Despite some isolated storms that did provide some decent rain on the Southeast Plains, the drought situation has continued to intensify.  The Southeast Plains are in the midst of a Moderate to Exceptional drought, depending on your location.  We haven't seen it this dry for over 2 years, and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon.  The really bad part about this setup, is that it is getting dry in the mountains too.  We haven't see many fires pop up in the "high country" this year, but that may be about ready to change.  All of that Winter moisture has resulted in lush vegetation, that is ripe to dry out, and in a hurry.  Below is the Drought Monitor, and it clearly shows our situation:

A week from now, the GFS shows the ridge still over our area and very reluctant to move.  The graphic below shows the main jet core well to our north.

It also looks like the heat will continue.  All of that purple on the graphic below is the heat the West has been dealing with for the past few months.

I am starting to wonder if this pattern is going to break this Summer, or if we will have to wait until the Fall.  No doubt, it is a tough situation for area farmers and ranchers.

Chief Meteorologist Brian Bledsoe