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