LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Drought conditions in Texas are back, and they weren't gone long.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map for this week shows that about 85% of the state is abnormally dry or worse. Pastures are brown and fields planted with grains to feed cattle aren't coming up. About 4% is in extreme drought, the second-driest designation on the map.
Dry conditions are expected to worsen in the next six weeks and persist through at least February, weather officials said. The wildfire threat could be high in the spring. The culprit is La Nina, a weather pattern that typically means less than normal rainfall and above normal temperatures.
In February, officials declared the end of a devastating drought that began in September 2007; agriculture losses reach an estimated $3.6 billion.
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Amarillo, Texas - Many veterans still struggle to find jobs. We're told by employers, many veterans are more than qualified for job positions they are applying for.
Amarillo, Texas - Many veterans still struggle to find jobs. We're told by employers, many veterans are more than qualified for job positions they are applying for.
Former Boy Scouts are biking hundreds of miles supporting gays to be allowed in the program. The father and son biking 18 hundred miles from Idaho to Irving, Texas made a stop in Amarillo.
Former Boy Scouts are biking hundreds of miles supporting gays to be allowed in the program. The father and son biking 18 hundred miles from Idaho to Irving, Texas made a stop in Amarillo.
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - A northwest Texas rancher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for firing multiple times at a crop-dusting airplane flying over his property.
WICHITA FALLS, Texas - A northwest Texas rancher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for firing multiple times at a crop-dusting airplane flying over his property.
NORTH TEXAS - Granbury officials say they're received enough clothing, perishable food, and water supplies to supply over 1300 people for weeks, much more than have been displaced.
NORTH TEXAS - Granbury officials say they're received enough clothing, perishable food, and water supplies to supply over 1300 people for weeks, much more than have been displaced.
New Mexico - Nearly all of New Mexico continues to grapple with some level of drought, and federal forecasting models show those conditions are likely to persist through January.
New Mexico - Nearly all of New Mexico continues to grapple with some level of drought, and federal forecasting models show those conditions are likely to persist through January.
Tuesday, January 31 2012 2:54 PM EST2012-01-31 19:54:28 GMT
SPICEWOOD, Texas — Tanker trucks loaded with water have become the lifeline for a Texas lakefront village that came precariously close to becoming the state's first community to run out of drinking water during a historic drought.
Friday, December 16 2011 5:25 PM EST2011-12-16 22:25:28 GMT
LUBBOCK, Texas - An economist says Texas' drought has caused ranchers to reduce cow numbers by an estimated 600,000 this year, making it the biggest decline in state history.
Tuesday, November 29 2011 3:22 PM EST2011-11-29 20:22:33 GMT
FORT WORTH, Texas - Climate experts and government officials are meeting in Fort Worth to discuss the severe 2011 drought afflicting Texas and the Southern Plains and what the outlook is for the future.
Tuesday, September 20 2011 5:25 PM EDT2011-09-20 21:25:33 GMT
LUBBOCK, Texas - A survey by Texas' largest cattle group shows that 8% of ranchers won't be raising bovines next year in the nation's leading production state.
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