With rainfall totals scattered over the past few months in the High Plains area, cotton crop yields are projected to be scattered as well.
According to the National Weather Service, Lubbock received 1.04 inches of rain in the month of September, while Midland received 0.83 inches and Amarillo only received 0.45 inches for the month of September. This illustrates the generally dry conditions that have plagued producers throughout the growing season. Precipitation totals vary widely from location to location, even within just a few miles. For example, according to the West Texas Mesonet from January to August of 2020, Plains, Texas has received 5.08 inches of rain, while other parts of Yoakum County have only received 0.05 inches of rainfall since March 3.
Due to these abnormal rainfall totals, cotton crops around the area, including irrigated acres are expected to have reduced yields when harvest rolls around in just a couple of weeks.