• M5.0 earthquake joins small group of major Texas Panhandle events

    A rare M5.0 earthquake struck northwestern Roberts County in the Texas Panhandle at 05:21 CDT (10:21 UTC) on July 23, 2026. This is the fourth earthquake at or above M5.0 in the Texas Panhandle since 2011. Nearly 91% of all known Panhandle earthquakes since 1907 were below that threshold.

  • Series of devastating wildfires hit Texas Panhandle, causing evacuations, temporary closure of critical nuclear weapons facility, U.S.

    A series of out-of-control wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle on February 27 and 28, 2024, prompting tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, causing widespread power outages, and forcing the temporary shutdown of the Pantex Plant, a critical nuclear weapons facility. The disaster, affecting numerous homes and prompting a disaster declaration in 60 counties, saw the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly grow to Texas’ 2nd largest wildfire in history.

  • Texas suffers from “exceptional” drought

    A report released Thursday from a consortium of national climate experts said Texas saw the highest levels of drought over the last week — rated as "exceptional" — jump from 43.97 percent of the state to 50.65 percent of the state. Devastating drou