High Wind in Texas, January 1, 2006

Name: High Wind in Texas, January 1, 2006
Start: 2006-01-01T10:42
End: 2006-01-01T18:00
Location: Texas

January 1, 2006 · NWS AMA · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A deepening low pressure system over the central Plains states resulted in a tight pressure gradient across the Texas panhandle during the late morning into the afternoon hours. and Claude.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 1
Injuries: 3
Property damage: $87,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 happened

The episode as NWS AMA wrote it up.

A deepening low pressure system over the central Plains states resulted in a tight pressure gradient across the Texas panhandle during the late morning into the afternoon hours. Sixty to sixty-five mile an hour gusts were measured at Vega...Amarillo...and Claude. Forty-four mile an hour sustained winds were measured at Panhandle...fifty-eight mile an hour gusts were measured at McLean...forty-six mile an hour sustained winds were measured at Hereford...and sixty mile an hour gusts were measured at Clarendon. The high winds in Randall county caused visibilities from smoke from grass fires and blowing dust to be reduced to near zero and contributed to a seven-vehicle accident about seven miles south of Canyon on Interstate 27. One person was killed and three others were injured in the accident. The reduced visibilities also led the Department of Public Safety to close both lanes of Interstate 27 between Canyon and Happy and also U.S. Highway 60 east of Hereford.

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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 1, 4:08 AM CST, 6 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 4:08 AM CST, 6 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
408 AM CST SUN JAN 1 2006

ADDED FIRE DANGER CONCERN ON TUESDAY (SECOND PARAGRAPH)

.DISCUSSION...
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE THE NEW YEAR WILL START OFF WITH FIRE
WEATHER CONCERNS AS AN INTENSE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS
THE SOUTH PLAINS. STRONG WINDS...DRY FUELS...AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES WILL WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE AN EXTREMELY HIGH FIRE
DANGER. UPGRADED THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH TO A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE
PANHANDLE REGION. THOUGH THE CRITERIA IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE MET UNTIL
THE AFTERNOON HOURS...COMMON SENSE LEADS US TO INCLUDE THE MORNING
HOURS SINCE THE STRONG WIND AND DRY FUEL COMBINATION WILL STILL BE A
VIABLE THREAT. OF COURSE...EXISTING WIND ADVISORY WILL REMAIN FOR THE
ENTIRE FORECAST AREA TODAY.

WINDS WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT ONCE THE SURFACE LOW SLIDES EAST AND THE
PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS. THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS STILL ON
TRACK TO PUSH THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. ONCE
AGAIN...DRY LOW LEVELS WILL PRECLUDE ANY PRECIPITATION FROM
OCCURRING. WARMER SOUNDINGS ON TUESDAY RAISE TEMPERATURES TO NEAR
RECORD UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DOWNSLOPING WINDS. ALSO...BREEZY WINDS
ON TUESDAY WILL INCREASE THE FIRE DANGER AGAIN GIVEN THE PREVAILING
DRY CONDITIONS.

NORTHWEST FLOW EMERGES WEDNESDAY THEN LASTS THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. DRY
PATTERN SHOULD PERSIST WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WHILE MODIFIED
PACIFIC AIR REPLACES ITSELF WITH FRONTAL PASSAGES ON THURSDAY...
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
AMARILLO TX                68  32  64  36 /   0   0   0   0
BEAVER OK                  66  26  60  32 /   0   0   0   0
BOISE CITY OK              64  27  63  32 /   0   0   0   0
BORGER TX                  70  37  64  39 /   0   0   0   0
BOYS RANCH TX              70  28  65  35 /   0   0   0   0
CANYON TX                  69  29  66  35 /   0   0   0   0
CLARENDON TX               72  35  66  37 /   0   0   0   0
DALHART TX                 65  25  62  32 /   0   0   0   0
GUYMON OK                  66  30  64  32 /   0   0   0   0
HEREFORD TX                67  30  65  36 /   0   0   0   0
LIPSCOMB TX                71  29  62  33 /   0   0   0   0
PAMPA TX                   70  37  63  39 /   0   0   0   0
SHAMROCK TX                74  35  65  35 /   0   0   0   0
WELLINGTON TX              77  37  68  35 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     BEAVER...CIMARRON...AND TEXAS.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     BEAVER...CIMARRON...AND TEXAS.

TX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     ARMSTRONG...CARSON...COLLINGSWORTH...DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...
     DONLEY...GRAY...HANSFORD...HARTLEY...HEMPHILL...
     HUTCHINSON...LIPSCOMB...MOORE...OCHILTREE...OLDHAM...
     POTTER...RANDALL...ROBERTS...SHERMAN...AND WHEELER.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     ARMSTRONG...CARSON...COLLINGSWORTH...DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...
     DONLEY...GRAY...HANSFORD...HARTLEY...HEMPHILL...
     HUTCHINSON...LIPSCOMB...MOORE...OCHILTREE...OLDHAM...
     POTTER...RANDALL...ROBERTS...SHERMAN...AND WHEELER.

&&

09/08

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 1, 6:00 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
600 AM CST SUN JAN 1 2006

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-021200-
ARMSTRONG-BEAVER-CARSON-CIMARRON-COLLINGSWORTH-DALLAM-DEAF SMITH-
DONLEY-GRAY-HANSFORD-HARTLEY-HEMPHILL-HUTCHINSON-LIPSCOMB-MOORE-
OCHILTREE-OLDHAM-POTTER-RANDALL-ROBERTS-SHERMAN-TEXAS-WHEELER-
600 AM CST SUN JAN 1 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES.

.DAY ONE...

A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT TODAY ACROSS ALL OF THE TEXAS AND
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES UNTIL 6 PM. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS...LOW AFTERNOON
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...AND DRY GRASSES
WILL ALL COMBINE AND CREATE AN EXTREME FIRE DANGER TODAY.

A WIND ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES UNTIL 6 PM. VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TODAY.
STRONG WESTERLY AND NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
NEAR 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED BY LATE MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST AND REDUCED
VISIBLITIES MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONG WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...

A HIGH FIRE POTENTIAL IS ALSO POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY AS WINDY AND
DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE PANHANDLES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

DRILLETTE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Armstrong

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Armstrong forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.965, -101.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Carson

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Carson forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 35.404, -101.354 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Deaf Smith

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Deaf Smith forecast zone
Measured: 40 kt (46 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.966, -102.605 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Donley

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Donley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.965, -100.814 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Gray

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Gray forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 35.401, -100.813 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Oldham

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Oldham forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 35.405, -102.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Potter

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Randall

When: January 1, 10:42 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Randall forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $87,000
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 34.966, -101.897 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
High Wind, Randall	2006-01-01	50	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, January 2006

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: 5486338, 5486339, 5486340, 5486341, 5486342, 5486343, 5486344, 5486345.