The pressure gradient tightened up across the western sections of the Texas Panhandle during the afternoon hours resulting in strong and gusty winds. No damage or injuries were reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 AMA wrote it up.
The pressure gradient tightened up across the western sections of the Texas Panhandle during the afternoon hours resulting in strong and gusty winds. No damage or injuries were reported.
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 18, 1:54 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 154 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 .UPDATE... UPDATED HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL AS SKY COVER...WIND...AND POPS FOR ALL AREAS. AREAS THAT HAVE BROKEN OUT OF THE CLOUDS HAVE SEEN TEMPERATURES RISE QUICKLY INTO THE 60S. MORNING SOUNDING INDICATES HIGH TEMPERATURES NEAR 70 ARE POSSIBLE. PARTS OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE ARE ALREADY CLOSING IN ON THAT MARK AND WITH THE LOWER TERRAIN COULD BE SLIGHTLY WARMER. BUT THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE IS STILL UNDER THE EFFECTS OF THE DENSE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG...WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 40S. ALTHOUGH CLOUDS MAY FINALLY CLEAR OUT OF THIS AREA BY LATE AFTERNOON...THIS WILL DRASTICALLY LIMIT THE WARMING POTENTIAL SO HAVE GONE WITH LOW 50S THERE. ALSO REMOVED ALL MENTION OF PRECIPITATION AS THIS IS NO LONGER A THREAT. KIMBLE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1234 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008/ UPDATE... CURRENT VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE BACK EDGE OF DENSE MID LEVEL CLOUDS ADVANCING EASTWARD ACROSS THE PANHANDLES. EXPECT SKIES TO FURTHER CLEAR OUT THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO WARM UP INTO THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S. SURFACE TROUGH IN EASTERN COLORADO WILL STRENGTHEN THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. THIS COMBINED WITH STRONG DIURNAL BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING TO SUPPORT SURFACE WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY INDICATES THE LIGHT RAIN HAS DECREASED IN COVERAGE DUE TO BEST MOISTURE ADVECTION SLIDING OFF TO THE EAST...BUT MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLES. UPDATED PUBLIC PRODUCTS ALREADY SENT. CLK PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1153 AM CST THU DEC 18 2008/ AVIATION... MAIN PROBLEM WILL BE PASSAGE OF A PACIFIC COLD FRONT...SLATED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SHARP INCREASE IN WINDS THIS AFTERNOON...AND THIS IS REFLECTED AT ALL TAF SITES. WINDS TO DIMINISH LATER THIS EVENING AS PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES. VFR CONDITIONS NEXT 24 HOURS. ANDRADE PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 539 AM CST THU DEC 18 2008/ AVIATION... A COUPLE OF AVIATION CONCERNS ARISE FOR THE 12Z TAFS THIS MORNING. CURRENTLY...A FEW AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN ARE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WHICH COULD POSSIBLY AFFECT THE AMA TERMINAL. DO NOT THINK RAIN WILL LAST THAT LONG...SO WILL LEAVE OUT OF THE TAFS. WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN IN ADVANCE AND WITH THE PASSAGE OF FRONT. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BETWEEN 25 AND 35 KNOTS DURING BETWEEN 18Z AND 00Z AT ALL TERMINALS. DO NOT THINK AT THIS TIME THE AMARILLO AIRPORTS WILL REACH 40 KNOTS...SO WILL HOLD OFF ON AN AVIATION WEATHER WARNING...THOUGH THIS BEARS CLOSE WATCHING. WINDS WILL SLACK OFF A LITTLE AFTER 00Z...BUT STILL REMAIN AT OR ABOUT 20 KNOTS WITH SOME OCCASIONAL HIGHER GUSTS UNTIL 06Z. WILL CONTINUE WITH VFR FORECAST FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 AM CST THU DEC 18 2008/ DISCUSSION... WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT PATTERN CURRENTLY IN PLACE. IMPROVING DYNAMICS IN SW FLOW ALOFT TDA WITH MODEST H8 THRU H7 MSTR ADVECTION WARRANT LOW POPS TDA. PACIFIC COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS THRU WRN 2/3 OF FCST AREA TDA...PROVIDING ADDITIIONAL FORCING. WILL CONTINUE WITH LOW POPS IN ERN ZNS THIS EVE AS FRONT MOVES THRU. NO POPS IN REMAINDER OF FCST. WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TDA AS PRE- FRONTAL SFC TROF DEEPENS IN RESPONSE TO INCOMING DYNAMICS. BELIEVE THAT WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW 35 MPH FOR 2 HR DURATION PERIOD NECESSARY FOR WIND ADVISORY. HENCE...NO WIND ADZY BEING ISSUED AT THIS TIME. SUNSHINE AND WLY COMPONENT TO WINDS SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO RECOVER NICELY ON FRI. STRONG COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO ARRIVE ON SAT... PRODUCING COLD DAY ON SUN WITH MAXIMA BELOW FREEZING. TEMPS EXPECTED TO RECOVER ON MON AS COLD SFC RDG MOVES E OF PNHDLS. NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES INTO NRN ZONES ON TUE...AND REMAINDER OF FCST AREA TUE NGT. 03 COCKRELL FIRE WEATHER... WINDY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TDA...BUT RH NOT EXPECTED TO FALL BELOW 25 PCT. ON FRI...WINDS DIMINISH AND RH VALUES REMAIN ABOVE 20 PCT. WINDS INCREASE AGAIN ON SAT...AND SHIFT TO N AS COLD FRONT ARRIVES. RH VALUES ON SAT EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE 20 PCT. MUCH LIGHTER WINDS EXPECTED ON SUN. WINDS INCREASE AGAIN ON MON AND TUE BUT RH EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE 20 PCT. WINDS EXPECTED TO DECREASE ON WED WITH RH ABOVE 20 PCT. 03 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && 99/05
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 100 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-191200- ARMSTRONG-BEAVER-CARSON-CIMARRON-COLLINGSWORTH-DALLAM-DEAF SMITH- DONLEY-GRAY-HANSFORD-HARTLEY-HEMPHILL-HUTCHINSON-LIPSCOMB-MOORE- OCHILTREE-OLDHAM-POTTER-RANDALL-ROBERTS-SHERMAN-TEXAS-WHEELER- 100 PM CST THU DEC 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE... THE COMBINATION OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S...SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS...AND FORECAST MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AROUND 25 PERCENT WILL LIKELY LEAD TO ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. IN ADDITION...CAUTION IS ADVISED ON AREA LAKES THROUGH THIS EVENING DUE TO THE WINDY CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN ON SATURDAY ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES DUE TO LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. ANDRADE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The measured wind gust was reported by the broadcast media in Hereford.
The measured wind gust was reported by the broadcast media seven miles south southeast of Masterson.
The measured wind gust was reported by the Dumas AWOS station located three miles west of Dumas.
The measured wind gust was reported by the Dalhart ASOS station located three miles southwest of Dalhart.
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, December 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: 140511, 140512, 140513, 140514.