NWS. However, this time last year, we only had 5.02" of precipitation. Thus, 2014 - which in May looked like we were headed towards the worse drought conditions yet - is now wetter than it has been since 2011. 

At the time of posting this blog (Thurs. Sept. 11), more rain was in the forecast - a 70% chance over the next day or so.

Temperatures after the Sept. 5 rain dropped into the upper 70s and stayed there for a couple of days. This is the first time we've seen our daily high in the upper 70s since the end of July - which is not a bad a thing. Although we've had successive days of above 90 degree heat, we have only had 7 days this summer when the temperature topped 100 degrees - the latest being a high of 101 on Aug. 31 and a high of 100 on Sept. 3. August 2014 ended with an average high of 93.6 degrees and an average low of 63. It was, on average, 3 degrees hotter in August compared to the 30 year average. 

High and low temperatures the past two weeks:

Aug 26: 94, 63

Aug 27: 88, 66

Aug 28: 86, 59

Aug 29: 91, 59

Aug 30: 94, 61

Aug 31: 101, 64

Sep 1: 88, 61

Sep 2: 88, 67

Sep 3: 100, 65

Sep 4: 95, 67

Sep 5: 77, 54

Sep 6: 72, 51

Sep 7: 78, 53

More Good News Regarding Drought

Dalhart Weather Review

By Aaron Graves

NOTE: This column originally ran Aug. 26 in "The County Times Two" newsletter and refers to weather during the middle of August. 

Isolated storms, such as the one pictured, have been common
throughout the month of August, bringing rain to some and
leaving others dry. 

Back to school! The opening bell of the 2014/2015 school year came with the promise of yet another sunny and hot day, and possibly, a little rain. Some rain drops fell on the north side of Dalhart Monday afternoon, Aug. 25, while farmland west of town was drenched in rain and pea-size hail. 

Thus it has been for the past two weeks. Our daily high temperature has generally been in the upper 90s. Small, widely scattered rain and thunderstorms slowly roam the Panhandle, bringing rain to some, leaving others dry.

Officially, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo, Dalhart recorded a trace of rain at the airport on Aug. 14, Aug. 20, and Aug. 22. We picked up 0.04” of rain on Aug. 16, bringing our monthly precipitation total to 0.37”. Unfortunately, we have yet to see a good, organized rain event this month, one that brings significant rainfall over a wide area.  

On the flip side, some of these little storms pack a pretty good punch. A thunderstorm on Friday, Aug. 22, blew over an irrigation pivot northwest of Channing. The storms southwest of town on Monday, Aug. 25, produced hail big enough to warrant a severe thunderstorm warning. A CoCoRahs observer northwest of Dalhart reported 0.61” of rain on Monday. 

There is some good news regarding the ongoing drought. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor (issued Aug. 21) shows an area from Dalhart to Dumas still in “exceptional” drought - the worst kind. To the east, most of the Texas Panhandle is considered in “severe” drought. However, south of Channing, down to Hereford and points south, the drought has improved and is listed as “moderate”. 

This innocent looking storm was dumping heavy rain and pea-sized hail
along FM 694 west of Dalhart. 

More good news. The Climate Prediction Center (as of Aug. 21) is calling for the drought to “remain but improve” through the end of November for the entire Texas Panhandle. In fact, if the forecast turns out to be correct, a measure of drought relief could be felt as far south as Lubbock, and north up into Kansas and Colorado. 

The CPC is also calling for a 40% chance of seeing above average precipitation for a large area of the southwest, include Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Again, these forecasts are, by nature, for large areas. Hopefully, we will see these educated predictions come true in our little corner of Texas. 

Hopes for an El Niño weather pattern to develop have dimmed a bit, but not all hope is lost. The latest forecast (released Aug. 25) reduced the chances of El Niño developing by fall or early winter to 65%. In general, this weather pattern benefits the Texas Panhandle and could help in relieving the drought. 

High and low temps the past two weeks

Aug 12: 93, 60

Aug 13: 96, 61

Aug 14: 96, 67

Aug 15: 96, 63

Aug 16: 86, 64

Aug 17: 98, 61

Aug 18: 99, 64

Aug 19: 97, 58

Aug 20: 99, 67

Aug 21: 98, 69

Aug 22: 99, 67

Aug 23: 96, 67

Aug 24: 97, 60

Aug 25: 98, 67

XIT Weather: Hot, Cool, and Wet

Dalhart Weather Review

by Aaron Graves

When it comes time for half the world to descend on Dalhart and celebrate the XIT Rodeo and Reunion with us, casually predicting the weather is almost a flip of the coin. On one side, it is summer and it can be unbelievably hot. On the flip side, August is traditionally a wet month, so it could literally rain on our parade (or rodeo… or free food… or mud bog…) 

The storm after it had moved over the rodeo arena.

This year, we got to see both sides of the coin. Thursday, Aug. 7, was hot, with a high of 100 degrees (only the fifth time this year to hit the century mark). But then it cooled down into the 80’s on Friday. This was followed by a beautiful storm during the final rodeo performance on Saturday, Aug. 9. 

I was not at the rodeo arena, but I was parked along the lake road (FM 281) watching the storm roll in. There was lightning, pea-sized hail, and, at times, heavy rain. I followed the storm as moved south. Traffic along Hwy. 87 near County Road C was temporarily brought to a stand still due to low visibility as the storm crossed the highway.

One rodeo attendee told me the rain briefly interrupted the performance. Some in the audience left, but others stuck it out. After it became clear the storm was moving away, the rodeo resumed. 

Robin Scott, publisher of "The County Times Two" newsletter that graciously includes this blog, told me over e-mail: "I was taking tickets at the rodeo for Rotary and I'm pretty sure I've never been that soaked by rain before in my life....it was a blast!!!"

Officially, we ended up with 0.15” of rain, as recorded at the airport and relayed to the National Weather Service in Amarillo. However, Texaspivot.com shows about a half inch of rain fell near FM 281 where I was initially parked. And the blinding downpour at County Road C? A nearby pivot picked up 1.25” of rain. 

The NWS recorded an additional 0.04” of rain on Aug. 10. On Aug. 5, we received 0.14” from some late evening storms. This brings our monthly total to 0.33”. 

The CoCoRaHS volunteer network reports Texline received 0.35” of rain on Aug. 5, 0.05” on Aug. 9, and a healthy 0.96” on Aug. 10. Along South Sedan Road, about 8 miles NW of Dalhart, 0.44” of rain fell Aug. 6 and 0.02” on Aug. 7. 

Texaspivot.com reports the Hartley area saw about a quarter inch of rain over the past week. Western Hartley County saw rain totals between 1.5” and 3” - most of it from the Aug. 9 storm. 

Always remember, if a storm is moving away, and the
sun is sinking low, stay outside to see the rainbow. 

Thus ends another wonderful and fun XIT celebration. I always joke it rains during XIT - mainly because I have been rained on a couple of times myself during some events. But rain is always welcome in these parts. And, I wonder - if we hosted a rodeo every weekend in August - would it rain every weekend? Scientists may have to consider this as a possible way of breaking the drought.

High and low temps the past week

Aug 5: 92, 64

Aug 6: 96, 60

Aug 7: 100, 6

Aug 8: 88, 67

Aug 9: 96, 58

Aug 10: 90, 65

Aug 11: 86, 63