Thunderstorms initiated over the central Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon hours of the 26th. This activity organized into a derecho, or long-lived extreme wind event, as it moved south across portions of the west Texas South Plains and the Permian Basin.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Thunderstorms initiated over the central Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon hours of the 26th. This activity organized into a derecho, or long-lived extreme wind event, as it moved south across portions of the west Texas South Plains and the Permian Basin.
On the South Plains, areas of Yoakum, Terry, and Lynn Counties were hit particularly hard. A thunderstorm wind gust up to 81 mph was measured in western Yoakum County. Damage to utility poles and trees was widespread, but winds up to 75 mph and small hail combined to damage or destroy 20,000 acres of cotton in Lynn County. Fortunately, no reports of structural damage were received and no injuries were reported. Total losses to electrical co-ops and agricultural interests, however, exceeded $1.5 million.
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 Jun 26, 2:23 PM CST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 323 PM CDT TUE JUN 26 2007 .SHORT TERM... CONVERGENCE AXIS HAS INITIATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE WITH SATELLITE SUGGESTING ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT FURTHER SOUTH INTO THE NRN FCST AREA NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. ALSO SEEING THE COLD FRONT BEGINNING TO INITIATE STORMS ACROSS NERN NEW MEXICO AND THEN FURTHER DEVELOPMENT SWD ALONG THE ROCKIES OF NRN NEW MEXICO. EXPECT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT...LIKELY INTO SOME FORM OF COMPLEX...WHICH WILL MOVE SSEWD INTO THE FCST AREA. SOME SEVERE THREAT THROUGH SUNSET WITH WIND AND MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREATS. HIGH CHANCE INTO LIKELY CATEGORY POPS LOOK GOOD ATTM WITH SOME REFINEMENT POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING. EXPECT MOST OF THE ACTION TO BE OUT OF THE FCST AREA BY 12Z WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT NOT MUCH LATER. UPPER LEVEL SHEAR AXIS WILL REMAIN JUST TO THE EAST OF THE FCST AREA. WITH SOME LOW LEVEL STABILIZATION WEDNESDAY AND BETTER LOW LEVEL FOCUS AND UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT LIKELY OUT OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY IT LOOKS LIKE PRECIP WILL BE LESS LIKELY...BUT NOT COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION. WILL MAINTAIN SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE POPS FAVORING ERN AND SRN ZONES GIVEN EXPECTED PLACEMENT OF THE AFOREMENTIONED FEATURES. HIGHS WEDNESDAY ARE A BIT TRICKY WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT VARIATIONS IN CLOUD COVER. GUIDANCE IS FAIRLY CLUSTERED TOGETHER BUT WITH THESE FACTORS FAVOR SLIGHTLY COOLER MET GUIDANCE. .LONG TERM... WITH THE COLD FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND THE UPPER LOW/SHEAR AXIS TO THE EAST OF THE AREA WED NIGHT PRECIP CHCS LOOK LOW...BUT NOT ZERO...WITH BEST CHCS IN PROXIMITY TO SHEAR AXIS IN THE SE ZONES. THEN THE MAIN FACTOR FOR OUR FCST THU INTO THE WEEKEND WILL BE THE POSITION OF THE SHEAR AXIS. UNFORTUNATELY THE MORNING GUIDANCE HAS NOT INCREASED CONFIDENCE WITH THIS FEATURE. THE 12Z GFS RUN KEEPS THE AXIS AND MAJORITY PRECIP TO THE EAST OF THE FA WHILE THE NAM AND GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN IS FURTHER WEST ALONG WITH HIGHER PRECIP CHCS...ESPECIALLY FOR THE ROLLING PLAINS. MEANWHILE...GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE UPPER RIDGE ACROSS THE DESERT SW WILL EXPAND NE AND EVENTUALLY ENCOMPASS A LARGE PORTION OF THE ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS...CENTERED ROUGHLY OVER THE 4-CORNERS REGION. SO...OUR AREA SHOULD BE LOCATED IN THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN THE HOT/DRY WX ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER HIGH AND THE COOLER/WET WX WITH THE WEAKENING UPPER LOW. ANY SUBTLE CHANGES IN EAST/WEST POSITION WILL BE KEY. AT THIS POINT...MINIMAL CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO THE FCST AS IT ALREADY INDICATES BETTER PRECIP CHCS ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS...DECREASING FURTHER WEST. ALTHOUGH THE UPSLOPE FLOW MAY INITIATE AFTN TSTM ACTIVITY IN THE NM MTNS...NORTHERLY STEERING FLOW SHOULD KEEP IT TO OUR WEST. THE SHEAR AXIS SHOULD CONTINUE TO WEAKEN WITH TIME AND THUS GRADUALLY DECREASING POPS APPEAR WARRANTED BY THE WEEKEND. TEMPS SHOULD RANGE FROM SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS WITH THE GREATER MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER TO PERHAPS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL NEAR THE NM BORDER. FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE GRADUALLY LOWERING HEIGHTS UNDERNEATH THE RIDGE...ACROSS SRN TX/NRN NM. WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A REMNANT OF THE OLD UPPER LOW...THIS WEAKNESS SHOULD ENHANCE THE MOIST EASTERLY FLOW AND PUT A BIT OF DOWNWARD PRESSURE ON HIGH TEMPS...AND IT MAY GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE SRN/SE ZONES TO INCREASE POPS THAT AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 66 84 64 87 61 / 60 20 20 20 20 TULIA 64 83 63 84 63 / 60 30 20 20 20 PLAINVIEW 66 84 64 84 64 / 60 30 30 20 20 LEVELLAND 67 85 64 85 64 / 50 30 30 20 20 LUBBOCK 67 84 65 86 67 / 60 30 30 20 20 BROWNFIELD 68 85 65 86 66 / 50 30 30 30 20 CHILDRESS 66 84 67 86 68 / 50 40 30 30 30 SPUR 69 86 67 86 68 / 60 40 40 30 30 ASPERMONT 68 85 70 86 70 / 50 50 40 40 40 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 07/33
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1217 PM CDT TUE JUN 26 2007 TXZ021>044-271730- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1217 PM CDT TUE JUN 26 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE WESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. THESE STORMS COULD ORGANIZE INTO A CONVECTIVE SYSTEM AND MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTH PLAINS REGION. THUS THERE IS A SMALL RISK FOR SEVERE WIND GUSTS OR MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL DURING THE EVENING HOURS PRIMARILY NORTH AND WEST OF A LEVELLAND TO TULIA LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN OVER WEST TEXAS THROUGH THE WEEK. THIS MAY LEAD TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH WOULD CAUSE FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. THE MOST FAVORED REGION FOR HEAVY RAIN WILL SHIFT FROM THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA WEDNESDAY TO LOCATIONS OFF THE CAPROCK THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH SPOTTER NETWORKS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS WILL WANT TO STAY ABREAST OF ANY CHANGES IN THE EXPECTED EVOLUTION OF THUNDERSTORMS IN AND NEAR THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 603 PM CDT TUE JUN 26 2007 TXZ021>023-270015- PARMER TX-CASTRO TX-SWISHER TX- 603 PM CDT TUE JUN 26 2007 ...LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SWISHER...CASTRO AND PARMER COUNTIES... AT 600 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 30 MILES NORTH OF FRIONA TO 15 MILES WEST OF CANYON TO 10 MILES EAST OF AMARILLO...MOVING SOUTH AT 30 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO ROLL SOUTHWARD INTO THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE EARLY THIS EVENING...BETWEEN 630 PM AND 730 PM. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND COULD RESULT. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER MEDIA FOR OTHER UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust was measured by a local broadcast media schoolnet in Happy. No damage was reported.
Numerous law enforcement officials reported large hail that ranged in size from pennies to golf balls near Muleshoe between 18:48 and 19:36 CST. Initial reports indicated golf ball size hail northwest of the city along U.S. Highway 84. A police cruiser was damaged by the hail. By 19:09 CST penny size hail was reported in Muleshoe.
A swath of extreme winds accompanied a bowing line-shaped convective complex as it moved southward over portions of Yoakum and Terry Counties during the late evening hours of the 26th. Severe winds initiated over central Yoakum County as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Plains where a 62 mph gust was recorded at 20:45 CST. A cattle feed lot located on the New Mexico and Texas state line in western Yoakum County measured a peak gust of 81 mph according to newspaper accounts.
Damage to utility poles, lines, and trees was widespread. Numerous power poles were snapped along Farm to Market Road 213. Some minor crop damage occurred due to sandblasting. No significant structural damage was reported.
Law enforcement officials reported damage in and near Denver City when the winds spread south across southern Yoakum County. Winds estimated up to 70 mph reportedly occurred in the city between 21:10 and 21:15 CST. A number of power poles were snapped by the winds.
A swath of severe winds accompanied a bowing line-shaped convective complex as it moved southward over portions of Yoakum and Terry Counties during the late evening hours of the 26th. Severe winds impacted areas near Brownfield around 21:20 CST. A 62 mph gust was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site just south of the city. In addition, the public estimated gusts up to 60 mph in the city. Newspaper articles reported that up to one hundred utility poles were downed during the storm, and that electrical services were knocked out to most of the city through the late evening hours. In addition, many trees suffered damage. No significant structural damage was reported.
A combination of extreme thunderstorm winds, small hail, and very heavy rains damaged or destroyed an estimated 20,000 acres of cotton in western and southern Lynn County during the late evening of the 26th. Thunderstorms associated with a derecho that impacted the southern west Texas South Plains and the Permian Basin began to impact the area along U.S. Highway 380 west of Tahoka shortly after 21:30 CST. These winds spread southeastward, and were measured up to 75 mph by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet near O'Donnell. Wind-driven small hail and torrential rains caused a variety of damages to cotton plants that were already behind schedule and immature.
No structural damage was reported, but agricultural damages were estimated to approach $1 million.
The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet sites near Denver City and Plains sampled severe gradient winds associated with a meso-high and wake low couplet accompanying the passing derecho. The winds, measured at a peak of 62 mph, occurred well behind the convective complex as radar imagery indicated subsidence and drying overspreading the area.
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, June 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: 35838, 35839, 35840, 35841, 35842, 35843.