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Precipitation averaged across Texas gave the state the ninth driest December in the 109-year record. However, Texas is a big state and conditions vary considerably from one area to another. The northern and western areas have seen the greatest precipitation departures in recent months.
The area from western Texas to eastern New Mexico has experienced severe short-term dryness. Blowing sand and dust were detectable via satellite (SSEC) in mid-December. The dryness has been especially severe during the last 6 months.
Plots of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for the Texas High Plains indicate that the most severe dryness occurred in the 6- to 12-month time frames. A historical plot of the 6-month SPI indicates that the recent dryness is comparable to the worst drought episodes of the 20th Century.
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NCDC /
Clim. Monitoring /
Climate-2003 /
Dec /
U.S. Regional Drought /
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