Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 1998

Name: Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 1998
Start: 1998-12-01T00:00
End: 1998-12-31T23:59
Location: Texas

December 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS LUB · 24 events in 24 counties and zones

Near-average precipitation returned to the South Plains area in December. However, the effects of this year's drought became better understood after year-end agricultural reports were completed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 24 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $450 million
Events: 24

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 LUB wrote it up.

Near-average precipitation returned to the South Plains area in December. However, the effects of this year's drought became better understood after year-end agricultural reports were completed. These reports, compiled by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M University, indicated that total crop damage may have been about $450 million due to the drought across the Texas South Plains area in 1998. This figure is based on the total cash value of all crops in 1998, compared to the average of the same figure from 1996 and 1997.Cotton is the dominant crop in this region, and not surprisingly, accounted for roughly 75% ( $330 million) of the losses this year. Significant losses were also suffered in the corn ($58 million), wheat ($35 million), sorghum ($18 million), and soybean ($18 million) crops.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

24 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Bailey

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Bailey forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.830 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Briscoe

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Briscoe forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Castro

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Castro forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.530, -102.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Childress

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Childress forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.529, -100.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cochran

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cochran forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.604, -102.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cottle

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cottle forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.078, -100.279 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Crosby

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Crosby forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.615, -101.300 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Dickens

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Dickens forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.617, -100.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Floyd

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Floyd forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.072, -101.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Garza

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Garza forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.180, -101.298 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hale

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hale forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hall

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hall forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.531, -100.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Hockley

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Hockley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.608, -102.343 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kent

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kent forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.181, -100.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, King

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: King forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.617, -100.256 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lamb

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lamb forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lubbock

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lubbock forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.610, -101.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Lynn

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Lynn forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.177, -101.816 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Motley

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Motley forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.074, -100.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Parmer

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Parmer forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.530, -102.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Stonewall

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Stonewall forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.179, -100.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Swisher

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Swisher forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Terry

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Terry forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.174, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Yoakum

When: December 1, 12:00 AM CST to December 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Yoakum forecast zone
Crop damage: $450 million
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 33.173, -102.828 (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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, December 1998

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: 5674095, 5674096, 5674097, 5674098, 5674099, 5674100, 5674101, 5674102, 5674103, 5674104, 5674105, 5674106, 5674107, 5674108, 5674109, 5674110, 5674111, 5674112, 5674505, 5674506, 5674507, 5674508, 5674509, 5674510.