Strong thunderstorms affected the northern and eastern Permian Basin of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening of the 18th. These storms produced very heavy rainfall at some locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Strong thunderstorms affected the northern and eastern Permian Basin of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening of the 18th. These storms produced very heavy rainfall at some locations. A Mitchell County resident measured 4.8 inches of rain that fell in a short time south of Loraine. Flash flooding made local roads and highways impassable across portions of Martin and Mitchell Counties.
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 18, 1:04 PM CST, 4 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 204 PM CDT WED AUG 18 2004 .SHORT TERM... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES SHRTWV TROF CENTERED JUST SSE OF KMAF WITH PRIMARY MID LEVEL THETA-E RIDGE AXIS ORIENTED NW-SE THRU S PLAINS AND ERN PB. THIS SHRTWV TROF IS MVG EWD AND EXPECT MAIN LIFT WILL BE EXITING THE E-NE AREAS LATE PM. ANOTHER SHRTWV TROF LOCATED JUST SW OF PRESIDIO MOVING EWD IS AIDING IN DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS ACRS TRANS PECOS. LOW LEVEL CONVERGENT AXIS LOCATED INVOF/E MTNS WHILE MID LEVEL LIFT IS BULLSEYED ACRS TRANS PECOS. VISIBLE IMAGERY INDICATES A BREAK IN CLOUDS ACRS WRN PB/LOWER TRANS PECOS WHERE MSAS LI/S DEPICT INSTABILITY AXIS. FAVORABLE STORM MOTION VECTORS 23015KT FAVORS STORMS THAT ARE DEVELOPING INVOF MTNS TO MOVE INTO MORE UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. THUS EXPECT STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. DEVELOPMENT OF 20-25KT 85H WINDS EARLY EVENING ACRS PB WILL ALLOW STORMS TO MOVE INTO CENTRAL PB BY EARLY EVENING. PW/S STILL NEAR 1.25 AND HVY RN IS A CONCERN (ALTHOUGH SLOW MOVERS NOT ANTICIPATED). HEAVY RN IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GRIDS/ZFP/HWO ACRS TRANS PECOS/WRN PB. CONTEMPLATING ISSUANCE OF A FLASH FLOOD WATCH ACRS TRANS PECOS...HOWEVER LACK OF MORE WIDESPREAD DEVELOPMENT W OF THE RIO GRANDE IS A LIMITING FACTOR. EXPECT THAT A FEW FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS WILL BE ISSUED THIS EVENING BUT FOR NOW ANTICIPATING IT TO BE LOCAL IN NATURE. RIVER FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT JUST BELOW PRESIDIO THRU THURSDAY FOR MINOR FLOODING...ADDITIONAL RAINS TONIGHT COULD ADD TO RIVER CONCERNS. EARLY UPDATES FOR WATCH MAY NEEDED. OTHERWISE ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE TO TEMP GRIDS. .LONG TERM... LOOKS LIKE AN ACTIVE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT REGIME THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WITH A TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT SUNDAY AND BEYOND WITH CLOSED LOW ALONG THE WEST COAST/INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. NORTHERN STREAM COLD FRONT IN TANDEM WITH QUICK MOVING SHORTWAVE TRANSLATING THROUGH THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS WILL BRING SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE OF CONVECTION ACROSS THE PLAINS LATE THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT. LEFT EXIT REGION OF AN UPPER LEVEL SPEED MAX MOVING OVER THE AREA WILL ENHANCE WIND SHEAR AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS IN THE PERMIAN BASIN...REFER TO SWODY2. A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES WILL BE APPROACHING THE NORTHERN COUNTY WARNING AREA LATE IN THE DAYS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH THE FRONT SOMEWHERE HUNG UP IN THE PERMIAN BASIN. THERE SHOULD BE AMPLE LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND INSTABILITY TO REGENERATE AT LEAST ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION BOTH DAYS. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS AGAIN IN THE PERMIAN BASIN GIVEN THE COMBINATION OF WEAK TO MODERATE WIND SHEAR AND DECENT INSTABILITY. WILL GO ISOLATED POPS THESE DAYS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN GIVEN LESS INSTABILITY AND THOSE AREAS FURTHER AWAY FROM THE FRONT. DECIDED AT THIS TIME TO SHOTGUN 20 POPS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND ISOLATED POPS IN THE PLAINS SUNDAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY WITH A CLOSED LOW NEAR THE WEST COAST. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE TO GENERATE WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION IN THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS. DID NOT WANT TO JUMP ON THE HIGHER POPS JUST YET FROM THE MEXMAF IN THE PLAINS WITH THE CLOSED LOW STILL SO FAR TO THE WEST. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO MONITOR. GENERALLY WENT WITH GUIDANCE TEMPS IN THE EXTENDED...SHAVED A DEGREE OR TWO OFF THE HIGHS WITH RECENT WET PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BIG SPRING TX 68 91 69 93 / 30 20 40 20 CARLSBAD NM 65 94 64 97 / 50 20 30 20 DRYDEN TX 69 91 69 95 / 50 20 20 10 FORT STOCKTON TX 67 94 68 96 / 60 20 30 10 GUADALUPE PASS TX 64 88 63 89 / 50 20 30 10 HOBBS NM 64 91 65 93 / 40 20 30 20 MARFA TX 57 87 56 88 / 50 10 20 0 MIDLAND INTL AIRPORT TX 67 92 69 93 / 40 20 30 20 ODESSA TX 67 92 69 94 / 40 20 30 20 WINK TX 69 98 69 100 / 50 20 30 20 && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. NM...NONE. && 49/12
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 202 PM CDT WED AUG 18 2004 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-190100- ANDREWS-BIG BEND AREA-BORDEN-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-CRANE- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-DAWSON-ECTOR-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS-GAINES- GLASSCOCK-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY- HOWARD-LOVING-MARFA PLATEAU-MARTIN-MIDLAND-MITCHELL- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-REAGAN- REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS-SCURRY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY- TERRELL-UPTON-VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-WARD-WINKLER- 202 PM CDT (102 PM MDT) WED AUG 18 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AND POSSIBLY EXTENDING INTO TONIGHT. SCATTERED STORMS IN THE NORTHEAST PERMIAN BASIN ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST AND DECREASE ACROSS THE AREA...HOWEVER LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED AND FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS WILL REMAIN THROUGH 7 PM. ACROSS THE TRANS PECOS REGION HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO A CONCERN WITH MOST STORMS EXPECTED IN VICINITY OF THE PECOS RIVER AND IN WESTERN PERMIAN BASIN. FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING IS A CONCERN INTO THE EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PERMIAN BASIN LATER THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAIN IS THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH STORMS INTO THE EVENING SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF LOCALLY STRONG WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE PERMIAN BASIN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL DEVELOP IN CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND HEAVY RAIN THE PRIMARY CONCERNS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. HOWEVER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS...STORM SPOTTER GROUPS...AND OTHER INTERESTED CONCERNS SHOULD MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD DANGEROUS WEATHER MOVE INTO YOUR AREA.
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.
2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office reported flood waters flowing over State Highway 349 in northwest Martin County and Farm to Market Road 829 near Grady.
Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding over rural portions of northern Mitchell County. Local officials reported high water flowing over the intersection of County Road 426 and Farm to Market Road 644 south of Loraine.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2004
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: 5418479, 5418480.