The odds of rain continuing across Texas are hard to predict, according to experts with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Agronomists and climatologists are calling the Texas weather forecast a “coin-toss” in a recent report from the agency.
“There’s a high probability that we’re going to have abnormally warm temperatures over the next 6 months,” said Dr. Travis Miller, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist and drought spokesperson. “And there’s an equal chance of above or below normal precipitation. This drought is not over for large areas of the state.”
Those areas include the High Plains and virtually all of West Texas, where little to no rain has fallen until recently.
In the eastern part of Texas, where sufficient rainfall has been received this year, producers are cutting and baling hay. In the western part where it is still dry, ranchers continue to feed supplemental feed or hay, Miller noted.
“They need to go out and evaluate their forage supplies,” he suggested. “They need to determine if the grass has begun to re-grow and become well-established before they pull the trigger on restocking.”