Drought Information Statement for West Texas & Southeast New Mexico Valid 06/07/2025 Issued By: WFO Midland/Odessa Contact Information: sr-maf.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated July 07, 2025 or sooner if drought conditions change significantly. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/maf/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. U.S. Drought Monitor Image Caption: U.S. Drought Monitor valid 8am EST June 3rd. DROUGHT CONDITIONS SLIGHTLY IMPROVED FOR WEST TEXAS AND SE NM. Drought intensity and Extent D4 (Exceptional Drought): All of Jeff Davis, Brewster, and Presidio Counties. Portions of Reeves, Pecos, Terrell, and Culberson counties. D3 (Extreme Drought): Much of Eddy County and extending southward along the Pecos River Valley. D2 (Severe Drought): Much of the southwest Permian Basin and Lea County. D1 (Moderate Drought): Portions of Lea County and the Permian Basin. D0: (Abnormally Dry): Parts of Lea County into the Recent Change in Drought Intensity One Week Drought Monitor Class Change. A one class improvement was made across much of the Permian Basin and into parts of southeast New Mexico. No changes were made across the rest of the region. Image Caption: U.S. Drought Monitor 1-week change map valid 8am EST June 3rd. Precipitation With the area in the peak of severe weather season, some locations are near to well above normal in terms of precipitation for the last month or so. However, this convection can be isolated in nature and lead to some areas still seeing below normal precipitation. Image Captions: Left - Precipitation Amount for West Texas and SE NM Right - Percent of Normal Precipitation for West Texas and SE NM Data Courtesy High Plains Regional Climate Center. Data over the past 30 days ending June 4, 2024 Temperature Transitioning from late spring into summer always sees a quick increase in average temperatures across West Texas and southeast New Mexico. However, given a somewhat active severe weather season and a progressive upper level pattern, most locations in the region are running near normal for the last month or so with the Permian Basin and Stockton Plateau being the warmest spots. Image Captions: Left - Average Temperature Right - Departure from Normal Temperature Data Courtesy High Plains Regional Climate Center. Data over the past 30 days ending June 4, 2024 Summary of Impacts Links: See/submit Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) and view the Drought Impacts Reporter Hydrologic Impacts Most area rivers and tributaries remain near baseflow. Area reservoirs are at 55.4% conservation capacity. See next page for more details. Agricultural Impacts Per Agrilife Texas A&M Crop and Weather Report, cotton farmers were actively planting to take advantage of the recent rainfall. Pasture lands and overall agricultural lands were improving due to recent rain and seasonable temperatures. Fire Hazard Impacts Fire weather impacts will be low to moderate for June and into July. Fuels remain in good condition thanks to continued low level moisture and recent wetting rains. However, any prolonged hot and dry conditions can quickly cure fuels. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts The Delaware and Concho River Basins, as well as Beals Creek, are normal to above normal. All other river and tributary basins are below to much below normal. Midland Monthly Hydrology Report for April May Rainfall Image Caption: USGS 7 day streamflows for Texas, valid 6 June 2025 Reservoir Pool Elevation Current Elevation % Full JB Thomas 2258.00 2235.27 36.5 Colorado City 2070.20 2062.65 67.4 Champion Creek 2083.00 2065.12 48.0 Natural Dam Salt Lake 2457.00 2447.28 48.4 Moss Creek 2337.00 2332.38 80.0 Brantley 3256.70 3249.51 62.0 Avalon 3177.40 3174.99 56.0 Red Bluff 2827.40 2814.55 45.1 Agricultural Impacts Soil moisture continues has improved across the Permian Basin and areas near the Pecos River Valley where spring rains have helped. However, soil moisture remains quite low in the Big Bend and along the Rio Grande River. The Crop Moisture Index on the right is out of date, but other sources continue to confirm that crop moisture in West Texas remains abnormally dry. Image Captions: Left: CPC Calculated Soil Moisture Ranking Percentile valid June 6, 2025 Right: Crop Moisture Index by Division. Weekly value for period ending Oct 26, 2024 National resources: NASS crop progress reports: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Other.aspx Percentage of various crops affected by drought: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Home.aspx table: https://agindrought.unl.edu/Table.aspx?2 Regional resource for the midwest: https://mrcc.purdue.edu/U2U/ Fire Hazard Impacts Wildfire potential remind normal for early to mid summer. Convection from the spring severe season will aid in greening up the region, but only prolonged, progressive rainfall events will add significantly to fuels. Image Caption: Significant Wildland Fire Potential Monthly Outlook for July 2025 Seven Day Precipitation Forecast Precipitation remains possible over the course of the coming week. However, it will mainly be in the form of isolated to scattered convection. On the plus side, this will bring wetting rains to the areas where these storms happen to form, but some locations may miss out on more beneficial precipitation due to the nature of springtime severe storms. Image Caption: Weather Prediction Center 7-day precipitation forecast valid Sunday Jun 08 to Sunday Jun 15 Image Caption: Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the CPC homepage The outlook for June shows drought persisting, but not expanding. May into June and July are a few of the “rainy” months for parts of West Texas and southeast New Mexico. Should the current pattern hold, this should at least prevent drought from worsening in the region. Image Caption: Climate Prediction Center Monthly Drought Outlook Released 05 31, 2025 valid for 06 2025