Scattered thunderstorms developed as warm and moist air moved north over the South Plains of west Texas in advance of a strong upper air storm system during the morning hours of the 9th. Some of these thunderstorms became strong enough to produce large hail up to the size of golfballs.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed as warm and moist air moved north over the South Plains of west Texas in advance of a strong upper air storm system during the morning hours of the 9th. Some of these thunderstorms became strong enough to produce large hail up to the size of golfballs. The largest hail stones caused minor roof damage to at least one home in Swearingen (Cottle County).
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 Apr 9, 3:10 AM CST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 410 AM CDT WED APR 9 2008 .SHORT TERM... UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE WRN CONUS WITH JET STREAK DIGGING SWD ON THE WRN SIDE OF THE TROUGH. WV IMAGERY ALSO SHOWS ONE JET STREAK EXITING THE SRN PLAINS TOWARD THE MS VALLEY WITH SOME JET ENERGY MOVING ACROSS NRN MEXICO. TOWARD THE SFC...A COLD FRONT HAS STALLED ACROSS THE CONCHO VALLEY EWD INTO N TX. GOOD UPSLOPE MOISTURE ADVECTION IS RESULTING IN IFR/MVFR STRATUS ACROSS THE PANHANDLE WHILE FURTHER SOUTH TOWARD THE FRONT CEILINGS ARE HIGHER IN AN AREA WHERE A DEVELOPING LLJ IS RESULTING IN STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT IN ROUGHLY THE 850-700MB LAYER. IT IS THIS ISENTROPIC LIFT THAT THE MODELS ARE KEYING ON IN BREAKING OUT SHOWER/THUNDER THIS MORNING ACROSS MAINLY THE ERN HALF OF THE FCST AREA. MODEL AND FCST POPS IN THE HIGH CHC/LIKELY CATEGORIES STILL LOOK REASONABLE...ALTHOUGH ATTM LIFT IS BEING CONVERTED INTO CLOUD COVER. ONSET OF PRECIP GENERATION IS LIKELY WITHIN A FEW HOURS. 0-3KM SHEAR IS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE BUT INSTABILITY WILL BE MODEST AND ELEVATED. SEVERE THREAT APPEARS MINIMAL ATTM. AFTN FCST IS TRICKY. MODELS PROG THE ISENTROPIC LIFT TO SHIFT NEWD INTO OKLA BY 18Z WHILE SFC TROUGH/DRYLINE MOVES EWD ACROSS ERN NM TOWARD THE TX STATELINE THEN EWD INTO THE WRN ZONES THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. SERN ZONES WILL LIKELY BREAK OUT SOME AS THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT SHOULD SOON BEGIN MOVING NWD AS A WARM FRONT AND MOVE INTO THE SERN ZONES THIS AFTN. WARM FRONT MAY NOT MAKE IT INTO THE NERN ZONES LEAVING IT DIFFICULT TO BREAK OUT OF LOW CLOUD COVER. SCENARIO SHOULD SET UP A DECENT TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA. WITH THE ISENTROPIC LIFT SHIFTING NEWD AND MID/UPPER LEVEL DRYING PROGGED TO OCCUR THUNDER CHANCES THIS AFTN MAY BE LIMITED TO POTENTIAL NEAR/NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT AND POSSIBLY IN THE WARM SECTOR...ALTHOUGH THAT AREA MAY REMAIN CAPPED THROUGH INTO THE EVENING. BY MID EVENING SHOULD SEE THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHING THE AREA WITH INCREASING LIFT AND MOISTURE ALOFT COMBINING WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION EAST OF THE SFC TROUGH/DRYLINE WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR OR JUST WEST OF THE I-27 CORRIDOR AT THAT TIME. CONVECTION COULD COALESCE INTO A MCS BEFORE IT EXITS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND HIGH CHANCE/LIKELY POPS CONTINUE TO BE JUSTIFIED FOR THE ERN HALF OF THE FCST AREA. THERE WILL BE A WINDOW FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL...MAINLY HAIL/WIND...WITH WRF-NAM SUGGESTING MAX CAPES UP TO 2500 J/KG ACROSS THE SERN ZONES...ALTHOUGH A BIT ELEVATED. WIND PROFILES WILL INITIALLY BE SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE FOR ROTATING STORMS BEFORE VEERING WINDS BEGIN TO DIMINISH POTENTIAL. .LONG TERM... VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL TRANSLATE ACRS THE SRN PLAINS THURSDAY WITH A VERY TIGHT GRADIENT MOVG THROUGH CENTRAL AND SRN WEST TEXAS. AFTER EARLY MORN CONVECTION OVER THE EASTERN ZONES...PRONOUNCED DRY SLOT WILL PUNCH INTO THE CWFA WITH DEWPOINTS CRATERING THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. STRONG MIXING WILL COMMENCE BY 15Z AS H70 JET STREAK NR 55 KTS ROUNDS BASE OF TROUGH. THIS WILL RESULT IN A BLUSTERY AND DUSTY APRIL DAY AS WESTERLY SFC WINDS WILL LIKELY MAX OUT INTO THE 30-35 MPH RANGE DURG THE LATE MORNING THRU MID AFTERNOON...WITH GUSTS OF 50-55 MPH. THIS SAID...WIND ADVISORY WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY WITH THE AFTN PACKAGE. DID OPT TO GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR THE SRN HALF OF THE CWFA WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROPPING TO 10-15 PERCENT. FARTHER NORTH...RH VALUES MAY ACTUALLY RISE SOME DURG THE AFTN WITH MODERATE LWR-MID LEVEL WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE IN WAKE OF UPR LOW SKIRTING EAST THRU KANSAS. FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...COOL SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE INTO THE AREA IN WAKE OF TROUGH. THIS WILL LEAD TO TEMPS SVRL DEGS BELOW NORMAL...WITH LOW TEMPS NEARING THE FREEZING MARK OVER THE FAR SW TX PANHANDLE BOTH THURS AND FRI NIGHTS. A GRADUAL WARM-UP WILL THEN OCCUR THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. && .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SRN HALF OF THE CWFA LATE THURS MORNING THRU THE AFTN HOURS AS VERY DRY AIR AND WINDY CONDITIONS DEVELOP. RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE NEARLY A GUARANTEE IN THIS REGION WITH STRONG WEST WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AND RH VALUES DROPPING TO 10-15 PERCENT. OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWFA...RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE SLIGHTLY MORE UNCERTAIN DUE TO SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A BIT HIGHER RH VALUES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 68 40 63 33 62 / 30 20 10 10 10 TULIA 64 42 65 36 65 / 40 40 10 10 10 PLAINVIEW 68 44 66 36 65 / 40 50 10 10 10 LEVELLAND 73 47 68 35 68 / 30 20 10 10 0 LUBBOCK 72 49 69 38 68 / 40 40 10 10 10 DENVER CITY 79 47 72 36 70 / 20 20 10 10 0 BROWNFIELD 75 48 71 37 69 / 30 20 10 10 0 CHILDRESS 63 51 72 43 68 / 60 60 10 10 10 SPUR 68 51 71 40 69 / 50 60 10 10 10 ASPERMONT 73 55 76 42 72 / 60 60 10 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ033>044. && 07/21
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 543 AM CDT WED APR 9 2008 TXZ021>044-101045- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 543 AM CDT WED APR 9 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING GENERALLY EAST OF A TULIA TO LUBBOCK TO ODONNELL LINE. AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA TODAY. INCREASING LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM...COMBINED WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE FED INTO THE ROLLING PLAINS AND EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS TODAY...WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS BY MID-EVENING AND CONTINUING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE COMBINATION OF INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROTATING SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS RESULTING IN A THREAT OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS ON THURSDAY AS STRONG WEST WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM MID THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...WIND SPEEDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WILL LIKELY CLIMB INTO ADVISORY LEVELS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:14 UTC.
4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple reports from local officials and the public indicated that large hail fell in Tulia around 05:15 CST. The hail stones reportedly ranged in size from nickels to quarters.
The public reported golfball size hail in Swearingen. At least one home received minor roof damage.
Half dollar size hail was reported by the public in Dickens shortly after 08:30 CST.
Quarter size hail was reported in Dumont.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2008
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: 92215, 92216, 92217, 92218.