WTAMU leads study into Palo Duro Canyon heat

  • WTAMU Dr. Erik Crosman, second from left, and students Glen Schneider, Cristian Campos and Monica Ghosh install weather sensors in Palo Duro Canyon State Park in 2021. The sensors are being used now for a second year in a study of extreme temperatures on the canyon floor. (photo courtesy of WTAMU)
    WTAMU Dr. Erik Crosman, second from left, and students Glen Schneider, Cristian Campos and Monica Ghosh install weather sensors in Palo Duro Canyon State Park in 2021. The sensors are being used now for a second year in a study of extreme temperatures on the canyon floor. (photo courtesy of WTAMU)

    According to a West Texas A&M University press release, some of their researchers along with the National Weather Service are leading the study on the hazards of extreme heat at Palo Duro Canyon.

    With temperatures soaring in the Texas Panhandle, researchers with West Texas A&M University and the National Weather Service are continuing an impactful study on the hazards of extreme heat in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

    WTAMU students helped install 24 temperature and humidity sensors on the floor and walls of the canyon in summer 2021, and preliminary observations appear to confirm the long-held belief that the canyon traps heat like an oven, sending temperatures on the canyon floor soaring 12 degrees higher than those in Amarillo.