Texas, 2002

Damaging Wind in Texas, August 19, 2002

August 19, 2002 · NWS AMA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm over the south central Texas panhandle produced damaging winds during the early evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$250,000
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 AMA wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm over the south central Texas panhandle produced damaging winds during the early evening hours.

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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 19, 1:03 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 19, 1:03 PM CST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
203 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

COUPLE OF INTERESTING FEATURES TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON TONIGHT AND
TUESDAY...SHOULD BRING SOME MAINLY NIGHTTIME SHOWERS TO PARTS OF THE
PANHANDLES.

PROGRESSIVE 70KT NORTHERN STREAM UPPER LEVEL JET LOCATED OVER THE
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS OF NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD ALLOW FOR A
RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS OVERNIGHT
TONIGHT. MEANWHILE...RICH MID LEVEL MOISTURE PLUME CONTINUES BETWEEN
ARIZONA AND TEXAS WITH HIGH SURFACE DEW POINTS IN THE 60 TO 65 DEGREE
RANGE OVER MUCH OF WEST TEXAS. ANOTHER LOW LEVEL JET AROUND 35 KTS IS
FORECAST TO DEVELOP TONIGHT BY THIS MORNING MODELS...SIMILAR TO LAST
NIGHT. AVN/ETA ISENTROPIC ANALYSIS AT 320 DEGREES KELVIN ALSO SIMILAR
WITH MOIST IMPULSE MOVING OVER THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE
TONIGHT/EARLY TUESDAY MORNING FROM THE SOUTH WITH WEAK DISTURBANCES
IN THE MID LEVEL FLOW OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. PLAN TO MENTION
20-30 PCNT POPS TONIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR HIGH BASED ACTIVITY. ALREADY
SOME TSRA DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE.

MOUNTAIN CONVECTION OVER NEW MEXICO AND COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON WILL
HAVE SOME NORTHWARD AND EASTWARD PUSH. DO NOT EXPECT WEAK COOL FRONT
CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER THE NORTHWEST ZONES TO BE MUCH OF A FACTOR FOR
OUR AREA UNLESS CONVECTION TO THE NORTH OF THE PANHANDLES GETS VERY
ORGANIZED TONIGHT SO WILL KEEP TEMPS SEASONAL WITH LEE TROUGH IN
PLACE OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS.

MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE SUPPORTS A CFP SOMETIME ON FRIDAY NIGHT SO
WILL TREND TEMPS SLIGHTLY LOWER ON SATURDAY AND MENTION SOME SLIGHT
CHANCE POPS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT.

THANKS FOR COORD KOUN.

FCSTID = 13

AMARILLO    67 94 66 95 /  30 00 20 00
BEAVER      64 93 68 95 /  20 00 20 00
BOISE CITY  61 92 63 93 /  30 00 20 00
BORGER      66 95 68 96 /  30 00 20 00
BOYS RANCH  65 95 67 96 /  30 00 20 00
CANYON      67 94 65 94 /  30 00 20 00
CLARENDON   68 96 67 96 /  20 00 20 00
DALHART     64 92 64 94 /  30 00 20 00
GUYMON      64 94 67 95 /  30 00 20 00
HEREFORD    67 95 64 94 /  20 00 20 00
LIPSCOMB    64 93 68 95 /  20 00 20 00
PAMPA       67 94 67 94 /  30 00 20 00
SHAMROCK    71 96 68 96 /  20 00 20 00
WELLINGTON  72 97 68 97 /  20 00 20 00

.AMA...
TX...NONE.
OK...NONE.

SLATTERY

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Randall

When
August 19, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Randall County, 5 mi N of Canyon
Measured
69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage
$250,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.050, -101.917

Several mobile homes were damaged with six to ten receiving moderate damage and twenty-five to thirty receiving only slight damage. Some vehicles were overturned and a few outbuildings had roofs or sidings ripped off. A dozen power poles were snapped by the strong winds. A large round trampoline was lifted over a house and split a big cedar rail fence like toothpicks. A Chevrolet dealer had tiles blown off the building and there was damage to vehicles on the lot.

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2002

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: 5312599.