Long term drought persisted and continued through April with very short to short soil moisture. Farmers either had to wait for rain or pre-water the fields to even start spring planting. With pastures and rangelands poor to very poor supplemental feeding of cattle continued. With springtime high wind events across the Southern Plains, the threat for wildfires continued. In fact, a total of 76,694 acres burned during the month of April across the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles.

Drought in HEMPHILL, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The majority of the county started the month in severe (D2) drought. The majority of the month remained dry leading to the entire county falling into extreme (D3) drought by the end of the month. The county remained in a 4 to 8 inch deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in OLDHAM, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The far northern portion of the county started the month in extreme (D3) drought with the rest of the southern portions in severe (D2) drought. Overall the month was very dry and the entire county ended the month in extreme drought. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch dating back 365 days.  These drought conditions also contributed to at least one grass fire that burned 746 acres.

Drought in POTTER, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Potter County started the month in severe (D2) drought. With little to no spring rains for relief the county quickly fell into extreme (D3) drought. This was not good for many spring time high wind events falling fueling wildfires. Multiple wildfires broke out in the county during the month of April as fuels remained extremely dry.  The county ended the month in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days. These drought conditions helped to contribute to two wildfires over the course of the month. One of which was a large fire that burned 25,609 acres with no property damage. One other fire was only 553 acres but started near homes which lead to 5 homes being lost with high winds also feeding spread.

Drought in CARSON, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Carson County started the month in severe (D2) drought. Conditions remained dry with well below normal precipitation for the month. This led to the county falling into extreme (D3) drought and ending the month this way. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in GRAY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Gray County started the month in severe (D2) drought. Conditions remained dry with well below normal precipitation for the month. This led to the county falling into extreme (D3) drought and ending the month this way. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in WHEELER, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Wheeler County started the month in severe (D2) drought. Conditions remained dry with well below normal precipitation for the month. This led to the county falling into extreme (D3) drought and ending the month this way. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days. These drought conditions contributed to two grass fires over the course of the month leading to a total of 9,652 acres being burned. No known structures or property was lost in these fires.

Drought in DEAF SMITH, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The majority of the county was in extreme (D3) drought at the start of the month with the exception of the northeast and northwest corners that were in severe (D2) drought. The month of April was extremely dry with little to no rain. Within the first week the areas of severe drought fell into extreme drought with the rest of the county where it stayed through the end of the month. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days. These drought conditions also contributed to at least 2 grass fires that burned a total of 1,119 acres.

Drought in RANDALL COUNTY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Randall County started the month in severe (D2) drought. With in the first week the far southwest corner fell into extreme (D3) drought. By the 2nd week the rest of the county fell into extreme drought where it stayed through the end of the month. Little to no rain fell during the month leaving the county in a 6 to 10 inch rainfall deficit dating back 365 days. These drought conditions also contributed to two known grass fires that burned a total of 721 acres.

Drought in ARMSTRONG, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Armstrong County started the month in severe (D2) drought. By the second week of the month the entire county fell into extreme drought and remained with a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in COLLINGSWORTH, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Collingsworth County started the month with the southwest corner in exceptional (D4) drought, extreme (D3) drought through the central part of the county and severe (D2) drought in the northwest corner. The month remained dry with little to no rain leading to the area of severe drought in the northwest falling into extreme drought. The county ended the month with the northwest half to two thirds in extreme drought and the southeast in staying in exceptional drought. The county remained in an 8 to 12 inch rainfall deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in DONLEY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Donley County started the month in severe (D2) drought within the first couple of weeks the entire county fell into extreme (D3) drought and stayed there through the month. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch rainfall deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in DALLAM, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The majority of the county started the month of April out in extreme (D3) drought with the far northeastern corner in exceptional (D4) drought. Within the first week conditions worsen and the majority of the county found itself in exceptional drought with the exception of a small section in the southeast stayed in extreme drought for only one more week before the who county was in exceptional drought. The county remained in a 6 to 12 inch deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in SHERMAN, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Sherman County started and ended the month of April in exceptional (D4) drought. Conditions remained dry with the county remaining in an 8 to 12 inch rainfall deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in HANSFORD, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The far western portion of the county started the month of April already in exceptional (D4) drought with the rest of the county in extreme (D3) drought. Within the first week the northwest half was in exceptional drought with the southeastern half in extreme drought and stayed this way through the end of the month. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit for rainfall dating back 365 days.

Drought in OCHILTREE, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The county started the month out with the entire county in extreme (D3) drought. There was a very temporary improvement in the southeastern half during the first week to severe (D2) drought. By the middle of the month the entire county was back in extreme drought despite a late rain event with much of the county receiving 0.25 to 0.5 inches of rain. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit going back 365 days.

Drought in LIPSCOMB, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Lipscomb County started the month with the western third in extreme (D3) drought and the rest of the county in the severe (D2) drought. Conditions remained dry with very minimal rainfall for the month leading to the entire county ending up in extreme drought by third week of the month. The county remained in a 6 to 10 deficit dating back 365 days.

Drought in HARTLEY, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The entire county started out in extreme (D3) drought. Conditions remained dry with the northern two thirds of the county falling into exceptional (D4) drought by the second week. A late month rain event produced couple inches of rain the far northeastern potion of the county allowing that area to improve and go back into extreme drought.  The majority of the county remained in a 6 to 10 deficit dating back 365 days at the end of the month.

Drought in MOORE, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The northeastern portion of the county started the month in exceptional (D4) drought with the rest of the southwest in extreme (D3) drought. The majority of the month remained extremely short on rainfall. However, a late month event on the 28th produced 2 inch plus of rain across the northern half of the county. This one event improved the area of exceptional drought and back into extreme drought.

Drought in HUTCHINSON, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

The majority of Hutchinson County started the month in extreme (D3) drought conditions with the far northwest in exceptional (D4) drought and the far southeast in severe (D2) drought.  Conditions remained mostly dry through the month with the whole county getting close to be classified in exceptional drought. A late month event dropped a couple inches of rain keeping the the county in extreme drought and even improving the northwest corner by one category. The county remained in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days by the end of the month.

Drought in ROBERTS, TEXAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Roberts County started the month out with the northwest half in extreme (D3) drought and the southeast half in severe (D2) drought. Despite a late month event where areas received 0.5 inches up to 2 inches the deficit for the last 365 days has did not change much allowing the whole county to end the month in extreme drought. The county ended the month in a 6 to 10 inch deficit dating back 365 days.