Drought Information Statement for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and far Southern Texas Panhandle Valid November 2nd, 2023 Issued By: WFO Lubbock, TX Contact Information: lub.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated when drought conditions redevelop. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/lub/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO IMPROVE THROUGH OCTOBER Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): Covers a small portion of the extreme southwestern Texas Panhandle and southeastern Texas Panhandle D1 (Moderate Drought): Covers a greater portion of the extreme southwestern Texas Panhandle and southeastern Texas Panhandle D0 (Abnormally Dry): Covers the remainder of the extreme southern Texas Panhandle and portions of the South Plains and Rolling Plains Precipitation October brought several heavy rain events which led to a large swath of the South Plains and Rolling Plains over 200 percent of normal rainfall The extreme southern Texas Panhandle missed much of this beneficial rainfall leading to below average precipitation Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts Area reservoir levels across the South Plains and Rolling Plains saw increases in levels due to well above average rainfall in upstream basins. Flooding was reported in Lubbock County near playa lakes, Buffalo Springs Lake and Ransom Canyon Lake. Agricultural Impacts Please see the latest Crop and Weather Report from Texas A&M Agrilife Fire Hazard Impacts Fire weather hazards were greatly reduced during October due to the above average rainfall Mitigation Actions Some area cities reported continued watering restrictions. Please refer to your city or municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts October rains increased area reservoir levels at White River Lake and Lake Alan Henry where much of the rain fell in upstream basins Other area reservoirs saw a decrease due to a lack of rainfall Reservoir Conservation Pool (ft) Current Elevation (ft) Percent Full Mackenzie Lake 3100 3015.6 10% White River Lake 2370 2353.4 27% Lake Alan Henry 2220 2217.2 92% Lake Meredith 2936 2891.3 45% Fire Hazard Impacts Fire weather impacts have been low over the past month due to the above average rainfall ERC values have dropped well below average with the rainfall and a brief cold period at the end of October County burn bans have been reduced over the Rolling Plains but expanded over the extreme southern Texas Panhandle Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage Drought category improvements are expected for the extreme southwestern and southeastern Texas Panhandle Some areas of drought removal are possible surrounding the extreme southwestern and southeastern Texas Panhandle This is due to the expect impact of positive ENSO conditions through the month of November where there are greater than normal chances of above average precipitation