A complex of strong thunderstorms propagated southeastward from eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle during the very early morning hours of the 16th. The storms produced widespread heavy rainfall over the South Plains region of west Texas.
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.
A complex of strong thunderstorms propagated southeastward from eastern New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle during the very early morning hours of the 16th. The storms produced widespread heavy rainfall over the South Plains region of west Texas. One report of minor street flooding was received from the Happy vicinity (Swisher County), and thunderstorm winds resulted in minor damage in Hart (Castro 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 Aug 15, 10:51 PM CST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1151 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .UPDATE... HAVE UPDATED PRODUCTS TO REFLECT CWA-WIDE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM. EXPECT THE HAIL AND WIND THREAT TO CONTINUE AS STORMS APPROACH FROM THE NORTH AND WEST...WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN ENVIRONMENT. ADDITIONALLY...SOME LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS THE ACTIVITY MOVES THROUGH. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 327 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008/ SHORT TERM... UPPER LOW DROPPING SLOWLY SWD THROUGH WY AND IS PROGGED TO MOVE OVER WRN COLO BY SATURDAY AFTN. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE NW FLOW CONVECTION AGAIN TONIGHT AND TOMORROW AFTN/NIGHT. EVENT MAY BE A BIT LATER GETTING STARTED TODAY AS STRATUS AND MID CLOUDS HAVE HELPED KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK AND INSTABILITY HAS NOT INCREASED SUFFICIENTLY TO BREAK WHAT CAP THERE IS. STILL EXPECT TO SEE SOME CONVECTION DEVELOP OVER ERN HALF OF NM OR POSSIBLY ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT IS CURRENTLY MOVING SWWD ACROSS THE NRN FCST AREA. EXPECTATION IS CONVECTIVE SYSTEM WILL ROLL SEWD ACROSS THE FCST AREA WILL JUSTIFY LIKELY POPS FOR MOST OF THE AREA. WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT THE WRF-NAM IN PARTICULAR IS TOO SLOW IN MOVING AN MCS INTO /AND THUS OUT OF/ THE FCST AREA SATURDAY. COULD DEFINITELY SEE SOME LINGERING ACTIVITY PAST 12Z...BUT ATTM THINK THE WRF-NAM IS OVERPLAYING THE AMOUNT OF QPF AND PRECIP CHANCES BECAUSE OF THIS PERCEIVED TIMING ISSUE. THEN SEE THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION INITIATING TO THE WEST OF THE FCST AREA SATURDAY AFTN. THUS TEND TO FAVOR LOWER END OF GUIDANCE POP SPECTRUM FOR SATURDAY ATTM. WOULD EXPECT ANOTHER RELATIVELY COOL DAY SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH THINK MODEL CLOUD COVER IS OVERDONE SOMEWHAT. THUS TEND TO PREFER THE WARMER END OF GUIDANCE NUMBERS FOR SATURDAYS HIGHS. LONG TERM... NORTHWEST FLOW REGIME IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING AND POTENTIALLY AS LONG AS MONDAY MORNING AS UPPER LEVEL LOW...CURRENTLY OVER SRN WY EASES ITS WAY TO THE TX PANHANDLE. PRIND SHOW THE LOW RETREATING NNEWD LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL BE A CONTINUED CHC OF ESPECIALLY...BUT NOT LIMITED TO...NOCTURNAL MCS ACTIVITY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WITH DIURNALLY BASED SHOWERS DURING THE DAY EXTENDING AT LEAST UNTIL TUESDAY DEPENDING ON THE PROGRESS OF THE UPPER LEVEL LOW. EXPECT THE LOW TO COOL THE MID LEVELS ENOUGH TO KEEP SOME INSTABILITY ACROSS THE REGION INVOF UPR LOW AND THUS...HAVE PAINTED WIDESPREAD POPS OVER THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEKEND SLOWLY DRYING WEST TO EAST WITH TIME. FOR NOW...NOT EXPECTING MUCH OF A WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN THREAT. MID WEEK THROUGH THE END OF THE FCST PD...CONDITIONS WARM BACK TO NEAR SEASONAL LEVELS WITH ONLY SILENT POPS REGIONWIDE AS THE RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN. 26 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 58 74 58 79 60 / 80 50 50 40 50 TULIA 59 74 59 77 60 / 70 50 50 40 50 PLAINVIEW 61 76 60 78 61 / 70 40 50 50 40 LEVELLAND 62 77 62 81 63 / 70 40 50 50 40 LUBBOCK 61 78 62 80 63 / 70 40 50 50 40 DENVER CITY 62 76 62 85 63 / 60 40 50 50 40 BROWNFIELD 62 78 63 82 64 / 60 40 50 50 40 CHILDRESS 64 80 63 81 64 / 60 40 50 50 50 SPUR 63 80 64 80 65 / 60 40 50 50 40 ASPERMONT 64 81 64 83 66 / 60 40 50 50 40 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 23/99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1147 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 TXZ021>044-170500- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1147 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT CONVECTIVE SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE WESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND THE ROLLING PLAINS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BE STRONG TO SEVERE AND BRING THE THREATS OF LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. ADDITIONALLY...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY RESULT IN LOCALIZED FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. COOL SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL LIMIT THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. REPEATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY OVER THE SAME AREAS MAY RESULT IN EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS AND LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1233 AM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 TXZ021-160630- PARMER TX- 1233 AM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS PARMER COUNTY... AT 1230 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTH OF RHEA...OR ABOUT 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF FRIONA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 32 MPH. BRIEF...STRONG WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE NEAR THIS THUNDERSTORM. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. 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 06:29 UTC.
2 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Minor street flooding was reported in Happy following up to two inches of rain that accompanied a strong thunderstorm shortly after midnight CST on the 16th.
Local newspapers published photos of standing water that ponded over a number of roadways in the Levelland area following early morning heavy rainfall. Unofficial rainfall totals reportedly approached 3.00 inches during the overnight storms, but a nearby Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site recorded only 1.52 inches. Minor flooding of low lying areas and turn rows was reported along U.S. Highway 385 and Alaska Road.
A local newspaper reported that thunderstorm winds blew down a large sign at a business in Hart.
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, August 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: 120881, 123601, 125263.