Isolated severe thunderstorms affected the Big Bend area of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 13th. Very large hail caused damage and one minor injury at Heath Canyon along the Rio Grande in eastern Brewster County.
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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.
Isolated severe thunderstorms affected the Big Bend area of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 13th. Very large hail caused damage and one minor injury at Heath Canyon along the Rio Grande in eastern Brewster 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 May 13, 1:07 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED SPELLING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 207 PM CDT FRI MAY 13 2005 .SHORT TERM... NOT PLANNING ON MAKING MANY CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THE MOISTURE TO HOLD AND THE CAP TO BREAK ALONG THE DRYLINE WILL BE IN THE BIG BEND...LOWER TRANS PECOS REGION AND THE SOUTHEAST PERMIAN BASIN TO THE EXTREME WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS THIS EVENING. THE DRYLINE WILL PROBABLY COME TO A HALT IN THESE AREAS EARLY THIS EVENING DUE TO DIURNAL AFFECTS AND A LAGGING WEAK SOUTHERN STREAM 700 MILLIBAR TROUGH APPROACHING FROM NEW MEXICO. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT CAN FORM WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE BASED ON SHEAR AND BUOYANCY PARAMETERS ALONG WITH VERY STRONG MOISTURE DISCONTINUITY ALONG THE DRYLINE. BY LATER TONIGHT CONVECTION TO THE NORTHEAST SHOULD CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE/FORM TOWARD THE EXTREME WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS AS THE MORE NORTHERN AND STRONGER SHORTWAVE IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS IGNITES THE FRONT. BEST CHANCE POPS OVERNIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES CLOSEST TO CONVECTIVE SYSTEM AND FRONT. VERY DRY AIR ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS DICTATE THAT THE RUC GUIDANCE DEW POINTS LOOK MOST REASONABLE EARLY TONIGHT. WILL LEAN TOWARD THE ETA SURFACE WINDS OVERNIGHT AS THEY HAVE BEEN VERIFYING THE BEST IN THE SHORT TERM TODAY AND USUALLY DO BETTER WITH STRONGER COLD FRONTS. TWEAKED THE TEMPERATURE GRIDS. .LONG TERM... POWERFUL NRN STREAM SHRTWV TROF MOVING OUT OF NRN PLAINS SAT AM WILL REENFORCE SFC HIGH ACRS PLAINS INSURING COLD FRONT MOVES INTO RIO GRANDE VICINITY. SEVERAL FACTORS COME INTO PLAY SAT THAT CONTINUE TO MAKE FORECAST DIFFICULT. FIRST NW MID LEVEL FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE WITH ADVERTISED PRIMARY SHRTWV TROF MOVING INTO NE NM LATE SAT PM AND MINOR SHRTWV ADVERTISED ACROSS PB. NOT SURPRISING POST FRONTAL AIRMASS IS COOLER AND MORE STABLE FARTHER NEWD. THUS BEST INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO FOCUS ACROSS CENTRAL PB S AND W INTO TRANS PECOS. UPSLOPE FLOW AND STEEP MID LEVEL LR/S AND CLEARING SKIES SUFFICIENT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT TSTM DEVELOPMENT DURING THE PM. GFS EXCITED ABOUT DEVELOPING A LOWER TRANS PECOS COMPLEX LATE SAT PM/EARLY EVENING WITH NAM SHOWING ONLY HINTS. ALSO POTENTIAL FOR COMPLEX TO COME OUT OF E CENTRAL NM AND MOVE S INTO A MOIST SE LLJ. FCST ALREADY ACCOUNTS FOR THIS WITH SCT POPS AND SEE NO REASON TO CHANGE ATTP. MORE SHRTWV ENERGY SUNDAY AS NW FLOW BECOME MORE ORGANIZED WITH BETTER MODEL AGREEMENT ON SHRTWV TROF. LOW LEVEL MST AXIS REMAIN PARKED ACRS ERN NM WITH MUCH DRIER AIR TO E. THUS COMPLEX IS GREATLY FAVORED TO MOVE S INTO SE NM AND TRANS PECOS SUNDAY. HAVE INCREASED POPS TO SCT ACRS SE NM. MSTR REMAINS BACKED INTO MTNS MONDAY WITH LACK OF UPPER SUPPORT INDICATED. SUFFICIENT MSTR/ LR/S / UPSLOPE ENUF FOR ISOLD MTN POPS. FLAT RIDGING TUE AMPLIFIES INTO FRIDAY THUS DRY AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BIG SPRING TX 67 74 58 76 / 30 30 20 30 CARLSBAD NM 61 80 61 81 / 0 40 50 40 DRYDEN TX 69 80 65 79 / 20 30 30 20 FORT STOCKTON TX 65 81 64 80 / 20 40 40 30 GUADALUPE PASS TX 59 75 59 77 / 0 30 30 30 HOBBS NM 62 78 62 79 / 0 40 50 40 MARFA TX 54 77 55 74 / 10 30 40 30 MIDLAND INTL AIRPORT TX 63 78 59 77 / 20 30 30 30 ODESSA TX 62 78 59 78 / 20 30 30 30 WINK TX 65 84 64 81 / 10 40 40 30 && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...NONE. TX...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 225 PM CDT FRI MAY 13 2005 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-141851- 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- 225 PM CDT FRI MAY 13 2005 (125 PM MDT FRI MAY 13 2005) THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM THE BIG BEND REGION TO THE STOCKTON PLATEAU THIS EVENING...WITH MORE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ANTICIPATED NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE DRYLINE ACROSS THE EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN TO THE EXTREME WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT. A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS IS ALSO EXPECTED TO FORM ALONG A COLD FRONT LATER TONIGHT AND WILL AFFECT THE EXTREME WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT...MAINLY EAST OF A LAMESA TO BIG SPRING LINE. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE STRONG TO NEAR SEVERE LEVELS... PRODUCING BRIEF WIND GUSTS NEAR 55 MPH AND HAIL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP FROM THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS TO THE BIG BEND REGION THIS EVENING WILL BE IN A WEAKER WIND REGIME. THIS MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IN THESE LOCATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS PROJECTED TO BE ACROSS SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND THE LOWER TRANS PECOS REGION OF WEST TEXAS. LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL BE A CONCERN IN THESE AREAS. IN ADDITION A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND MOVE SOUTHEAST OFF THE NEW MEXICO MOUNTAINS SUNDAY. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS FROM THE WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS...AND SOUTHWARD TO THE EASTERN PERMIAN BASIN AND THE BIG BEND/DAVIS MOUNTAINS AREA SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ACTIVATION THIS EVENING. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT (LOWER CASE) HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
940 AM CDT FRI MAY 13 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM HAIL MARATHON 30.21N 103.24W
05/12/2005 0.88 INCH BREWSTER TX CO-OP OBSERVER
FELL FOR ONE HALF HOUR RANGING IN SIZE FROM PEA TO NICKEL
SIZE HAIL. REPORTED FROM THE MARATHON MOTEL.
&&
02/74The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 190 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:34 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter from rural Pecos County reported that trees were stripped of their leaves by large hail along Longfellow Road in southern Pecos County.
A National Weather Service Cooperative Observer reported walnut to golfball size hail at Heath Canyon. The hail persisted for ten minutes, and caused damage to a travel trailer.
The National Weather Service Cooperative Observer at Heath Canyon, noted in the previous entry, sustained minor injuries when he was struck on the head by a very large hail stone. Baseball size stones were sporadically mixed with smaller hail, but additionally caused damage to a nearby trailer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2005
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: 5451166, 5451167, 5451168.