Rain totals range from 4” to 11”

The meeting of warm, damp air pumped in from the Gulf of Mexico and a slow moving cold front drifting lazily across the Big Country has produced a long-awaited widespread rain event, with totals across the county spanning a wide range from about four inches all the way up to 11 inches. 

Paul Ivy, manager of Collins Creek Ranch in northern Shackelford County, reported better than average precipitation for September.

“We’ve had a little over four inches of rain this month,” he said. “That’s really good news.”

Kyle Viertel, in the southern part of the county, agrees.

“It’s been fantastic!” Viertel said. “We had a slow rain that saturated the ground, and we’ve also had heavier rains that produced some runoff.”

Viertel reported that he has had over seven inches of rain in the last week or so.

“It is really nice to be able to go into the cooler months with moisture in the ground and some growth on the grass,” he said.

Just a few miles east of Vier-tel’s place, across Hwy. 6 on the Easter place, Gerry Cates has carefully recorded over 11 inches since the first of the month.

“I’ve got a good gauge that’s really accurate and that’s what it adds up to so far,” he said on Tuesday afternoon.

Brad Petree has land in several areas, including to the east of Albany.

“At my dad’s place, he had a little over three or four inches in the last few days, most of it last Friday night,” Petree said. “I have a tank on the Bagley place that has been dry for over five months, so I haven’t been able to keep cattle in that pasture. We got enough water in it recently that we could see it from the road!”

To the west, near Lueders, the U.S. Geological Survey station on the Brazos River recorded just under two inches of rainfall last week, and just over four inches at the start of the month.