We had plenty of snow, but the drought is still on

The Amarillo Area received a little over 3 inches of snow over the weekend, and while folks out at the Cadillac Ranch continue on with doing what they do in the cold, farmers and ranchers still continue to hold out hope for improving drought conditions across the panhandle.

The latest drought monitor doesn't look too great:

The snow certainly helps, it melts slowly and actually traps nitrogen in the air as it falls which helps fertilize soil. but we need more of it. when you melt all that snow down it really comes out to roughly 1/4 of an inch.  The National Weather Service has already stated the region has missed out on much of the summer monsoon this year and that accounts for a good 12 inches of deficit and just getting that back doesn't get us out. you need twice that to close the deficit and catch up beyond that.

The good news is more precipitation is forecast for the weekend. hopefully 2021 is more of a wet year.