An intensifying surface low pressure system over eastern Colorado resulted in strong gradient winds over the western Texas panhandle during the afternoon and evening hours.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS AMA wrote it up.
An intensifying surface low pressure system over eastern Colorado resulted in strong gradient winds over the western Texas panhandle during the afternoon and evening hours.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 6, 1:38 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 238 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001 SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED A SURFACE LOW ACROSS CENTRAL COLORADO WITH A DRYLINE EXTENDING SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN KANSAS AND INTO WEST TEXAS. DEWPOINTS WERE IN THE 60S ACROSS MOST OF THE PANHANDLES WITH A TROUGH IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND A COLD FRONT IN WESTERN NEW MEXICO. A LARGE UPPER LOW WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION TODAY WITH A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPING IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL PANHANDLES AND PUSHING TO THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS LINE PUSHES EAST...HIGH WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND PUSH INTO THE WESTERN ZONES LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. NEW RUC DATA SHOWS PRECIPITATION LINGERING IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PANHANDLES THIS EVENING. WILL HAVE TO ADJUST POPS ACCORDINGLY. ALSO...RUC SHOWS WINDS PICKING UP IN THE SOUTHWESTERN ZONES AT 00Z AND SWEEPING INTO THE EASTERN ZONES BY 03Z. HOW THIS WILL PLAY OUT REMAINS TO BE SEEN BUT WILL LEAVE HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT TIL MIDNIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DECREASE LATE THIS EVENING WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION STRENGTHENING BEHIND A COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH THIS EVENING. QUICK MOVING SYSTEM MOVES EAST BY MORNING LEAVING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THIS WILL RESULT IN A WARMING TREND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS A LEE TROUGH DEVELOPS. FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD...A LARGE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN STATES WILL BRING PLENTY OF ENERGY INTO THE PLAINS MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES. LOOKS LIKE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK SO WILL TRIM THE POPS EXCEPT FOR THE EAST. OTHERWISE...EXPECT A WARMING TREND THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERAIOD. PRELIM CCF AMA 45/75 46/80 50 500 DHT 43/72 43/77 46 400 AMA DHT .AMA... TX...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ZNS 001>020. OK...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ZNS 001>003. CB
OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-062300- TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1240 PM CDT FRI APR 6 2001 ...AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES... THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE FAR EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE FOR THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE WESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. A POWERFUL UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST INTO COLORADO...WESTERN KANSAS...EASTERN NEW MEXICO...AND THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AT THE SAME TIME...SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSPORT MOISTURE NORTHWARD INTO MUCH OF THE AREA. AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE IN WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL RAPIDLY BECOME SEVERE AND MOVE NORTHEAST AT GREATER THAN 50 MPH ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES DURING THE MID AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS ARE EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER...CONDITIONS WILL BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THE POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED STRONG DAMAGING TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA AND THE NORTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLES. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO REVIEW SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY RULES. SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES...ESPECIALLY THOSE IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES...SHOULD REMAIN IN A HIGH STATE OF READINESS AND BE PREPARED FOR LIKELY ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SP
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sustained winds measured at the Dalhart ASOS. Other sustained winds at Hereford and Vega were interpolated to be between thirty-five and forty knots.
Sustained winds measured at Dalhart.
Sustained winds interpolated at Vega.
Sustained winds interpolated at Hereford.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2001
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: 5244234, 5244235, 5244236, 5244237.