A significant severe weather episode impacted portions of southeastern New Mexico and the west Texas Permian Basin during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 11th. The storms developed east of a dryline and south of a warm front which advanced northward over the South Plains region.
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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 significant severe weather episode impacted portions of southeastern New Mexico and the west Texas Permian Basin during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 11th. The storms developed east of a dryline and south of a warm front which advanced northward over the South Plains region. Thus cool stable air north of the frontal boundary precluded widespread severe weather over much of the South Plains, but a few thunderstorms, including a supercell storm, impacted the far southwestern portions of the South Plains region. While Doppler radar indicated the potential for a tornado with this storm over southern Yoakum County, no tornado was confirmed. Large hail and damaging thunderstorm winds, however, were observed.
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 11, 2:53 PM CST, 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 353 PM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 .SHORT TERM... MAIN CONCERN FOR THIS PACKAGE IS THE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. POTENT UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PROPAGATE TOWARDS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION AND EAST TOWARDS THE REGION TONIGHT. 21Z RADAR SHOWED CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AHEAD OF THE UPPER SYSTEM /ONE STORM PRODUCED SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN PEA-SIZE HAIL/. DEWPOINTS HAVE BEEN SLOWLY BUT GRADUALLY INCREASING ACROSS THE REGION ALONG A 30KT SELY LLJ...WITH MODEL GUIDANCE HINTING AT A TONGUE OF MOISTURE MOVING NNWD TOWARDS THE TEXAS/NEW MEXICO BORDER TONIGHT. A SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL DEEPEN FROM THE PECOS VALLEY INTO THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS...WITH A DRY LINE AND WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTING INTO THE AREA TONIGHT. THUS...THUNDERSTORM INTENSIFICATION SHOULD INITIATE ACROSS/NEAR THE TEXAS/NEW MEXICO BORDER TONIGHT. WITH ADEQUATE DEEP LAYER SHEAR...LIFTED INDICES AND MORE THAN ADEQUATE LIFT CREATES HIGH SEVERITY POSSIBLIITIES. FURTHERMORE...EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS COULD BE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED ATMOSPHERIC INDICES. HOWEVER...IT APPEARS THAT A MORE LINEAR CONFIGURATION /SQUALL LINE/ IS MORE LIKELY. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS TO RECEIVE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS...NEAREST THE MOISTURE TONGUE...BETTER CAPE VALUES AND DEEP LAYER BULK SHEAR. SUNDAY...THE STORM WILL COMMENCE TO LIFT TO THE NORTHEAST...WITH GUIDANCE MODELS SHOWING A POSSIBILITY FOR WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS. THUS...HAVE KEPT THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL THROUGHOUT SUNDAY...SHOWING A NORTHEASTERLY PROGRESSION. && .LONG TERM... RAIN CHANCES WILL BE DIMINISHING SUNDAY EVENING OVER THE NORTHEAST SOUTH PLAINS AS THE PRIMARY MID/UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW SLOWLY EJECTS EASTWARD OVER SOUTHERN KANSAS/NORTHERN OKLAHOMA. A NORTHERLY WIND SHIFT IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN LITTLE/NO IMPACT ON TEMPERATURES GIVEN THAT THE INCOMING AIRMASS WILL BE LARGELY OF GREAT BASIN ORIGIN. SHORTWAVE RIDGING ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES/PLAINS MONDAY AND TUESDAY...BEFORE BREAKING DOWN IN THE FACE OF INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AND A NEWLY EVOLVING WESTERN U.S. TROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOLUTIONS CONTINUE TO DEPICT MODESTLY MOIST RETURN FLOW BENEATH SAID UPPER AIR PATTERN AND ASSOCIATED DRYLINE DEVELOPMENT BY WEDNESDAY...HOWEVER...MODELS CONTINUE TO DIFFER IN HANDLING THE DRYLINE PLACEMENT AND ASSOCIATED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. THE ECM-WF CONTINUES TO PAINT A STORMIER PICTURE WITH CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG THE DRYLINE LATE WEDNESDAY AS THE WESTERN UA TROUGH CONTINUES TO DIG...AND IS MUCH WETTER BY FRIDAY WITH THE EJECTION OF A DEEP UA LOW. MEANWHILE THE GFS MIXES THE DRYLINE EASTWARD WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE UA FEATURE PASSING OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. WILL AINTAIN THE IDEAS PRESENTED IN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...BUT WILL SHOW MORE OF A GRADIENT IN GRIDDED POPS FAVORING THE EASTERN ZONES FOR A CHANCE OF STORMS LATE WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY...UNTIL THE EVOLUTION OF THE WESTERN TROUGH/DRYLINE BECOMES MORE EVIDENT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 37 60 37 69 39 / 60 50 30 0 0 TULIA 44 61 39 66 40 / 80 50 30 10 0 PLAINVIEW 45 62 40 67 41 / 80 50 30 0 0 LEVELLAND 47 63 42 71 43 / 80 20 10 0 0 LUBBOCK 45 63 43 69 44 / 80 30 20 0 0 DENVER CITY 47 66 43 73 44 / 80 20 10 0 0 BROWNFIELD 46 65 44 71 44 / 80 20 10 0 0 CHILDRESS 48 66 42 70 43 / 80 60 40 10 0 SPUR 49 68 43 71 44 / 90 40 20 0 0 ASPERMONT 50 72 43 73 46 / 90 40 10 0 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 29/20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1100 AM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 TXZ021>044-121600- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1100 AM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY ACROSS THE TEXAS-NEW MEXICO BORDER AND EASTWARD OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS TODAY...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE TODAY...A FEW ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS TO EXPERIENCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHERN SOUTH PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. ELSEWHERE...STORMS WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY ELEVATED AS THEY SPREAD NORTHWARD OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE...FAVORING A LARGE HAIL THREAT. THE STRONGER STORMS COULD ALSO INDUCE LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE SUNDAY... MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED LATER TODAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1101 AM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 TXZ035-111630- LUBBOCK TX- 1101 AM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS LUBBOCK COUNTY... AT 1059 AM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SHALLOWATER...OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ABERNATHY...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED OVER AREAS NEAR SHALLOWATER...NORTHEASTWARD TOWARD ABERNATHY WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1228 PM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 TXZ023-111800- SWISHER TX- 1228 PM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACROSS SWISHER COUNTY... AT 1228 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES WEST OF KRESS...OR ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TULIA...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 412 PM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 TXZ039-112145- YOAKUM TX- 412 PM CDT SAT APR 11 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHWESTERN YOAKUM COUNTY... AT 409 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERAL STRONG THUNDERSTORM SOUTHWEST OF DENVER CITY...INCLUDING A SEVERE STORM WITH LARGE HAIL NEAR HOBBS NEW MEXICO. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH TO NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH AND WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHERN AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF YOAKUM COUNTY BY 430 PM. 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 Lubbock radar (KLBB), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:39 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Penny size hail reportedly covered the ground at a cotton gin west of Denver City along Texas Highway 83 by 15:40 CST. At 15:45 CST, quarter size hail was reported west-northwest of Denver City.
Local law enforcement officials reported that utility lines were blown down along Texas Highway 83 west of Denver City. The damage occurred near the path of a Doppler radar indicated mesocyclone, but the occurrence of a tornado could not be confirmed.
A linear multicell thunderstorm complex impacted Yoakum County in the wake of an earlier supercell storm. This second round of thunderstorms produced a severe wind gust of 60 mph that was recorded by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet west-northwest of Denver City. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2009
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: 155538, 155542, 155548.