Scattered thunderstorms erupted along a stalled frontal boundary over the central South Plains of west Texas during the afternoon hours of the 27th. Many of these storms, initially supercells, produced large hail and damaging winds.
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 erupted along a stalled frontal boundary over the central South Plains of west Texas during the afternoon hours of the 27th. Many of these storms, initially supercells, produced large hail and damaging winds. The activity gradually evolved into a linear complex of storms that propagated southeastward along with the frontal boundary during the late evening. Wind-blown hail damaged more than 2,000 acres of young cotton crops across the area. The worst agricultural damage was generally along the U.S. Highway 87 corridor south of Lubbock.
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 May 27, 1:20 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 220 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 .SHORT TERM... AS OF 1830Z...COLD FRONT STRETCHES FROM SE NM...NEWD THROUGH LUBBOCK COUNTY INTO CHILDRESS COUNTY. THE FRONT HAS LOST MOST MOMENTUM AS WINDS VEER TO THE NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. THE WIND SHOULD BECOME GENERALLY E-NERLY ACROSS MOST OF THE FA THIS AFTERNOON...AND SHOULD START TO ADVECT MOIST AIR WESTWARD. SAT/RADAR INDICATE ENHANCED CU FIELD DEVELOPING IN CONVERGENT FLOW ALONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES IN WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND ALSO ALONG THE FRONT...FROM THE CENTRAL SPLNS EASTWARD. IN THIS AREA LAPS INDICATES SBCAPES UP TO 2K WITH CINH LESS THAN 100 AND DECREASING QUICKLY. LARGE SCALE ASCENT NEARLY NIL AS WTX IN WEAK SWERLY FLOW REGION AROUND UPPER HIGH. DEEP-LAYER SHEAR DOES INCREASE NORTHWARD TOWARD THE WESTERN PANHANDLE WITH 30 KTS INDICATED ACROSS OUR NW ZONE. THINKING IS THAT CONVERGENCE/LIFT ALONG THE FRONT WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR TSTM DVLPMNT WITHIN NEXT SEVERAL HRS. THE STRONG INSTABILITY JUST SOUTH OF THE FRONT SHOULD RESULT IN RAPID INTENSIFICATION OF SOME STORMS WITH A FEW LIKELY PRODUCING LARGE HAIL. GIVEN THE STEEP LOW-LVL LAPSE RATES AND INSTABILITY...AN ISOLATED LANDSPOUT-TYPE TORNADO MAY BE POSSIBLE DURING THE INTENSIFICATION STAGE OF ANY TSTM UPDRAFTS ALONG THE BOUNDARY...BUT WEAK SHEAR SHOULD KEEP THE OVERALL TORNADO THREAT MINIMAL. THE NAM AND GFS GUIDANCE INDICATE THAT THE ACTIVITY WILL GROW UPSCALE INTO A MCS WHICH WILL MOVE SEWD ACROSS THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS TONIGHT. GIVEN THE WEAK STEERING FLOW AND DEEPER MOISTURE FURTHER EAST...HIGH PRECIP RATES/LOCALIZED FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. FURTHER WEST...MUCH OF THE SW PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SPLNS WILL INITIALLY BE COOLER AND DRIER BEHIND THE FRONT...LIMITING INSTABILITY AND TSTM CHANCES. BUT WILL STILL RETAIN POPS FURTHER WEST THOUGH AS THE UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD BE ABLE TO BRING MODERATE AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE TO THE WESTERN COUNTIES THROUGH THE EVENING HRS...SO CANNOT RULE OUT SOME STORMS THERE EITHER. OTHERWISE...SE FLOW SHOULD KEEP LOW-LVL MOIST TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. UPPER RIDGE BUILDS OVER WTX WHICH SHOULD SUPPRESS LCL TSTM DEVELOPMENT. TSTMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE UPSLOPE FLOW ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NM...WHICH WILL THEN DRIFT TOWARD THE TX/NM BORDER BY EARLY EVENING. .LONG TERM... HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES IN PLACE THURSDAY BUT CONVECTION MAY DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NEW MEXICO AND APPROACH THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS THURSDAY EVENING. THE BULK OF THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER NEW MEXICO. BRIEF SEVERE WEATHER RESPITE APPEARS TO BE IN STORE FOR THE END OF THE WORKWEEK AND INTO THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK AS STOUT UPPER LEVEL RIDGING REMAINS IN PLACE. STILL COULD SEE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST PANHANDLE AS WEAK IMPULSES ALOFT INFRINGE UPON THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE BUT WARMING MID LEVEL TEMPS KEEP ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY TO LEAVE POPS BELOW MENTION. WEAK COLD FRONT PROGGED BY GFS AND ECMWF TO APPROACH THE SOUTH PLAINS ON SATURDAY. DEPENDING ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RIDGE AND MID LEVEL TEMPS...COULD SEE ISOLATED CONVECTION BUT WILL LEAVE OUT ATTM. SIDED CLOSE TO MEX GUIDANCE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH DAYTIME MAXIMA FROM THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 90S OVER THE NORTHWEST TO THE MIDDLE 90S TO NEAR 100 DEGREES FROM AROUND I-27 EAST THROUGH THE ROLLING PLAINS. KW && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 54 83 61 89 61 / 30 20 20 10 10 TULIA 57 81 62 91 63 / 30 10 20 10 10 PLAINVIEW 59 83 64 91 64 / 30 10 10 10 10 LEVELLAND 62 88 63 92 64 / 30 10 10 10 10 LUBBOCK 63 87 65 92 66 / 40 10 10 10 10 DENVER CITY 63 92 62 91 63 / 20 10 10 10 10 BROWNFIELD 64 91 63 92 65 / 30 10 10 10 10 CHILDRESS 62 84 67 92 69 / 60 10 10 10 10 SPUR 65 87 66 93 65 / 60 10 10 10 10 ASPERMONT 68 91 67 93 71 / 60 20 10 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 33/17
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1135 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 TXZ021>044-281645- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1135 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS WEST TEXAS. STRONG INSTABILITY WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WITH LIFT FROM THE COLD FRONT AND WARM SURFACE TEMPERATURES POSSIBLY LEADING TO RAPID GROWTH OF CONVECTIVE CELLS. ALTHOUGH DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL BE LOW BECAUSE OF AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS...FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL SHEAR COMBINED WITH THE INSTABILITY MAY ALLOW A FEW SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS ALSO POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT...WHICH WILL STRETCH FROM THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS INTO THE NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS. THE THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM A COMPLEX THIS EVENING AND MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE ROLLING PLAINS. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT BUT DEEP MOISTURE IN THIS AREA AND SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS MAY RESULT IN LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY UPSLOPE EASTERLY FLOW AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE MAY PRODUCE A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF EASTERN NEW MEXICO LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS MAY THEN MOVE INTO WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE DURING THE EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 322 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 TXZ030-031-272045- MOTLEY TX-FLOYD TX- 322 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN FLOYD AND WESTERN MOTLEY COUNTIES... AT 321 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF DOUGHERTY...OR ABOUT 9 MILES WEST OF MATADOR...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. BRIEF BUT STRONG WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STORM INTENSITY IS INCREASING AND SEVERE WEATHER MAY DEVELOP RAPIDLY. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. KW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 350 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 TXZ030-031-272115- MOTLEY TX-FLOYD TX- 350 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS EASTERN FLOYD AND WESTERN MOTLEY COUNTIES... AT 345 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER DOUGHERTY...OR ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF FLOYDADA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. BRIEF...STRONG WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH AND ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL ARE POSSIBLE. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. STORM INTENSITY IS INCREASING AND SEVERE WEATHER MAY DEVELOP RAPIDLY. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED. KW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 357 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 TXZ030-036-272130- FLOYD TX-CROSBY TX- 357 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS NORTHERN CROSBY AND SOUTHERN FLOYD COUNTIES... AT 355 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER CROSBY COUNTY...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTH OF FLOYDADA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. BRIEF...STRONG WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL ARE POSSIBLE. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. KW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 423 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 TXZ034-035-272200- LUBBOCK TX-HOCKLEY TX- 423 PM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS NORTHEAST HOCKLEY AND LUBBOCK COUNTIES... AT 419 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED TWO STRONG THUNDERSTORMS. THE FIRST WAS LOCATED 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF WOLFFORTH AND THE SECOND WAS LOCATED NEAR SHALLOWATER. BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. KW
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
10 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Motley County Fire Department reported large hail ranging in size from dimes to golf balls along Farm to Market Road 684 west of Roaring Springs.
Multiple reports of dime to nickel size hail were received as a storm impacted Shallowater just before 16:00 CST on the 27th. The hail reportedly covered the ground.
The Motley County Fire Department continued to report large hail up to the size of golf balls as a severe thunderstorm tracked southeastward into northern Dickens County. At 16:02 CST, golf ball size hail was reported near Texas Highway 70 near the community of Glenn. Large hail continued along a swath southeastward as storms expanded and moved southeastward over northeastern Dickens County. Farmers reported that hail up to the size of quarters covered the ground east of Dickens, north of U.S. Highway 62/82.
Numerous reports of large hail were received as a severe thunderstorm impacted areas near downtown Lubbock northeastward to just east of Preston Smith International Airport. At 16:20 CST the public reported nickel size hail at the intersection of 19th Street and Indiana Avenue in Lubbock. By 16:29 CST, nickel size hail was reported at 4th Street and Interstate 27 in north Lubbock. Penny size hail was additionally reported along Farm to Market Road 1729 northeast of the city at 16:50 CST.
Skywarn Storm Spotters reported ping pong ball hail accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated near 70 mph in Crosbyton. No significant damage was reported.
Skywarn Storm Spotters reported ping pong ball size hail accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated near 70 mph in Crosbyton. No significant damage was reported.
Local media relayed reports of a large tree that was blown onto a house in north Lubbock. A nearby utility pole was additionally downed by severe thunderstorm winds. The damage corresponded to a well-defined downburst signature in Doppler radar imagery.
Lightning sparked a structure fire near downtown Lubbock around 16:30 CST. A local business, located in the 600 block of Broadway Avenue, lost equipment in the fire. No injuries were reported. In addition, more than 350 homes and businesses were temporarily without power due to lightning strikes to local utilities.
Severe thunderstorms produced an intermittent swath of large hail over portions of Terry County for nearly an hour during the late afternoon and early evening of the 27th. Golf ball size hail was initially reported along U.S. 62/385 near the Gaines and Terry County line at 16:42 CST. By 17:22 CST, hail up to the size of nickels was reported northwest of Brownfield. Nickel size hail continued to accompany the storm northeastward to near Meadow by 17:39 CST.
Local newspapers reported that emergency officials conducted a swift water rescue of a stranded motorist in Lubbock. Heavy rainfall that accompanied severe storms, and associated runoff, caused many low lying areas in the northeastern portions of the city to become impassable due to high water. Around 20:00 CST the Lubbock Fire Department's Dive Team rescued a motorist from the hood of his stranded car in swiftly-flowing water at the intersection of Caesar Chavez Drive and Broadway Avenue. No injuries were reported.
Local fire department officials reported half dollar size hail south of Paducah near the intersection of U.S. Highway 62/83 and Farm to Market Road 452.
Storm spotters reported nickel size hail covering the ground along Farm to Market Road 40 east of that road's intersection with Farm to Market Road 400.
A National Weather Service meteorologist estimated that thunderstorm winds gusted as high as 60 mph in Dickens. No damage was reported.
A local gin operator reported that approximately 100 acres of young cotton plants were destroyed by hail southeast of Woodrow around 17:45 CST.
Both the public and trained storm spotters estimated thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 60 mph along a swath from the Garza and Crosby County line south of Kalgary to White River Lake between 18:05 and 18:20 CST. No damage was reported.
The public estimated severe thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 60 mph near the Garza and Crosby County line south of Kalgary. No damage was reported.
Local farmers reported that thunderstorm winds destroyed at least six irrigation pivot systems northwest of Hale Center.
Local agricultural officials reported that a swath of wind-blown hail, possibly up to nickel size with wind gusts estimated near 70 mph, destroyed at least 2,000 acres of young cotton plants northwest of O'Donnell between 00:10 and 00:20 CST on the 28th.
Local agricultural officials reported that a swath of wind-blown hail, possibly up to nickel size with wind gusts estimated near 70 mph, destroyed at least 2,000 acres of young cotton plants northwest of O'Donnell between 00:10 and 00:20 CST on the 28th.
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, May 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: 99912, 99913, 99914, 99915, 99916, 99917, 99918, 99952, 99919, 99966, 99921, 99972, 99951, 99924, 99926, 99927, 99938, 99942, 99943.