Texas drought continues, fuels wildfires

Drought-like conditions and the threat of wildfires continue in much of Texas, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Forest Service personnel according to Hay and Forage Grower.

On Tuesday, the Forest Service warned of “extremely critical fire weather conditions west of Big Bend, San Angelo and Wichita Falls, including major cities such as Lubbock, Childress, Abilene, Midland, Odessa and Amarillo.” The elevated threat was due to higher-than-normal temperatures and winds, low relative humidity and a plentitude of dry grass in pastures and rangeland.

Meanwhile, much of the rest of the state remains dry, including South Texas.

“Coming into March, South Texas received less than 25% of the normal rainfall,” says Megan Dominguez, AgriLife Extension range specialist in Corpus Christi. “A lot of the farmers and ranchers are concerned, and there's been some delay in crop planting.”

The Southwest Texas region is about 8” below the long-term average for moisture accumulation since Aug. 1, and some counties in the far western part of the state haven’t reported measurable rainfall for more than 165 days.

Campers and boondockers should be extra careful with campfires and camping near expecially dry brushland.