Winter Weather in Texas, December 22, 2007

Name: Winter Weather in Texas, December 22, 2007
Start: 2007-12-22T10:00
End: 2007-12-22T17:15
Location: Texas

December 22, 2007 · NWS AMA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

One to two inches of snow combined with strong winds to create white out conditions east of Amarillo and also near Pampa. S.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2
Injuries: 150
Property damage: $1.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

One to two inches of snow combined with strong winds to create white out conditions east of Amarillo and also near Pampa. The snow and blowing snow contributed to a major vehicular accident on Interstate 40 near the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and also at the intersection of U.S. Highway 60 and Texas State Highway 152. A sixty-five year old male was killed in the Potter County accident and one person was killed in the Gray County accident.

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 Dec 22, 5:52 AM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 5:52 AM CST, 4 hours 8 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
552 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007

.AVIATION...
WINTRY WEATHER WILL MAINTAIN IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS DURING THE MORNING
HOURS AS THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE EXITING LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM PRODUCING SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THOUGH THE SNOW SHOULD END BY
MIDDAY OVER KAMA...KDHT AND KGUY...STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO
THE AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD RETURN BY LATE AFTERNOON.

NUNEZ

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 442 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007/

DISCUSSION...
MAIN FORECAST CONCERN DEALS WITH THE SHORT TERM DETAILS WHICH
INCLUDES PRECIP TIMING AND WINDS.

CURRENT WV IMAGERY WITH RUC UPPER AIR ANALYSIS OVERLAY SHOW A
VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH OVER NEW MEXICO. A 120 KT JET WAS PUNCHING
INTO THE BASE OF THE TROUGH...WHICH WILL ACT TO ACCELERATE IT
NORTHEAST TO THE GREAT LAKES BY SUN. CURRENT RADAR SHOWS AN AREA OF
MIXED PRECIPITATION SPREADING INTO PORTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES. WITH
SFC TEMPS HOVERING NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING...EXPECT A CHANGE OVER TO
ALL SNOW SOON.

FOR TODAY...THE UPPER TROUGH WILL QUICKLY MOVE ACROSS THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE. STRONG UPPER DYNAMICS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE PANHANDLES
THIS MORNING...SO EXPECT THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TO OCCUR THEN.
ONE CAVEAT TO THIS IS THAT SFC WINDS DO NOT HAVE MUCH OF AN UPSLOPE
COMPONENT WHICH WOULD LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF LLVL MOISTURE.
IRREGARDLESS...FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE FAIRLY SATURATED PROFILES
WITH TEMPS BELOW FREEZING THROUGHOUT THE COLUMN SO PRECIP THIS
MORNING SHOULD BE ALL SNOW. SINCE THIS IS A PROGRESSIVE SYSTEM...
SNOW WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST AND ADJUSTED POPS TO END THE TIMING
OF THE SNOW SOONER ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. STILL
EXPECT THE GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE WHERE
CLOSE TO 4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE. GIVEN THIS...CONTINUED THE SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY WHICH EXPIRES THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION TO
PRECIP...STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TODAY BEFORE
DIMINISHING TONIGHT. CURRENT OBS ALREADY SHOW SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 30
KTS IN THE FAR NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE PANHANDLES AND THE TUCUMCARI
PROFILER SHOWS WINDS OF 35 KTS AROUND 900 MB. WITH STRONG CAA AND
PRESSURE RISES ON THE ORDER OF 5 MB...SEE NO REASON WHY THE CWA WILL
NOT SEE ADVISORY CRITERIA WINDS SO HOISTED A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE
ENTIRE CWA THROUGH 6 PM THIS EVENING. SKIES WILL RAPIDLY CLEAR
TONIGHT AND WITH DIMINISHING WINDS AND AN ANTICIPATED FRESH SNOW
PACK...WENT SLIGHTLY UNDER MOS GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS TONIGHT...WITH LOWS
MAINLY IN THE TEENS.

MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A PROGRESSIVE WEATHER PATTERN AS SEVERAL
UPPER TROUGHS MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS. THE FIRST WILL DROP SOUTHEAST
OUT OF THE INTER MOUNTAIN WEST AND MOVE ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT AND
MON. DID INCREASE POPS A BIT BUT STILL KEPT THEM SILENT AS ASCENT
INCREASES AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH ALTHOUGH MID AND
UPPER MOISTURE REMAINS LIMITED.

ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH IS PROGGED TO DROP SOUTHEAST ON CHRISTMAS DAY
AND CROSS THE PANHANDLES THAT NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO TAP INTO
MORE MOISTURE SO MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. DID PUSH BACK
THE TIMING OF PRECIP TO THAT EVENING AS SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT AND
MOISTURE LOOKS TO BE MAXIMIZED THEN.

FINAL TROUGH WILL ALSO DROP SOUTHEAST AND MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL
PLAINS THU. THE OPERATIONAL GFS IS MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN ENSEMBLES
SO KEPT THE DRY FCST INTACT. AS FOR TEMPS...GENERALLY FOLLOWED
MEXMOS GUIDANCE WITH TEMPS GENERALLY RUNNING BELOW AVERAGE.

CLK

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
     THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...COLLINGSWORTH...
     DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...DONLEY...GRAY...HANSFORD...HARTLEY...
     HEMPHILL...HUTCHINSON...LIPSCOMB...MOORE...OCHILTREE...
     OLDHAM...POTTER...RANDALL...ROBERTS...SHERMAN...WHEELER.

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

OK...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
     THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BEAVER...CIMARRON...TEXAS.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: BEAVER...CIMARRON...TEXAS.

&&

08/05

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 22, 6:00 AM CST, 4 hours before

TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
600 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007

CORRECTED DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-221900-
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 SAT DEC 22 2007

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

.DAY ONE...

A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST
THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. TOTAL SNOW
ACCUMULATION WILL RANGE FROM THREE INCHES OVER THE OKLAHOMA AND
EXTREME NORTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLES...TO ONE INCH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
TEXAS PANHANDLE. ALSO...A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST
THIS AFTERNOON FOR ALL OF THE PANHANDLES. STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL
RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY
AT TIMES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS AND COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO.

NUNEZ/KRAUSE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Gray

When: December 22, 10:00 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Gray forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 13 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $400,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.401, -100.813 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow and strong winds combined to produce white out conditions near Pampa. This contributed to a twenty-seven car accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 60 and Texas State Highway 152. Thirteen people were injured and transported to the hospital...and one person was killed.

Winter Weather, Potter

When: December 22, 10:20 AM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where: Potter forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 137 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.2 million
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.401, -101.894 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow and blowing snow contributed to an eighty to one hundred car accident on Interstate 40 east near the intersection of U.S. Highway 287. One sixty-five year old male was killed in his vehicle...twenty-one people were injured and transported to the hospital...and one hundred and sixteen people received minor injuries.

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
Winter Weather, Gray	2007-12-22			Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct
Winter Weather, Potter	2007-12-22	65	Male	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, December 2007

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: 68363, 68362.