Texas, 1999

Tornado and Flash Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 2, 1999

May 1 to 2, 1999 · NWS AMA · 11 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system in the upper atmosphere over the Arizona and New Mexico state line moved into southern Colorado during the nighttime hours. A strong and moist upslope flow at the surface combined with this upper low produced thunderstorms with flooding rains, hail, and even an isolated tornado across the western and central sections of the Texas panhandle.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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 AMA wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system in the upper atmosphere over the Arizona and New Mexico state line moved into southern Colorado during the nighttime hours. A strong and moist upslope flow at the surface combined with this upper low produced thunderstorms with flooding rains, hail, and even an isolated tornado across the western and central sections of the Texas panhandle. The tornado track was reported by a local television station meteorologist. All of the river flooding occurred as this system was lifting out over and away from the panhandles.

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 3 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Armstrong

When
May 1, 4:00 AM CST to May 2, 12:00 AM CST
Where
Armstrong forecast zone
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
34.965, -101.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The USGS river gage on the Prairie Town Fork of the Red River thirteen miles northeast of Wayside crested just slightly above the flood stage at ten and sixteen hundredths of a foot at 2300 CST.

Hail, Hartley

When
May 1, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Hartley County, 35 mi SW of Dalhart
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
35.700, -102.970

Hail, Hartley

When
May 1, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Hartley County, 35 mi SW of Dalhart
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
35.700, -102.970

Hail, Randall

When
May 1, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Randall County, Canyon
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
34.980, -101.920

Hail, Randall

When
May 1, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Randall County, 5 mi SSW of Amarillo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
35.130, -101.850

Flash Flood, Potter

When
May 1, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Potter County, Amarillo
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water was reported up to car doors at Tenth Street and Nelson Street in northeast Amarillo.

Flash Flood, Randall

When
May 1, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Randall County, 12 mi S of Amarillo
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
34.966, -101.897 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The intersection of Western Street and McCormick Road was reported under water with cars stranded in extreme southern Amarillo.

Tornado, Hartley

When
May 1, 7:07 PM CST
Where
Hartley County, 3 mi S of Romero
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
35.670, -102.930

Hail, Oldham

When
May 1, 7:52 PM CST
Where
Oldham County, 4 mi W of Adrian
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.270, -102.750

Hail reported to be covering the ground up to two inches deep along Interstate 40.

Hail, Hartley

When
May 1, 8:54 PM CST
Where
Hartley County, Channing
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
35.680, -102.330

Flash Flood, Randall

When
May 1, 9:36 PM CST
Where
Randall County, 8 mi E of Canyon
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
34.966, -101.897 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water reported to be five feet high at first low water crossing in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1999Warnings in Texas, May 1999

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: 5698230, 5698220, 5698221, 5698222, 5698223, 5698224, 5698225, 5698226, 5698227, 5698228, 5698229.