In case you haven’t stepped outside and immediately had your retinas sandblasted, the U.S. Drought Monitor has confirmed that Lubbock County is officially spending its third straight week in a “severe drought.” It’s a nice, consistent look for us—sort of like the “Check Engine” light on a 2004 Chevy Tahoe that we’ve all learned to just ignore until something actually catches fire.
Speaking of catching fire, Tuesday really dialed up the local charm. While the rest of the country deals with annoying things like “flooding” and “feet of snow,” Lubbock stayed true to its brand with 77 mph wind gusts and humidity levels that make a saltine cracker look like a sponge. We managed to hit 73 mph at the airport, which is great if you’ve ever wanted to experience a Category 1 hurricane without the pesky inconvenience of actual rain.
Naturally, because we live in a giant literal dust bowl, the wind decided to move most of New Mexico’s topsoil into our living rooms. Visibility at the airport dropped to a mile or less for four straight hours on Tuesday afternoon. It was the perfect atmosphere for anyone who enjoys the aesthetic of a post-apocalyptic film but prefers the plot to be about a 20% increase in West Texas Mesonet data points and a structure fire in Seth Ward.
Between the “explosive” wildfires in the Panhandle and the dust clouds so thick they showed up on satellite imagery, the weather service basically described our Tuesday as “extremely unpleasant.” That’s meteorologist-speak for “Why do people live here?” But hey, at least the drought is “severe” and not “exceptional” yet. We have to leave ourselves some room for improvement when the summer heat actually kicks in and the city reminds us not to water our dead lawns.
On the bright side, if the wind keeps gusting at 70 mph, eventually we won’t have any dirt left to blow around. Problem solved?
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/lubbock-county-stays-in-severe-drought-conditions/