Thunderstorms across the Permian Basin resulted in microbursts and flash flooding. The most significant events occurred at Welch in Dawson County, and in and around the city of Big Spring in Howard County.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 MAF wrote it up.
Thunderstorms across the Permian Basin resulted in microbursts and flash flooding. The most significant events occurred at Welch in Dawson County, and in and around the city of Big Spring in Howard County.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 21, 1:05 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 205 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002 A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS OF NEW MEXICO...AND A MID LEVEL RIDGE IS CURRENTLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL RIO GRANDE VALLEY. OF CONCERN ARE ISOLATED HEAVY 24 HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE BIG BEND...SOME AS MUCH AS 2 TO 4 INCHES. FOCUS FOR STORM ACTIVITY TONIGHT SHOULD BE FROM THE BIG BEND/DAVIS MOUNTAINS...NORTHEAST ACROSS THE UPPER TRANS PECOS...FAR SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...AND THE WESTERN BASIN. THIS COINCIDES WITH AREA OF LIFT/MID LEVEL INSTABILITY DEPICTED ON VIS IMAGERY. VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES A NARROWING ZONE OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE EXTENDING ACROSS THE AREA...WEST OF THE RIDGE. OBSERVED AND FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE AN ALMOST MODIFIED TROPICAL TYPE SOUNDING WITHIN THIS ZONE ABOVE AN INVERTED V BOUNDARY LAYER. THEREFORE... MICROBURSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH STRONGER STORMS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE A CONCERN AS WELL...AND WILL BE MENTIONED IN THE CENTRAL ZONES. EXPECTED ISOLATED NATURE OF FLASH FLOODING SHOULD PRECLUDE THE NEED FOR FLASH FLOOD WATCH...HOWEVER WILL MONITOR RADAR TRENDS AND COVERAGE ACROSS THE BIG BEND. RIDGE SHOULD BUILD WEST THURSDAY...LIMITING CONVECTION TO MAINLY MOUNTAINOUS ZONES. LOW LEVEL THETA E AXIS...WHICH HAS CORRESPONDED WELL TO CONVECTION LAST SEVERAL DAYS...WILL MIGRATE WEST THROUGH FRIDAY. WILL LEAVE ISOLATED THUNDER ACROSS THOSE AREAS...WITH A DRYING TREND EXPECTED BEYOND TONIGHT FOR THE PLAINS. NO HARD EVIDENCE FOR CHANGING THE EXTENDED ATTM. PRELIMINARY NUMBERS... MAF 74/100/76/099 4--0 LSA 72/099/72/097 4--0 6R6 75/098/75/097 2--0 MRF 62/092/63/090 5211 CNM 70/102/71/101 21-- .MAF... TX...NONE. NM...NONE. LINDLEY
NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-221100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 300 PM CDT WED AUG 21 2002 .SYNOPSIS... A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OVER FAR WEST TEXAS COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS...THE BIG BEND REGION AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS OF PECOS AND REEVES COUNTIES. .WEATHER HAZARDS... THUNDERSTORMS... ANY THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL RESULTING IN LOCAL FLOODING. AREAS WHICH HAVE RECENTLY RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO WATER COVERED ROADWAYS AND LOCAL FLOODING OF ARROYOS AND BAR DITCHES. WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. PLATT
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
An intense microburst with winds of 80 MPH affected the town of Welch resulting in damage. Farm equipment was destroyed. Lights at the football stadium were also blown down. There were no reports of significant structural damage or injuries, however, minor roof damage occurred.
Intense downpours resulting from the microburst caused flash flooding in Welch. At least one car was stranded in the flood waters with water up to the windows. No injuries were reported.
The Texas DOT reported flash flooding resulting in two feet of water over Farm to Market 1832.
Minor flooding of rural roads was reported.
A large tree was blown over by 60 MPH severe thunderstorms winds.
Numerous reports of street flooding were received from the city of Big Spring proper. Several roads had to be closed due to flash flooding.
Wild Horse Creek flooded resulting in a foot of running water over Highway 350 near the northeast side of Big Spring.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2002
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: 5313845, 5313846, 5313764, 5313767, 5313768, 5313765, 5313766.