April 1 Event Summary: A complex of severe thunderstorms developed along a dryline over the northeastern South Plains and the northern rolling plains of west Texas during the late afternoon and early evening of the 1st. The storms generally produced hail up to the size of golfballs and severe winds.
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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 LUB wrote it up.
April 1 Event Summary: A complex of severe thunderstorms developed along a dryline over the northeastern South Plains and the northern rolling plains of west Texas during the late afternoon and early evening of the 1st. The storms generally produced hail up to the size of golfballs and severe winds. Two reports of giant hail also were received from rural locations in Cottle and Childress Counties. No reports of significant damage were received.
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 Apr 1, 2:55 PM CST, 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 255 PM CST SAT APR 1 2006 .SHORT TERM... DRYLINE IS FINALLY MIXING EAST ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE SPLNS AND PERMIAN BASIN...WITH A BIT OF A BULGE SOUTH OF OUR CWA AS STRONGER WESTERLY MOMENTUM IS MIXING DOWN IN THAT AREA. WV IMAGERY AND AREA PROFILERS SHOW A SHARP MID/UPR LEVEL TROUGH MOVING ACROSS NM AND FAR WTX. LIFT FROM THIS TROUGH WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA THIS AFTN AND EVE. HOWEVER...THIS LIFT IS ACCOMPANIED BY CONSIDERABLE CIRRUS SHIELD THAT WILL PLAY SOME ROLE IN RETARDING FURTHER MIXING/HEATING. 18Z AMA/MAF SNDGS AND WTXM MESONET SNDG FROM REESE SHOW POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS EAST OF THE DRYLINE WITH LARGE CAPE AND DECENT SHEAR...WHICH SHOULD BE INCREASING THIS EVE AS LOW-LVL SRLY WINDS INCREASE. CAP DOES INCREASE FURTHER SOUTH AND MAY LIMIT DEVELOPMENT SOUTH OF AROUND LBB LATITUDE. BEST FOCUS FOR TSTMS STILL APPEARS TO BE ACROSS THE NRN ROLLING PLAINS...WITH LOWER POTENTIAL FURTHER TO THE SOUTH OFF THE CAPROCK. STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE TO POTENTIAL TO QUICKLY BECOME SVR AND EVEN PRODUCE AN ISOLD TORNADO ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN COUNTIES. PLEASE SEE MORE INFO ON SVR POTENTIAL VIA HWOLUB...AND SPC PRODUCTS. TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST OVERNIGHT AND SHOULD END TSTM THREAT BY MIDN. WINDS WILL SLOWLY VEER FROM SW TO NW SUN MORN AND MAY BE A BIT GUSTY IN THE MORN HRS BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING. DRY AIR WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT IN AND WIND/RH MAY APPROACH RED FLAG CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CAPROCK BY MIDDAY...HOWEVER FCST WIND SPEEDS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR ANY HIGHLIGHTS ATTM. .LONG TERM... COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SLIDE INTO WEST TEXAS SUNDAY NIGHT BRINGING COOLER EASTERLY WINDS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL BACK INTO THE 70S ON MONDAY THEN A GRADUAL WARMING TREND AS WE SEE SOME GULF MOISTURE RETURN IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT PIECE OF JET ENERGY. WE COULD SEE SOME WARM ADVECTION SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS AS EARLY AS TUESDAY NIGHT BUT BETTER CHANCES WILL BE WEDNESDAY ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRYLINE. THE DRYLINE SHOULD SET UP SOMEWHERE NEAR THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE CAPROCK. WE WILL ONCE AGAIN SEE SOME STRONGER WINDS AS THE ENERGY MOVES INTO THE PLAINS ON THURSDAY. THIS COULD LEAD TO SOME FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS BUT PLENTY OF TIME TO EVALUATE THIS POTENTIAL. ANOTHER BRIEF COOL DOWN INTO THE 70S FOR THURSDAY BUT WARMING AGAIN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 46 75 40 67 / 0 0 0 0 TULIA 50 76 41 69 / 20 0 0 0 PLAINVIEW 52 79 41 70 / 20 10 0 0 LEVELLAND 50 80 42 73 / 0 0 0 0 LUBBOCK 52 80 43 73 / 20 10 0 0 BROWNFIELD 51 81 43 73 / 0 0 0 0 CHILDRESS 56 79 48 72 / 50 10 0 0 SPUR 56 82 45 73 / 20 10 0 0 ASPERMONT 59 84 50 74 / 30 10 0 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 33/18
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1126 AM CST SAT APR 1 2006 TXZ021>044-021730- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1126 AM CST SAT APR 1 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM CLARENDON TO MATADOR TO GUTHRIE. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TULIA TO POST. A DRYLINE WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS LATE THIS MORNING AND MOVE EAST INTO THE CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS BY MID AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORM INITIATION IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR AROUND 2 PM CST ALONG THE DRYLINE. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE EAST OF THE DRYLINE AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE STORMS MOVE EAST INTO DEEPER MOISTURE AND BETTER WIND SHEAR...MAINLY ACROSS THE MODERATE RISK AREA. WARMER TEMPERATURES IN THE MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE WILL LIMIT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT FURTHER SOUTH AND ACTIVITY SOUTH OF A LUBBOCK TO GUTHRIE LINE IS EXPECTED TO BE MORE ISOLATED. HOWEVER...ANY THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DEVELOP IN THIS AREA MAY ALSO QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:38 UTC.
9 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Large hail ranging in size from quarters to golfballs was reported in Dougherty. No damage was reported.
A severe thunderstorm produced large hail up to the size of golfballs as it tracked over northern Motley County. Initial reports from the Matador Fire Department indicated nickel to golfball size hail along Texas Highway 70 north of Matador at 16:02 CST. A National Weather Service cooperative observer additionally reported quarter size hail as the storm tracked northeast over rural areas south of Northfield shortly before 16:30 CST.
A second severe storm affected the southern and central sections of Motley County during the afternoon of the 1st. The Matador Fire Department reported nickle size hail in the city.
Multiple reports of hail up to the size of golfballs were received along U.S. Highway 62/83 north of Paducah. The hail reportedly covered the ground. No damage was reported.
A severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts up to 72 MPH at the Childress Airport. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that the winds were accompanied by large hail. No reports of significant damage were received.
Several reports of large hail were received from the Childress area. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported nickel size hail accompanied by severe winds in the city. Storm spotters additionally reported hail to the size of golfballs. No damage was reported.
The Paducah Fire Department reported lime size hail along U.S. Highway 62/83 in northern Cottle County. No damage was reported.
The public reported nickel size hail in Swearingen as a second severe storm impacted the eastern portions of Cottle County.
The Childress County Sheriff's Office reported golfball size hail along U.S. Highway 287 just west of Kirkland.
A National Weather Service cooperative observer reported very large hail up to the size of tennis balls just west of Kirkland.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2006
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: 5497425, 5497426, 5497491, 5497492, 5497494, 5497495, 5497493, 5496848, 5496849, 5496850.