Dry eyes in Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is hard on eyes because the wind almost never stops. NOAA’s wind records rank the city’s airport among the windiest weather stations in the country, and spring afternoons there average under 40 percent humidity. Add high plains sun and blowing dust, and the tear film evaporates quickly. Wraparound sunglasses, vents aimed away from your face, a humidifier at home and a lubricating drop used as labeled all help.

How windy is Amarillo, really?

NOAA’s Comparative Climatic Data table of average wind speeds covers about 265 weather stations through 2023. Amarillo ties Dodge City, Kansas, for sixth place. Every station ranked above it sits on an island, on the Alaska coast, in the Pacific, or on the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Among ordinary towns in the lower 48, nowhere on the list is windier on average. Lubbock, about two hours south, ranks 17th on the same list.

April is Amarillo’s windiest month, and August its calmest, but even the calmest month here averages more wind than most cities manage in their windiest. For eyes, that means there’s rarely a day off from moving air pulling water out of the tear film.

Altitude and the dry Panhandle air

NOAA lists the Amarillo airport station at 1,093 meters, about 3,590 feet above sea level, on the flat High Plains of the Panhandle. The normals show just 19.66 inches of precipitation a year, and February averages only 0.53 inches. Most of the year’s rain comes in summer thunderstorms, with 8.53 inches falling from June through August.

Humidity follows the same pattern. NOAA’s relative humidity table gives Amarillo an average afternoon reading of 44 percent across the year, falling to 41 percent in March and 38 percent in April. Those driest afternoons line up exactly with the windiest season. Together, dry air and strong wind make March and April the hardest months on Amarillo eyes.

Dust, fields and feedyards

The country around Amarillo is wheat, cotton, sorghum and cattle, and when a spring wind crosses bare fields, dust follows it into town. Grit in the eyes feels like dryness, and rubbing it only grinds it across the surface. On dusty days:

• Wear close-fitting sunglasses or safety glasses outside; a wraparound style blocks the side wind.
• Rinse your face and wash your hands when you come in before touching your eyes.
• Keep car windows up and set the air to recirculate when the sky turns brown.
• Change the furnace and AC filters on schedule so dust isn’t recirculated indoors.
• If grit seems stuck, or your eye hurts, see an eye doctor rather than waiting it out.

Hot summers, cold snaps and heated rooms

Amarillo summers are hot but dry. The normals show July averaging a high of 92.9°F, about 72 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and about nine days at 100°F. Air conditioning runs for months, and it dries already-dry air further. Winters bring a January high near 52°F, normal snowfall of 17.2 inches and roughly 108 nights at or below freezing. Cold fronts can drop the temperature sharply in a few hours, and the furnace kicks on hard, which dries the air inside again.

Amarillo life that wears on the eyes

• Long drives on Interstate 40 and Interstate 27, often into a low sun with the AC on.
• Hiking or riding in Palo Duro Canyon, where the canyon rim catches the full wind.
• Shifts at feedyards, grain elevators and plants around the city, outdoors in all weather.
• Friday night football under the lights with a north wind blowing across the stands.
• Late-night study at West Texas A&M in nearby Canyon or at Amarillo College.

Keeping a bottle out of the heat

Quell’s label says Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). An Amarillo pickup parked in a July sun runs far above that, and a January night can drop it below. Keep the bottle in your house, your lunch box or a pocket, not the dashboard or the toolbox. If a bottle did sit in the heat, look before you use it: If this product changes color.

Quell and the Panhandle

The label’s Uses read: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss, which suits a climate where wind and dry air do most of the work. The directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, and the active ingredients are Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%). Read the Drug Facts panel before use.

Lubricating drops are for everyday dryness. Pain, light sensitivity, vision that changes, or irritation that won’t settle are matters for an eye doctor. Dry eyes in Lubbock covers the South Plains, and dry air, wind and altitude explains why each of those speeds tear loss.

Ordering Quell to Amarillo

Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee to Amarillo and the rest of Texas. Shipping is $10.00, and 3 bottles ship free. No delivery date is promised. See the Amarillo page and the Texas page for local details.