Texas, 1996

High Wind in Texas, January 17, 1996

January 17, 1996 · NWS MAF · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An 80-foot pole holding an Exxon sign at the associated service station in Pecos broke at a joint during high winds and leaned precariously, but did not fall. Also during the height of the winds, travel trailers were blown over, shingles were taken off roofs, power poles were broken, etc.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$35,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.

An 80-foot pole holding an Exxon sign at the associated service station in Pecos broke at a joint during high winds and leaned precariously, but did not fall. Also during the height of the winds, travel trailers were blown over, shingles were taken off roofs, power poles were broken, etc. Four car mishaps were blamed partly on the low visibilities during the high winds. At Balmorhea, a carport collapsed on a car.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos

When
January 17, 4:30 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where
Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos forecast zone
Property damage
$35,000

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5552982.