Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 23, 2001

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, August 23, 2001
Start: 2001-08-23T15:38
End: 2001-08-23T19:45
Location: Texas

August 23, 2001 · NWS LUB · 15 events in 6 counties and zones

12 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $155,000
Crop damage: $400,000
Events: 15

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 forecasters said that day

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 Lubbock, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 2:20 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes before

SOUTH PLAINS AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
320 PM CDT THU AUG 23 2001

SHORT WAVE IN UPPER ATMOSPHERE MOVING EAST ACROSS NEW MEXICO THIS
AFTERNOON IS HELPING ENHANCE THE LIFT COMING OUT OF EASTERN NEW
MEXICO INTO THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON.  STEERING WINDS SHOULD
MOVE THE THUNDERSTORMS EAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT.  THE FORECAST
MODELS...ESPECIALLY THE ETA...MIXED OUT THE MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND AS A RESULT HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATED THE
INSTABILITY.  THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS JUST BEEN ISSUED FOR PARTS OF
THE SOUTH PLAINS SOUTHERN PANHANDLE WITH PRIMARY THREAT BEING
DAMAGING WINDS WITH A LESSER PROBABILITY OF LARGE HAIL.

THE SHORT WAVE MENTIONED ABOVE IS ROTATING AROUND THE BASE OF AN
UPPER LOW OVER COLORADO THAT WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST THROUGH THE SHORT
TERM OF THE FORECAST.  BY SATURDAY THE LOW SHOULD MOVE FAR ENOUGH
EAST TO ALLOW A FRONT TO PUSH SOUTH INTO NORTHWEST TEXAS...POSSIBLY
AS FAR SOUTH AS OUR FORECAST AREA.  AVN MODEL IS SIGNIFICANTLY
STRONGER WITH THIS FRONT ON SATURDAY.   WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS
FEATURE A COUPLE MORE MODELS RUNS BEFORE GETTING TOO EXCITED ABOUT
RAIN CHANCES SATURDAY...BUT WILL INCLUDE AT LEAST SOME POPS.

BEYOND SATURDAY AND GOING ON THROUGH THE EXTENDED...WITH THE UPPER
LOW MOVING EAST...THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH BECOMES MORE ESTABLISHED TO
OUR WEST...PUTTING US IN A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.  THUS WILL INCLUDE
A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY OF THE NIGHTIME OR MORNING
VARIETY.

PRELIMINARY:
FRI   64  92  63  90 /  40  10  20  20
TUL   64  92  63  90 /  40  10  20  20
CDS   71  97  71  95 /  40  10  20  20
BNF   69  95  69  93 /  40  10  20  20
LBB   69  95  69  93 /  40  10  20  20
ASP   71  97  71  95 /  40  10  20  20

.LUB...NONE.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lamb

When: August 23, 3:38 PM CST
Where: Lamb County, Springlake
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 34.233, -102.300

Hail, Hockley

When: August 23, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Hockley County, 5 mi W of Smyer
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: POST OFFICE
Coordinates: 33.583, -102.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When: August 23, 4:39 PM CST
Where: Hale County, 2 mi N of Cotton Center
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: STORM CHASER
Coordinates: 34.033, -102.000

A storm chaser measured 65 mph thunderstorm wind gusts.

Hail, Hale

When: August 23, 4:39 PM CST
Where: Hale County, 2 mi N of Cotton Center
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: STORM CHASER
Coordinates: 34.033, -102.000

Hail, Hall

When: August 23, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Hall County, 6 mi W of Memphis
Measured: 1 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 34.717, -100.633

Quarter size hail was reported by law enforcement officials.

Hail, Hall

When: August 23, 4:46 PM CST
Where: Hall County, 1 mi W of Memphis
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 34.717, -100.550

Fire department storm spotters reported golfball size hail.

Hail, Hall

When: August 23, 4:50 PM CST to 5:10 PM CST
Where: Hall County, Memphis
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Property damage: $150,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 34.717, -100.533

Fire department storm spotters reported golfball to tennis ball size hail. The hail lasted for approximately 20 minutes and damaged buildings, smashed windows out of automobiles and homes, and destroyed crops in the storm's path.

Hail, Hall

When: August 23, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Hall County, 1 mi E of Memphis
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 34.717, -100.517

Tennis ball size hail was reported by fire department storm spotters.

Hail, Hall

When: August 23, 5:11 PM CST
Where: Hall County, 4 mi E of Memphis
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 34.717, -100.467

Fire department storm spotters reported golfball size hail.

Hail, Hockley

When: August 23, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Hockley County, Busterville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.417, -102.100

Hail, Hockley

When: August 23, 6:04 PM CST
Where: Hockley County, 3 mi NE of Ropesville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 33.450, -102.117

Hail, Lubbock

When: August 23, 6:05 PM CST to 6:15 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County, 6 mi W of Slide
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $20,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.417, -102.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When: August 23, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County, 6 mi W of Slide
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 33.417, -102.000

Hail, Lynn

When: August 23, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Lynn County, New Home
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 33.317, -101.917

Thunderstorm Wind, Lynn

When: August 23, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Lynn County, 3 mi NE of Tahoka
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 33.217, -101.750

The West Texas Mesonet site near Tahoka measured a 74 mph thunderstorm wind gust. A few signs were blown down in the area.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

Every storm in Texas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, August 2001

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: 5262093, 5262094, 5262106, 5262107, 5262096, 5262098, 5262099, 5262095, 5262097, 5262104, 5262103, 5262101, 5262102, 5262100, 5262105.