AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – According to the latest “Water Weekly” report from the Texas Water Development Board, drought levels across Texas held steady over the last week even as eastern and southern areas of the state saw notable shifts in reservoir levels.

As noted by the TWDB and the latest map from the US Drought Monitor, the area of Texas impacted by drought conditions decreased by less than one percentage point over the last week. However, it was still the seventh week in a row that drought conditions have slightly contracted.

About 53% of the state of Texas was under the effect of drought conditions as of the week of Feb. 13, according to the TWDB, which showed no change from the previous report. About 65% of the state was experiencing drought conditions three months ago and 78% a year ago.

For the Texas Panhandle, most of the region was shown to be under “moderate” or “severe” drought conditions, with northern counties such as Dallam, Sherman, and Hansford Counties experiencing “extreme” and “exceptional” drought conditions.

The TWDB also reported that in the last month, statewide surface water supply increased by nearly four percent of capacity. Supplies in East Texas reservoirs were shown to have increased by more than 800,000 acre-feet since mid-January, while supplies in South Texas have declined by nearly 300,000 acre-feet over the same time period.

On the High Plains, according to the TWDB, Lake Meredith’s reservoir storage level was recorded at around 30% of its capacity at 190,319 acre-feet.

As noted in previous reporting on MyHighPlains.com, the US Seasonal Drought Outlook noted that the High Plains is expected to keep up its regional drought conditions until at least the end of March, as the effects of La Niña linger across the country. Despite colder temperatures and some amount of precipitation, the majority of the Texas Panhandle remained under burn ban orders as of the week of Feb. 13.