Winter Storm in Texas, January 30 to 31, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Texas, January 30 to 31, 2002
Start: 2002-01-30T11:00
End: 2002-01-31T03:00
Location: Texas

January 30 to 31, 2002 · NWS LUB · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

9 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 Jan 30, 9:15 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 30, 9:15 AM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

SOUTH PLAINS AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK, TX
915 AM CST WED JAN 30 2002

COLD AIR ADVECTION BEGINNING IN ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS
THIS MORNING WHERE TEMPERATURES HAVE FALLEN TO AROUND 30 DEGREES IN
FRIONA AND TULIA. CURRENT TEMPS IN AMA ARE IN THE MID 20S. THERE IS
A SHARP CONTRAST IN TEMPERATURES COMPARED TO FRIONA AND TULIA WHERE
OLTON IS 36 DEGREES AND MULESHOE WAS 40 DEGREES. THIS WILL SOON
CHANGE AS COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE SOUTH...INTO THE REMAINDER
OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AREAS OF
RAIN...ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHWEST WILL CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN
AND MIX WITH SLEET THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE
CONTINUING EAST OF THE CAPROCK ESCARPMENT FROM CHILDRESS TO
CROSBYTON. TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS ARE IN THE LOWER
30S.

WILL UPDATE ZONES TO REFLECT TEMPERATURES REMAINING STEADY IN THE
NORTHWEST AND FALLING TEMPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL SECTIONS. WILL HAVE
TO MAKE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS AT THIS TIME. WILL LIKELY UPDATE AS NEEDED
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH CHANGING CONDITIONS. ALSO MONITORING
ADVISORIES FOR POSSIBLE EXPANSION.

.LUB...
FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY TODAY TXZ25-26-31-32
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY TXZ21>24-27>30

AC

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Parmer

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Parmer forecast zone
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.530, -102.784 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A cold front pushed into the South Plains area from the east and northeast during the early morning hours of the 30th. Meanwhile, a strong upper level disturbance was approaching the region from New Mexico. As the disturbance approached, a large area of precipitation developed during the morning of the 30th as relatively warm and moist air was lifted up over the cold air near the surface. Due to the rather shallow depth of the cold air, the precipitation fell as freezing rain and sleet over the extreme southern Panhandle and northern South Plains. One quarter to three quarters of an inch of ice was reported on exposed surfaces. The ice brought down a few trees and some power lines but damage was not widespread from this storm. The precipitation changed to snow during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 30th with one to two inches accumulating on top of the ice over the southwestern Panhandle. The precipitation ended early on the 31st.

Winter Storm, Bailey

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Bailey forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.830 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Briscoe

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Briscoe forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Castro

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Castro forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.530, -102.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Childress

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Childress forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.529, -100.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hale

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Hale forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Hall

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Hall forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.531, -100.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Lamb

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Lamb forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Swisher

When: January 30, 11:00 AM CST to January 31, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Swisher forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, January 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: 5279816, 5279958, 5279959, 5279960, 5279961, 5279962, 5279963, 5279964, 5279965.