As of early August, parts of the Oklahoma Panhandle were experiencing the driest year (preceding 12 months) since 1921, according to records kept by the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
The area centered around Boise City, seat of Cimarron County, had received just under 5 inches of precipitation over the past year, barely half of average and drier than some of the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.
Unirrigated pastures and crops have suffered considerably from this extraordinary dry year. Some ranchers in the area have been forced to sell their entire herds.
The federal government has declared nine counties in western Oklahoma “primary natural disaster areas,” allowing for low-interest loans and tax breaks to farmers and ranchers.
A broad swath of South Texas has also been exceptionally dry since July 2007 despite heavy rains from Hurricane Dolly, which swamped the Rio Grande Valley less than a month ago.
A corridor from San Antonio to near Houston is currently experiencing the driest conditions in Texas, a state often afflicted by alternating droughts and flash floods.
The map graphic to the upper right was created by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center, using a blend of several environmental factors. Precipitation, stream flow, soil moisture, water levels in reservoirs and satellite-based maps of vegetation health are considered when preparing such a drought index.
