Moisture levels across most of Texas appear adequate or better, but producers in some areas are still hoping for rain.

Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist, College Station, said rain events over the past two weeks delivered quality rains to much of the state, benefitting crops and available surface water.

Some moisture-stressed areas received measurable rains this past week, but some areas missed out.

“It seems like the Panhandle missed recent rains that were in the forecast,” he said. “There’s been a lot of expansion in that area with regard to unusual dryness.”

Nielsen-Gammon says June is typically a wet month for the Panhandle, but short-term forecasts across most of the state indicate drier conditions.

The Texas Water Development Board Water reservoir tracking map showed more than 87 percent of reservoirs monitored by the agency were full. The few water-stressed reservoirs are located near San Angelo and in the Panhandle.

Nielsen-Gammon says multiple counties received rains that would relieve concerns, including Young, Stephens and Throckmorton. Much of Throckmorton County received more than 8 inches.

FLOOD FEARS

Kloey Cargill, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agent, Throckmorton County, says the city of Throckmorton received 10 inches of rain over six hours last week. Areas of town had to be evacuated due to fears that a nearby lake levee might be compromised by heavy rains.

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Cargill says the downpour caused damage to a local Little League baseball field but heard no reports of livestock losses or damage to producer operations. The rain did fill surface water impoundments in time for summer.

“It was pretty dry,” she says. “Everyone was praying for rain. We needed moisture because it’s been three months since our last good rain. But there is standing water in a lot of places still, and stock tanks are overflowing.”

Nielsen-Gammon says the area in and around those three counties averaged 3 inches of rain. But a moisture shortage still persists for the year.

“Swaths of the southeastern part of the Panhandle, including Cottle and Donley counties, have received 25 percent of their normal rainfall for the past 30 days and 50 percent of their normal rainfall for the past 60 days.”

Nielsen-Gammon says the South region “had been doing better lately. Brownsville is still dry, but Live Oak County and a lot of places between were helped this past week.”

In other regions of the state, including East Texas and southeastern areas, rain has provided adequate moisture. Recent rain events over the past two weeks have provided surplus, even detrimental surplus, to those regions.

Reports from East Texas indicate corn field losses in low-lying areas due to standing water.

“As of late March, Beaumont was running 8 inches below normal for the calendar year,” Nielsen-Gammon says.  “It’s now 1 inch above normal.”