Drought Information Statement for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and far Southern Texas Panhandle 
Valid August 8th, 2026
Issued By: WFO Lubbock, TX
Contact Information: lub.webmaster@noaa.gov
Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements.
Please visit https://www.weather.gov/lub/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. 
Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates for regional drought status updates.
Drought conditions persist across the region.
This product will be updated September 3rd, 2026 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly
1

U.S. Drought Monitor


Drought intensity and Extent
D3 (Extreme Drought):A corridor of extreme drought exists across portions of Briscoe, Hall, Floyd, Motley, Cottle, Dickens, King, and Childress counties.
D2 (Severe Drought): Portions of the far southern Texas Panhandle, northern Rolling Plains, and central Rolling Plains.
D1 (Moderate Drought): Much of the rest of the area was in moderate drought.

Precipitation
Precipitation over the last 30 days has been in the form of scattered thunderstorms.
This has resulted in inconsistent rainfall, with a few locations seeing above normal amounts, but many staying below normal.
The far southeastern Texas Panhandle generally received less than 25% of normal rainfall. 

Summary of Impacts
Hydrologic Impacts
Reservoirs have trended lower over the last month.

Agricultural Impacts
Please see the latest Crop and Weather Report from Texas A&M Agrilife.

Fire Hazard Impacts
Wildfire activity has been limited over the last month, but a grass fire was reported southwest of Idalou which resulted in damage to mobile homes.

Other Impacts
Soil moisture values are below the 10th percentile in some locations, primarily east of a line from Lubbock to Dimmitt. (NASA SpoRT-LiS)

Mitigation Actions
Burn bans remain in place for many counties across the region. 


Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts
Area reservoirs continue to fall.

 
Reservoir
Conservation Pool (ft)
Current Elevation (ft)
Percent Full
Mackenzie Lake
3100.0
3019.6
14%
White River Lake
2370.0
2350.4
19%
Lake Alan Henry
2220.0
2210.4
75%
Lake Meredith
2936.0
2890.1
43%
Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts


Long-Range Outlooks
Above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are forecast during the month of August. 


Drought Outlook
Above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are expected to lead to drought persisting.