Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2023

Name: Drought in Texas, October 1 to 31, 2023
Start: 2023-10-01T00:00
End: 2023-10-31T23:59
Location: Texas

October 1 to 31, 2023 · NWS AMA · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

With rain shutting off mid June for much of the southern Texas Panhandle, this region was seeing major drought impacts by October, despite some record rainfall May through early June. Pumpkin yields were down almost 20-40% due to the dry and warm summer months continuing well into fall. Several grass fires have started around the area as well with a few of these fires becoming large and taking a good part of the day to put out. The main area suffering from drought remained across the I-40 corridor with areas just to the north and south of the interstate suffering the most from the lack of summer moisture, especially around Potter, Randall, Caron, and Armstrong Counties.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 11:35 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 11:35 PM CST, 25 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Collingsworth

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Collingsworth forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.965, -100.270 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Collingsworth County started the month of October with the eastern half in Moderate (D1) to Severe (D2) drought conditions. By the end of the month D2 had spread from the southeast corner north into the northeast corner. Collingsworth County had only received 50-75% of normal precipitation for the month. This was the third month in a row where precipitation received was below the monthly normal.

Drought, Oldham

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Oldham forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.405, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The vast majority of Oldham County was in Moderate Drought (D1) through the month of September. An area of Severe Drought (D2) developed in the southwest corner of the county at the beginning of the of October and kept the D2 status all the way through the month. The entire county received 1 to 1.5 below normal precipitation for the month of October.

Drought, Deaf Smith

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Deaf Smith forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.966, -102.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The entire county of Deaf Smith County was in Moderate Drought (D1) through the month of September. Going into the beginning of October the western fourth to third of the county slipped into Severe Drought (D3) and stayed in D3 through the end of the month. The county ended the month with 1 to 1.5 below normal for monthly precipitation during the month of October.

Drought, Potter

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Potter County continued to see dry conditions with an area of Severe Drought (D2) in the central to southwestern portions of the county, and Moderate Drought (D1) elsewhere sticking around for the entire month. The county saw a dry October with 1 to 1.5 below normal in precipitation for the month. The county ended October 2.48 below normal year to date. This was due to a long dry streak starting around the end of June.

Drought, Randall County

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Randall County forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.966, -101.897 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Randall County started and ended the month with Moderate Drought (D1) across the majority of the county with the northeast corner in Severe Drought (D2). The county received 1 to 1.5 below normal precipitation for the month of October.

Drought, Armstrong

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Armstrong forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.965, -101.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Armstrong County started the month of October with the northwest corner of the county in Severe Drought (D2) with the rest of the county in Moderate Drought (D1) or Abnormally Dry (D0). By mid month the area of D2 increased with the rest of the northern third of the county degrading into D2 as well. The county remained abnormally dry through the month of October with only receiving 5-50% of the normal October precipitation.

Drought, Carson

When: October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Carson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.404, -101.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Carson County started the month of October with the southwest corner in Severe Drought (D2) with the rest of the county in either Moderate Drought (D1) or Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions. Halfway through the month the rest of the southern third or so of the county fell into D2. Carson County ended the month with 5-50% of normal October rainfall.

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 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, October 2023

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: 1143328, 1143329, 1143330, 1143331, 1143332, 1145123, 1145124.