Tornado and Hail in Texas, June 19, 2008

Local law enforcement officials reported quarter size hail in Estelline.

A National Weather Service cooperative observer reported nickel size hail just south of Tell.

The Paducah Fire Department observed a brief tornado which developed approximately three miles north of County Road 314, east of U.S. Highway 62/83 north of Paducah. The tornado, associated with a supercell thunderstorm which developed along a pre-existing outflow boundary, remained in open country and resulted in no damage.

Briscoe County law enforcement officials reported golf ball size hail along Texas Highway 207 just south of Silverton. No damage was reported.

The Paducah Fire Department reported golf ball size hail near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2278 and U.S. Highway 83 south-southwest of Paducah. The hail, which was at times accompanied by damaging thunderstorm winds, destroyed a number of cotton crops over southeastern Cottle County.

Heavy rainfall was accompanied by a few penny size hail stones east of Flomot at 17:30 CST.

Thunderstorm winds, accompanied by large hail, downed power lines and utility poles south of Paducah.

Multiple reports of damaging thunderstorm winds were received over portions of western and central Floyd County around 18:00 CST. Initial Skywarn storm spotter estimated winds speeds between 60 and 70 mph were reported at Lockney between 17:50 CST and 17:55 CST. These winds downed power lines and poles and broke large tree branches. The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Floydada recorded gusts of 62 mph and 61 mph at 17:55 CST and 18:00 CST respectively. Spotters additionally estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph at McCoy near the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 54 and 3111 at 18:10 CST. The winds were intermittently accompanied by large hail.

Skywarn storm spotters reported a swath of large hail up to the size of golf balls from seven miles northeast of Matador to Matador. No damage was reported.

The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Olton recorded a severe thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph at 18:45 CST. No damage was reported.

The public reported that pea to penny size hail was accompanied by severe thunderstorm winds at Lockney.

The public reported that large hail up to the size of nickels was accompanied by 40 to 50 mph wind gusts at McAdoo around 18:50 CST.

A Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site located northwest of White River Lake recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph at 18:50 CST. No damage was reported.

Reports from both storm spotters and the public indicated a swath of large hail up to the size of golf balls from just south of Halfway to near Hale Center. No damage was reported.

The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 64 mph southwest of Guthrie at 19:05 CST. By 19:22 CST, the public estimated wind gusts up to 80 mph in Guthrie. Since no damage was reported the estimated wind speed appears too high.

The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph just west of Spur at 19:10 CST. By 19:15 CST the Spur Fire Department reported estimated gusts between 60 and 70 mph in the city. No damage was reported.

Law enforcement and Skywarn storm spotters estimated thunderstorm wind gusts up to 65 mph and damage along a swath from north of Shallowater to southwest of Idalou in northern Lubbock County between 19:31 CST and 19:40 CST. Power poles and lines were downed in areas between Lubbock and Idalou along U.S. Highway 62/82. In addition, a metal roof was blown off of a structure just northeast of Lubbock.

The Garza County Sheriff's Office estimated thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 mph at Lake Alan Henry. No damages was reported.

Severe thunderstorms impacting the Lubbock vicinity produced a broad swath of large hail between 19:50 CST and 20:12 CST. Numerous reports of hail that ranged in size from pennies to ping pong balls were received. Some of the large hail occurred along the South Loop near the intersection of Interstate 27/U.S. Highway 87. Only minor automobile damages were reported. Quarter size hail was additionally reported at Lubbock's Preston Smith International Airport and at Ransom Canyon.

The Stonewall County Sheriff's Office estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 65 mph at 19:50 CST in Aspermont. These estimates were confirmed when a Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site northeast of Aspermont recorded a 66 mph wind gust at 19:55 CST. Intermittent severe wind gusts persisted at the mesonet site until 20:20 CST. No damage was reported.

The Levelland Police Department reported golf ball size hail in Witharral. No damage was reported.

The Castro County Sheriff's Office reported quarter size hail in Hart.

A second round of thunderstorms that moved over the Lubbock metro during the 20:00 CST hour produced intermittent severe wind gusts. A public estimate of wind gusts that approached 80 mph was received from areas just northwest of Shallowater at 20:15 CST. Nearby storm spotters and mesonet sites did not confirm these extreme wind speeds, however, and no damage was reported. The storm went on to produce occasional gusts near 60 mph as it moved east-southeastward over Lubbock, however, a 58 mph wind gust was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet near Slaton at 20:40 CST. No significant damage was reported.

A Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet meteorologist estimated that severe thunderstorm wind gusts exceeded 60 mph northwest of Ropesville around 20:30 CST. No damage was reported.

The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Tahoka recorded a severe thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph at 20:30 CST. No damage was reported.

A complex of severe storms propagated southward over portions of western and central Garza County during the 21:00 CST hour and produced intermittent severe wind gusts that were measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet. The peak wind gust of 67 mph was recorded near Graham. No damage was reported.

The public reported golf ball size hail in Summerfield. No damage was reported.

Another round of thunderstorms brought severe wind gusts to portions of central and eastern Hockley County during the 21:00 CST hour. A Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet meteorologist estimated gusts to 65 mph northwest of Ropesville. Later measurements by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Levelland recorded a peak gust of 71 mph at 21:55 CST. Local newspapers reported a number of downed utility lines and poles across the area.

Additional thunderstorm activity over Lubbock County produced localized severe winds. The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site at Reese Center measured a 63 mph gust at 21:50 CST. No damage was reported. In addition, very frequent cloud-to-ground lightning activity accompanied this complex of storms.

Extremely frequent and vivid cloud-to-ground lightning activity accompanied a severe thunderstorm over the Lubbock vicinity during the late evening of the 19th. The lightning sparked a fire that damaged a home near the intersection of County Road 7610 and south University Avenue around 22:15 CST. By 22:30 CST, a local utility provider reported that approximately 15,000 households across the city were affected by lightning-induced power outages.

Local newspapers reported that large hail destroyed several fields of irrigated cotton west of Brownfield. Event times are estimated based on archived Doppler radar imagery.

Terry County emergency management officials estimated thunderstorm wind gusts up to 60 mph in Brownfield. No damage was reported.