Geographic Description of Hutchinson County

from Soil Survey of Hutchinson County, Texas, USDA Soil Conservation Service. 1971. by Billy R. Stringer and Jack C. Williams


Hutchinson County is in the north-central Panhandle. It covers an area of 911 square miles or 583,040 acres. Stinnett, the county seat, is at the intersection of Texas Highways 152, 136, and 207. Borger, the largest city in the county is the center of a vast oil- and gas-producing area. The complex of petroleum and petrochemical plants in the Borger area is the largest in Texas, except for the Gulf Coast. Ranching, wheat farming, and recreation activities bring additional income to the county. Borger, Fritch, and Stinnett are the gateways to Lake Meredith, the principal sports area in the Panhandle. Lake Meredith supplements the water supply of the 11 member cities of the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority which includes Borger. About 74 percent of Hutchinson County is used for Range. The average annual rainfall is 20.7 inches, and the average temperature is 58 degrees. The elevation ranges from 2,750 to 3,400 feet above sea level.

     The climate in Hutchinson County is dry and continental and is characterized by a wide range in annual temperature. The climate is typical of a steppe environment; the humidity is low in both summer and winter. In winter most days are sunny and mild; the nights are clear and cold; and freezing temperatures occur almost every night. The area is subject to sharp drops in temperature during the winter months when cold polar air masses sweep down from the north and across the Southern Great Plains at a speed of 30 to 40 miles an hour. Spring has the greatest variety of weather, and at times, trees and shrubs that have bloomed too early are nipped by a late freeze. In summer, afternoon temperatures are sometimes hot, but most nights are pleasantly cool. Cloudiness and precipitation can cause significant cooling during the day. In fall, the days are frequently mild and sunny, and the nights clear and cool, but the wind is not so strong as in spring. Evaporation-type air conditioners operate efficiently in this relatively dry climate.

     In an average year about 80 percent of the total precipitation falls in May through October, the warm season. In an exceptionally wet month or year, a significant part of the total rainfall is lost through runoff. Warm season rainfall is commonly the result of thunderstorms. Rainfall begins decreasing early in fall but decreases more sharply in November. In winter, which is a dry season, precipitation often falls in the form of light snow that piles up in drifts. As a result of the drifting the water from melting snow is not uniformly distributed.

     Thunderstorms rarely occur in winter, but they are frequent late in spring and summer. In an average year, at Borger, thunderstorms occur on 50 days.

     In winter cold spells rarely last longer than 48 hours before sunshine and warmer southwesterly winds return. At Borger, the lowest temperature on record in was 12 below zero in February 1951 and the highest was 107 in June 1968. Warm and cold spells follow each other in rapid succession throughout March and April. Fall temperatures are moderate.

     At Borger the freeze-free period averages 187 days. The average date when the temperature of 32 degrees or below occurs in spring in April 20 and the first in fall is October 24.

     The prevailing winds are southwesterly in November through April and southerly in May through October. Occasionally in late winter and throughout the spring strong southwesterly winds cause soil blowing.

     The mean relative humidity at noon is estimated at 49 percent in January, 39 percent in April, 43 percent in July and 40 percent in October. Borger receives about 68 percent of the total possible sunshine in winter and about 76 percent in summer.


Maps

Hutchinson County Road Maps
The Canadian River at Borger, Texas
The Canadian River at East Borger
Lake Meredith and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument