Thunderstorm Wind, Ector
- When
- August 10, 3:05 PM CST
- Where
- Ector County, Pleasant Farms
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 31.680, -102.320
Damaging Winds in Texas, August 10, 1997
36 inches of precipitable water, which is over 130% of normal. These factors combined to have evaporation and water drag for downbursting.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Although Midland's sounding showed an inverted-V pattern, suggesting dry microbursts, the sounding also showed 1.36 inches of precipitable water, which is over 130% of normal. These factors combined to have evaporation and water drag for downbursting. The radar in the local area of the storms was dotted with small thunderstorms--within a radius of 30 miles there were 20-25 storms at the time of the damage.
The radar
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:06 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Midland
- When
- August 10, 3:20 PM CST
- Where
- Midland County, 6 mi ESE of Midland
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 31.970, -101.980
Scattered damage was caused by a microburst along State Highway 158. Of note was the fact that the storms in the area were moving to the north but the most damaging winds blew debris to the south. A pole barn was blown across a couple of fields and dead trees were knocked down.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Nevada, August 10, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Texas, August 10, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, August 10 to 11, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, August 10, 1997
- Flash Flood in Utah, August 10, 1997
- Hail in Texas, August 10, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Utah, August 10, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in Idaho, August 10, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, August 10 to 11, 1997
- Flood and Heavy Rain in Idaho, August 10, 1997
- Waterspout in Florida, August 10, 1997
- Flash Flood in Idaho, August 10, 1997
More
Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 1997
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: 5622398, 5622399.