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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.

WT 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.


Temperatures have topped 100 F in the canyon for all but one day in July thus far, with eight days already between 105 and 110 F. Park officials announced this month that they would temporarily close six trails between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on days when NWS issues heat advisories for the area.

The WT-led study bears out those decisions: The Lighthouse Trail, which is among those trails temporarily closing on extreme heat days, sees some of the hottest temperatures in the canyon, according to four weather stations installed along the four-mile trail.

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