An anticyclonic supercell emerged from a convective complex over the northwestern Permian Basin of west Texas during the evening hours of the 4th. This storm quickly propagated north-northeast over the western South Plains region, where low level wind fields favored "left moving" storms north of a stalled frontal boundary.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 LUB wrote it up.
May 4 Severe Thunderstorm Event Summary...An anticyclonic supercell emerged from a convective complex over the northwestern Permian Basin of west Texas during the evening hours of the 4th. This storm quickly propagated north-northeast over the western South Plains region, where low level wind fields favored "left moving" storms north of a stalled frontal boundary. Hail up to the size of golfballs accompanied the storm over Yoakum and Hockly Counties. No significant damage was reported.
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 May 4, 2:50 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 350 PM CDT THU MAY 4 2006 .SHORT TERM... ALL SIGNS POINTING TO A SOUTHWARD SHIFTING SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. COLD FRONT AS OF 3 PM WAS ROUGHLY LOCATED ALONG A LINE FROM HOBBS TO ANDREWS TO JUST WEST OF BIG SPRING. AIRMASS NORTH OF THE FRONT IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO INITIATE NOR SUPPORT CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IN FACT...THE 18Z TEXAS TECH SOUNDING OUT OF REESE SHOWS A STRONG CAPPING INVERSION BETWEEN ROUGHLY 770-720 MB WITH OVER -500 CIN VALUES. STABLE AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT WITH AMPLE LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS ENOUGH TO HOLD SURFACE TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S TO NEAR 70 ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. SEVERE CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY AND AREA OF MOST INTENSE INSTABILITY AND SHEAR AXIS. PERMIAN BASIN AND PARTS OF THE BIG COUNTRY SHOULD BE IN ON MOST OF THE ACTION TODAY. THERE IS AN AXIS OF MARGINAL INSTABILITY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A TATUM TO PLAINS TO BROWNFIELD TO TAHOKA LINE. SURFACE TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED INTO THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S WITH DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S. THESE AREAS STAND A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS HOWEVER...ISOLATED NATURE EXPECTED. WILL CONTINUE HIGH CHANCE POPS FOR THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH ONLY SLIGHT CHANCES OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN COUNTIES. WEAK IMPULSES TRAVERSING THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT COMBINED WITH DECENT MID LEVEL FLOW COULD BE ENOUGH FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS/TSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN TIER. ONLY GENERAL THUNDER EXPECTED AT BEST GIVEN IN-CONDUCIVE STORM ENVIRONMENT. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD RETURN TO THE SOUTH PLAINS OVERNIGHT. THE TRANSPORT COULD BE BRIEFLY INTERRUPTED IF AN MCS CAN DEVELOP OVER THE PERMIAN BASIN. LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG A POSSIBILITY OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN COUNTIES IN THE MORNING. DISTURBANCES IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MAY PRODUCE ENOUGH LIFT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP EARLY FRIDAY MORNING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. PLACEMENT OF THE BOUNDARY AND TIMING OF WEAK DISTURBANCES ALOFT WILL DETERMINE THE PLACEMENT OF STORMS. BEST CHANCES APPEAR TO BE OVER THE SOUTHEAST AS THE BOUNDARY MAY WORK NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT. KW .LONG TERM... AT LEAST ONE MORE DAY OF ACTIVE WEATHER APPEARS IN THE OFFERING FOR THE REGION...BEFORE THE CURRENT WESTERN U.S. TROUGH EJECTS OVER THE PLAINS AND MODERATE NEAR ZONAL/NORTHWESTERLY FLOW IS ESTABLISHED. EXPECT THE FRONT TO BE RETREATING NORTH OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AGAIN...THERE IS UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE COLD POOL REINFORCEMENT BY TONIGHT/S CONVECTION AND THE EXTENT OF NORTHWARD FRONTAL PROGRESSION. HOWEVER...THE WEAKENING MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EJECTING OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AND HEIGHT/PRESSURE FALLS IN ADVANCE OF IT SHOULD CAUSE A SUFFICIENT SURFACE RESPONSE TO LIFT THE SURFACE BOUNDARY BACK INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN FA...LIKELY IN A NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ORIENTATION. MID LEVEL FLOW/DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL INCREASE GIVEN PROXIMITY OF TROUGH/SPEED MAXIMA...WITH AT LEAST SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY FOR A CONTINUED THREAT OF SEVERE SHOULD THE SOUTH/WEST ZONES RECOVER. GIVEN UNCERTAINTY REGARDING EVOLUTION/ LOCATION OF SURFACE FEATURES...WILL NOT INCLUDE SEVERE WORDING ATTM BUT WILL MAINTAIN MENTION IN THE TEXT/GRAPHICAL HAZARD PRODUCTS. OTHERWISE NOTABLY COOLER/WET CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTH/EAST ZONES. WITH THE PASSAGE OF A WEAKENING SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY AND LINGERING MODEST SURFACE MOISTURE...WILL MAINTAIN SLIGHT CHANCE GRIDDED POPS NORTHEAST. COOL SURFACE RIDGING WILL BE REINFORCED IN THE WAKE OF SAID TROUGH AXIS LATE SATURDAY/ EARLY SUNDAY. NEAR ZONAL FLOW WILL TRANSITION TO NORTHWESTERLY BY MONDAY AND THE EFFECTS OF LOW LEVEL RIDGING WILL DECREASE. SOLUTIONS SUGGEST MOISTURE WILL NOT BE WELL REMOVED FROM THE REGION...AND THE ONSET OF LEE TROUGHING LATE MONDAY/EARLY TUESDAY MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO ESTABLISH A SLOSHING DRYLINE PATTERN. WILL MAINTAIN CURRENT NON MENTIONABLE POPS IN THE EXTENDED GIVEN LACK OF LARGE SCALE FEATURES PROMOTING ASCENT. THIS WILL BE MONITORED HOWEVER AS A PROGGED LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN U.S. MAY PUSH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY SOUTH BY MIDWEEK. && .AVIATION... MVFR CEILINGS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF TERMINALS KLBB AND KCDS WITH SEVERE THREAT STAYING OVER THE PERMIAN BASIN AND BIG COUNTRY IN THE VICINITY OF A NEARLY STALLED COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS EARLY FRIDAY. LOW CLOUDS IN THE MVFR TO POSSIBLE LOW END IFR AND PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER 08-10Z. KW && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 48 67 45 68 / 20 30 40 20 TULIA 48 65 44 67 / 30 40 50 20 PLAINVIEW 52 67 47 67 / 30 30 50 20 LEVELLAND 55 71 50 72 / 30 30 30 20 LUBBOCK 58 68 50 69 / 30 30 50 20 BROWNFIELD 59 74 51 75 / 50 30 20 20 CHILDRESS 52 67 51 67 / 30 30 50 20 SPUR 60 71 53 70 / 40 30 50 20 ASPERMONT 60 72 55 71 / 50 30 50 20 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 17/20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1123 AM CDT THU MAY 4 2006 TXZ021>044-051630- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1123 AM CDT THU MAY 4 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. THE SLIGHT RISK AREA IS GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MORTON TO ASPERMONT. A COLD FRONT WAS CONTINUING TO MOVE TO THE SOUTH THROUGH THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS LATE THIS MORNING. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY SLOW OR BECOME STATIONARY JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA IN THE NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN AND BIG COUNTRY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT BY LATE AFTERNOON. MODERATE AMOUNTS OF INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH SUFFICIENT FLOW ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL. SOME SEVERE STRAIGHT-LINE WIND GUSTS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION PARTICULARLY IF WINDS DIRECTLY BEHIND THE FRONT CAN BECOME MORE NORTHEASTERLY OR EASTERLY IN DIRECTION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A MULESHOE TO PLAINVIEW TO MATADOR LINE ON FRIDAY. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE LOCATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS...LIKELY SOMEWHERE JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT...ALONG WITH ANY PREEXISTING BOUNDARIES FROM PREVIOUS DAYS STORMS WILL ALL BE POTENTIAL FOCUSING MECHANISMS FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION. GIVEN MODERATE INSTABILITY AND INCREASING WIND SHEAR...ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.
4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large hail ranging in size from quarters to golfballs was reported by law enforcement officials along Texas Farm to Market Road 214 north of Denver City.
Hail ranging in size from nickels to golfballs reportedly fell along a swath from Sundown to Levelland. No damage was reported.
Multiple reports of penny to quarter size hail were received from locations along a swath just south of Anton.
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, May 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: 5506180, 5506181, 5504866, 5504867.