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Officials celebrate as iconic lake steadily refills after years of drought — here's why this matters

Getting out of drought conditions means that farmers will be able to properly water their crops.

Getting out of drought conditions means that farmers will be able to properly water their crops.

Photo Credit: iStock

The Texas Panhandle has been mired in a yearslong drought, but heavy rains seem to be bringing that to a welcome end.

According to My High Plains, the Texas Water Development Board reported drought-free conditions in the Panhandle continuing through July 22, thanks to steady summer rains that have helped to raise water levels in the region. 

Specifically, Lake Meredith, the largest surface storage reservoir in the Panhandle, reached a depth of 80 feet for the first time since 2023. 

This is a massive win for the region and for the country at large. The Panhandle's fertile soil is crucial for growing corn, wheat, sorghum, and cotton, and beef cattle are frequently raised there as well. 

Getting out of drought conditions means that farmers will be able to properly water their crops, and those living in the Panhandle will no longer be under water restrictions. 

The extended drought is part of a process known as aridification, where regions are receiving less and less rain thanks to our planet's changing climate. It makes weather patterns less predictable, and often follows prolonged dry periods with massive amounts of rain falling in a fairly short period of time. This leads to soil destabilization, flooding, and landslides. 

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The Panhandle isn't the only place in the country where rains have helped to push them out of drought conditions. California's reservoirs have benefited from historic rain and snowmelt and moved toward full capacity, while Lake Travis in central Texas has seen a swell in capacity following historic rainfall. 

However, the state of Texas isn't out of the woods yet. Parts of West Texas remain in a state of extreme drought at the time of writing, while areas of South Central Texas are experiencing severe drought. 

In other words, the good news from the Panhandle won't bring relief to the state as a whole just yet.

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