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| Radar-estimated and bias-corrected rainfall during July 2021. The July rainfall, as a percent of normal, can be FOUND HERE. |
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July was fairly unsettled, bringing the occasional periods of showers and thunderstorms and generally below average temperatures. Over the course of the month, the entire South Plains region received meaningful precipitation. Most locations recorded at least 2 inches of rain, while a number of spots saw in excess of 5 inches. Altogether, monthly rain tallies ranged from near average to well above average.
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| Total July rainfall measured by gauges around the South Plains region. Most of the data are courtesy of the West Texas Mesonet. A closeup of the Lubbock area can be VIEWED HERE. |
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The thunderstorms did produce several localized instances of severe weather, including early morning wind damage to a carport in Farwell on July 5th, landspout tornadoes near Smyer on the 7th (no damage was reported), a 70 mph wind gust at Caprock Canyons State Park on the 15th, a downed tree in Bovina on the 17th, and tree damage in Plainview and Kirkland on the 25th. However, the more widespread impacts were the widespread rainfall, which became excessive at times. Officially, the Lubbock Airport recorded 2.99 inches of rain in July, finishing the month 1.03 inches above average.
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| Observed high temperature departure from normal for Lubbock during July 2021. |
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| The bouts of rainfall and cloudiness helped secure many days with temperatures at or below average. As the above chart shows, all but six days in July finished with highs at or below average at Lubbock. Officially, Lubbock finished the month with an average temperature of 79.2 degrees, which was exactly 2.0 degrees below average. |
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| Drought classification for Texas on April 4th, 2021, (left) and August 3rd, 2021 (right). |
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| The relatively cool and moist seventh month of 2021, in combination with a wet May, was sufficient to get rid of the drought from the South Plains region and most of Texas. In fact, much of the state experienced drastic improvements in the drought over the three-month period between late April and the end of July. |
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| Drought change in the past three months graphic, ending at the end of July 2021. |
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| The greatest drought improvements, a whopping 5 class improvement, occurred over the western South Plains and southwest Texas Panhandle, as well as parts of Far West and South Texas. |
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