Lubbock and West Texas Show Significant Improvement in Latest Drought Monitor Update

May's rains have ended drought conditions in Lubbock and across portions of the South Plains and West Texas.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, released June 10, show no more drought conditions across Lubbock and the eastern South Plains.

The yellow, Abnormally Dry area shown on this week's Drought Monitor map is in the first level of drought conditions, rated as "D-0". Then parts of Tulia, Dimmitt, Littlefield, Morton and Plains are shown to be in the Moderate Drought area, which is rated as "D-1" on the Drought Monitor.

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Lea County, New Mexico is the driest portion of the immediate area surrounding Lubbock and the South Plains. Most of the county is rated as "D-3", Extreme Drought.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reports the following for the South Region, which includes Texas: "With a continued wet pattern, temperatures were well below normal, with departures of 6-8 degrees below normal in portions of Texas and Oklahoma. The greatest rains fell from east Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley, but there were pockets of heavier rain from south Texas into the central portions of the state. As in past weeks, the wet pattern of the current week as well as a reassessment of conditions over the last 6-8 weeks allowed for continued and multi-category improvements over portions of Texas. The only extreme and exceptional drought left in the state is in the Trans-Pecos region."

Earlier this week, Ron Roberts also showed the Drought Monitor map from three weeks ago (May 27) on his Twitter account (shown directly below).  Just three weeks ago, you can see how a large portion of the immediate area was in drought conditions rated "D-3" Extreme Drought or "D-4" Exceptional Drought.  Again in comparing the maps, you can see how May's rains made a huge difference for the moisture in the region.