AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The most recent “Water Weekly” report from the Texas Water Development Board highlighted that drought coverage across the state of Texas lowered significantly in the last week, including on the High Plains, though the end of the drought is likely still months away.

According to the latest map from the US Drought Monitor, drought conditions were impacting 65% of the surface area of Texas, compared to 75% the previous week and 52% three months ago. The TWDB noted that the drought conditions going into November were the best that they had been in 13 weeks.

On the High Plains, the TWDB reported that the Texas Panhandle remained mostly steady in its drought coverage, with most of the area experiencing either “abnormally dry” or “moderate” drought conditions. The central and west-central counties of the Texas panhandle were considered under “severe” drought conditions, along with Hardeman County in the southeast.

That latest drought map showed some improvement for the Texas Panhandle, mostly focused on drought conditions improving in Hardeman County. The overall decrease in drought impact across the state was less because of conditions in the High Plains and more due to improvements seen in Central and Southeast Texas.

As previously reported on MyHighPlains.com, the TWDB advised that Texans should expect the drought to slowly ease away in the coming weeks as Texas enters its best season for drought recovery and is helped by the strengthening of El Niño weather conditions.

While the impacts of El Niño are not guaranteed, the Climate Prediction Center forecasted that it will likely bring extra precipitation to the southern portions of the US in the coming months, meaning that the Texas Panhandle may see above-average levels of rain and snow through the winter and early spring.