Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1996

Name: Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1996
Start: 1996-05-01T00:01
End: 1996-05-31T23:59
Location: Texas

May 1 to 31, 1996 · NWS AMA · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Severe drought conditions continued across the Texas Panhandle. Some locally heavy rains did fall in the northeast region, but these rains were accomplanied with excessive runoff.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $25 million
Events: 20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AMA wrote it up.

Severe drought conditions continued across the Texas Panhandle. Some locally heavy rains did fall in the northeast region, but these rains were accomplanied with excessive runoff. Livestock, wheat pasture and insuffienct soil moisture added about $25 million to the agriculture losses from this prolonged dry spell.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Dallam

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dallam forecast zone
Crop damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 36.278, -102.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Sherman

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Sherman forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.278, -101.893 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hansford

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hansford forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.278, -101.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Ochiltree

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ochiltree forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.278, -100.816 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lipscomb

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lipscomb forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.278, -100.273 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hartley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hartley forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.840, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Moore

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Moore forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.838, -101.893 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hutchinson

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hutchinson forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.840, -101.355 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Roberts

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Roberts forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.839, -100.813 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hemphill

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hemphill forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.838, -100.270 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Oldham

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Oldham forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.405, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Potter

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Carson

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Carson forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.404, -101.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Gray

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Gray forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.401, -100.813 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wheeler

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Wheeler forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.401, -100.270 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Deaf Smith

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Deaf Smith forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.966, -102.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Randall

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Randall forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.966, -101.897 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Armstrong

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Armstrong forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.965, -101.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Donley

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Donley forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.965, -100.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Collingsworth

When: May 1, 12:01 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Collingsworth forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.965, -100.270 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, May 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5579353, 5579354, 5579355, 5579356, 5579357, 5579358, 5579359, 5579360, 5579361, 5579362, 5579363, 5579364, 5579365, 5579366, 5579367, 5579368, 5579369, 5579370, 5579371, 5579372.