El Niño Rescuing Texas Drought
August 3, 2009 An El Niño climate pattern to the Pacific Ocean is believed to be relieving the worst Texas drought in 90 years.
El Niño is characterized by warming waters in the Pacific, and moisture is drawn inland. A La Niña is a cooling in the Pacific and does just the opposite, drawing moisture away.
Rain during the winter months helps Texas crops because the soil holds the moisture until planting in the spring, says Roger Haldenby of the Plains Cotton Growers in Lubbock, TX. Parts of the state have been in a drought since November 2007.
The last El Niño developed during the 2006/07 crop year and helped boost Texas cotton yields to 843 pounds per acre.
“When there is a developing El Niño, in past years we’ve definitely noticed the southern part of the U.S., specifically Texas and the high plains of Texas, benefit from increased rainfall,” Haldenby says. “It’s a very important weather phenomenon for us. A wet winter from El Niño sets up the situation well for the following growing season.”
However, there are areas of Texas that have yet to benefit from the El Niño. According to one visitor to Cotton247.com, a sister site to CropLife.com, “We, in the Coastal Bend (south Texas), are still in the worst drought since the early 50’s. We are deficient by 12.6 inches for 2009 and by 23 inches since September 2008. Less than 15,000 acres of cotton being harvested this year. Bring on the rain.”
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