Increasingly dry conditions and breezy southwesterly winds created a favorable meteorological environment for rapid fire spread during the afternoon of the 21st. These conditions fueled a 4,500 acre wildfire south of Plains (Yoakum County).
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 LUB wrote it up.
Increasingly dry conditions and breezy southwesterly winds created a favorable meteorological environment for rapid fire spread during the afternoon of the 21st. These conditions fueled a 4,500 acre wildfire south of Plains (Yoakum County). By early evening, virga showers moved eastward out of New Mexico and spread over the western South Plains. These showers resulted in widespread westerly winds sustained between 30 and 40 mph with gusts measured to be as high as 65 mph.
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 Dec 21, 3:02 AM CST, 10 hours 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 302 AM CST FRI DEC 21 2007 .SHORT TERM... ONE MORE DAY OF MILD WEATHER TODAY AS SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF ENERGETIC TROUGH TRANSLATING THROUGH THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL AID IN A QUICK WARM-UP AFTER A CHILLY START...WITH READINGS CLIMBING WELL INTO THE 60S TO NEAR 70 SOUTHEAST. HIGH CLOUDS WILL THICKEN DURING THE DAY WHICH SHOULD KEEP WINDS IN CHECK...GENERALLY IN THE 15 TO 20 MPH RANGE. THESE WINDS WILL KEEP FIRE WEATHER THREAT MINIMAL THIS AFTN. FOR TONIGHT...THE STRONG UPPER TROUGH WILL PROGRESS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WITH UPPER LIFT DRAMATICALLY INCREASING AFT 03Z OVER THE CWA. BY MID EVENING...SHOULD SEE SOME LIGHT RAIN DEVELOP OVER THE NW CWFA...WHICH WILL QUICKLY MIX WITH THEN CHANGE TO SNOW AFT 06Z AS THE COLUMN COOLS AND A STRONG COLD FRONT RACES SOUTH. ELSEWHERE...A RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL DEVELOP FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST INTO MUCH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AFT MIDNIGHT. AT THIS TIME...THE BEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BE ROUGHLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MORTON...TO OLTON...TO SILVERTON WHERE ONE HALF TO 1 INCH MAY ACCUMULATE BY 12Z. THE COLD FRONT WILL MARCH RAPIDLY SOUTHWARD ACRS THE ENTIRE CWA BY 12Z WITH GUSTY NORTH WINDS IN ITS WAKE. .LONG TERM... LIGHT SNOW LIKELY TO BE ONGOING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE EARLY SATURDAY. WENT WITH A COMPROMISE ON TIMING BETWEEN THE WRF/NMM AND THE SLOWER GFS. COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW AMOUNTS INTO THE SERN PANHANDLE INTO THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON. WILL HOLD OFF WITH SNOW ADVISORY WITH BEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATIONS AFTER 12Z SATURDAY MORNING. BIGGER ISSUE MAY BE WINDS WITH NORTHERLY WINDS REACHING NEAR ADVISORY CRITERIA AROUND 30 MPH FROM MID MORNING SATURDAY UNTIL MID AFTERNOON. THIS WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILLS IN THE TEENS ON THE CAPROCK IN THE MORNING. LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO END IN THE NORTHEAST BY MID AFTERNOON SATURDAY. STAGE WILL BE SET FOR VERY COLD NIGHT SUNDAY MORNING AS WINDS DIMINISH AND COLD DRY AIR LEADS TO EFFICIENT RADIATIONAL COOLING. POSSIBLE LIGHT SNOW COVER ACROSS THE NW MAY ALLOW TEMPS TO FALL INTO THE MID TO UPPER TEENS. UPPER FLOW WILL TRANSITION BACK TO SWLY BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS NEXT UPPER TROUGH DIGS SEWD INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES EASTWARD INTO THE PLAINS. KEPT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST AND EAST ON MONDAY WITH LIGHT SNOW A POSSIBILITY. YET ANOTHER UPPER SYSTEM WILL DROP SOUTHWARD INTO THE FOUR CORNERS AREA BY MIDDAY CHRISTMAS DAY. THIS ONE LOOKS A LITTLE STRONGER AND MAY DIG FARTHER SOUTH AND MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT. PROGRESSIVE PATTERN MAY CONTINUE RIGHT INTO NEXT WEEKEND WITH GFS DEPICTING ANOTHER LOW MOVING ACROSS THE PANHANDLE NEXT THURSDAY OR FRIDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 64 26 34 18 45 / 0 70 70 0 0 TULIA 64 28 33 19 45 / 0 50 70 0 0 PLAINVIEW 66 29 34 21 46 / 0 40 70 0 0 LEVELLAND 68 30 39 21 48 / 0 30 40 0 0 LUBBOCK 68 32 39 22 49 / 0 30 30 0 0 DENVER CITY 69 32 43 23 49 / 0 20 20 0 0 BROWNFIELD 69 32 40 23 49 / 0 20 20 0 0 CHILDRESS 70 34 39 22 49 / 0 30 70 0 0 SPUR 70 35 40 23 50 / 0 20 30 0 0 ASPERMONT 71 37 44 24 52 / 0 10 30 0 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 21/06
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 415 AM CST FRI DEC 21 2007 TXZ021>044-221015- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 415 AM CST FRI DEC 21 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER WEATHER A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN AFFECTING THE AREA TONIGHT... WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND FAR NORTHWEST SOUTH PLAINS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY LESS THAN AN INCH THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH A FEW AREAS RECEIVING ONE TO TWO INCHES BY MIDDAY SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LIGHT SNOWFALL SATURDAY MORNING MAY PRODUCE AN INCH OR MORE OF ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. SNOW MAY PERSIST INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON OVER THE FAR SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS NEAR CHILDRESS AND PADUCAH. STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...WITH SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS POSSIBLY REACHING ADVISORY CRITERIA...NEAR 30 MPH. A FEW GUSTS TO NEAR 45 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. A WEAKER UPPER STORM IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON MONDAY...PERHAPS PRODUCING SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS. A STRONGER STORM MAY APPROACH THE AREA LATE ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS WEST TEXAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LOCAL DECISION MAKERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY. WITH STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS NEAR 30 MPH...VISIBILITES WILL LIKELY BE REDUCED WITH AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AND WIND CHILLS IN THE TEENS SATURDAY MORNING. JAMES/ELLIS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind, 1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Local officials reported that a wildfire burned more than 4,500 acres of grassland south of Plains. No structural damage or injuries were reported.
High westerly winds developed beneath a broad area of virga that spread over the western South Plains during the evening hours of the 21st. Gusts up to 65 mph were measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Morton (Cochran County). The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Anton (Hockley County) measured sustained winds up to 40 mph.
High westerly winds developed beneath a broad area of virga that spread over the western South Plains during the evening hours of the 21st. Gusts up to 65 mph were measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Morton (Cochran County). The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Anton (Hockley County) measured sustained winds up to 40 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2007
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: 65938, 65939, 65940.