Rainfall totals marking above average due to recent rainfall across Howard County

Heavy rainfalls have been falling upon Howard County; many residents have stated this is the most rain they have seen in all the years they have been here. Grass is growing and requiring a little more attention than previous summers; trees are greener than usual, and landscaping is flowing with vibrant colors not seen in the past several years.

According to totals gathered at the USDA facility on the south end of Big Spring, there has been a total of 14.71 inches of rain received as of July 6; a well-above-average total according to Charles Yates from the Agricultural Research Service.

“The average for this time of year for this area is 9.05 inches. With rain totals above what we have, it is beneficial to all the local farmers around the area. The more rain, the more cotton yield they can expect,” Yates said.

After the last few years being a down year for the farmers, this must be a welcome sight. The farmers are not the only ones benefiting from all the rain. The local wildlife is benefitting from the additional moisture being received.

“The extra rains mean more water for all the wildlife and helps the population grow and stay strong,” Yates said. “With all the rain, we need some hot sunny days to allow the cotton crop to grow.”

This has been the most rain to this point since 2015. In 2015 Big Spring recorded 16.5 inches of rain, with the annual rainfall for that year sitting at 25.7 inches. One of the lowest years on record was 2011, and the rainfall totals for the entire year barely reached seven inches.

According to statistics provided by Yates and data collected at the agriculture research facility, if Big Spring continues to see the same amount of rainfall, it may be marked as one of the wettest years on record.

“The months of August and September are some of our wettest months over history. So, we could come close to the 2015 numbers if we keep getting the rain,” he said.

The lake totals have also gone up with the rainfall. In just the last month