Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, April 16, 2009

Thunderstorms began to impact portions of Swisher County just before 13:00 CST on the 16th. These storms quickly became severe and displayed occasional supercellular characteristics as they effectively trained over the Interstate 27 corridor.

A combination of heavy rainfall and accumulating hail resulted in a prolonged closure of Interstate 27 during the afternoon and overnight hours of the 16th and into the morning of the 17th. The most significant impacts occurred between Kress and Tulia. Up to 50 vehicles became stranded on the interstate as high water and hail covered the driving surface. Some motorists were rescued from their stalled automobiles with the use of boats and fire engines. Up to 5.27 inches of rainfall was measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Tulia, and 5.90 inches was measured by the Tulia National Weather Service cooperative observer. Ponded water receded sufficiently from the highway by 07:00 CST on the 17th, and the interstate was re-opened. No serious injuries were reported, but combined damages from hail and floods were estimated near $1 million.

A supercell thunderstorm which developed over portions of northern Hale and southern Swisher Counties evolved into a small convective complex which effectively trained over Interstate 27. As a result, vast amounts of large hail and very heavy rainfall resulted in dangerous travel conditions.

Hail up to the size of half dollars accumulated to depths greater than half a foot in places along Interstate 27 between Kress and Tulia. The hail combined with nearly six inches of rainfall produced significant flooding. A local law enforcement official was quoted as saying that it was just like an ice jam...it looked like North Dakota, referring to recent national headlines concerning historic ice jam flooding in that state. Newspaper reports indicate that more than 50 vehicles were stranded by hail and high water. Several motorists were rescued from stalled vehicles by boat and fire engines. As a result, local officials were forced to close portions of Interstate 27 until hail and flood waters receded sufficiently around 07:00 CST on the 17th. Combined damages from hail and flood were estimated near $1 million.

The public reported quarter size hail from a severe thunderstorm in Amherst.

A severe storm developed over northern Lynn County and produced large hail at Wilson. At 14:57 CST, storm chasers traveling through Wilson reported that nickel size hail remained on the ground in the storm's wake, nearly a half hour after the storm impacted the area.

Storm chasers witnessed a tornado north of Kress at 14:45 CST. The brief tornado remained in open fields just east of Interstate 27, near the intersection of County Roads Z and 16. Local officials reported that the tornado caused no damage.

A severe thunderstorm produced large hail over the northern portions of Lubbock shortly before 15:00 CST. Initial reports indicated that penny size hail fell over University Avenue, about four miles north of Loop 289. By 14:55 CST quarter size hail was reported in New Deal.

Newspaper reports indicate that nickel size hail fell in Hart for five minutes around 21:15 CST.

A supercell thunderstorm developed over extreme southwestern Lubbock County and tracked east-northeastward. This storm produced a destructive hail swath over the southern portions of Lubbock during the 15:00 and 16:00 CST hours of the 16th.

Large hail up the size of nickels was initially reported at 15:17 CST near the intersection of Slide Road and Woodrow Road south-southwest of the city. The storm intensified as it tracked over south Lubbock and hail up to the size of golfballs (occasionally larger) covered the ground along a large swath spanning from the southwestern subdivisions of the city northeastward to Ransom Canyon and Roosevelt.

Hail up to the size of golfballs reportedly damaged roofs on up to 800 homes and several automobiles along the storm's track. Hail damages city-wide, however, are estimated near $40 million. Most of the damages occurred across several affluent southwest Lubbock subdivisions where giant hail stones larger than two inches in diameter were observed, and three injuries occurred.

Multiple reports were received of two inch diameter hail in the Meadow South subdivision and adjacent areas of southwest Lubbock between Frankford Avenue and Slide Road shortly before 15:40 CST. Damage to roofs, skylights, and vehicles was widespread in this section of the city. More than 1,200 homes and approximately 500 vehicles were damaged in the mentioned subdivisions, with an estimated $15 million in economic loss.

Hail damage across the city of Lubbock is estimated to total $40 million and resulted in three injuries.

Giant two and a half inch hail stones fell over the South Haven, Sun Ridge, and Lake Ridge subdivisions of southwest Lubbock between Slide Road and Quaker Avenue around 15:40 CST. The hailstones damaged roofs and skylights on over a 1,000 homes in the mentioned subdivisions, and three persons sought medical treatment at local hospitals for minor injuries related to the hail. Hail stones also reportedly killed a number of birds. Well over 600 vehicles were damaged in these subdivisions and adjacent areas of the city. Damages in the mentioned subdivisions were estimated at $20 million, with hail damage across the city of Lubbock estimated to total $40 million.

Local newspaper reports indicate that large hail covered the ground in Edmonson, and that a combination of accumulating hail and heavy rainfall caused water to pond over Texas Highway 194 northwest of the town. No damage was reported.

A second supercell thunderstorm was ongoing over eastern Lubbock County at the same time that another supercell to the southwest was producing destructive hail over the city of Lubbock. The supercell storm in eastern Lubbock County became more organized with respect to low-level rotation per Doppler radar velocity observations, and produced at least two tornadoes near U.S. Highway 82 between Idalou and Lorenzo around 16:00 CST. These tornadoes were documented by storm chasers.

The first tornado developed south of U.S. Highway 82 approximately four miles east-southeast of Idalou, and moved northeastward nearly two miles. The tornado, which appeared as a classic funnel with a dust-tube debris cloud, remained in open fields east of Ranch Road 789 and south of U.S. Highway 82 and resulted in no damage.

The next tornado associated with the eastern Lubbock County supercell developed immediately south of U.S. Highway 82 and quickly crossed the highway about four miles east of Idalou. This tornado, filmed by veteran storm chasers, was briefly ongoing simultaneously to the first tornado. A business sustained minor damage when tin panels were raised on the structures roof as the tornado crossed U.S. Highway 82. The tornado then continued north-northwestward as the parent mesocyclone occluded, intermittently touching down and at times taking on a multi-vortex structure. No significant damage was found by local officials or during a post-storm National Weather Service survey.

Skywarn storm spotters reported that a combination of accumulating hail and heavy rainfall resulted in ponding water over the intersection of north Loop 289 and U.S. Highway 62/82 in northeast Lubbock. Additional newspaper and law enforcement reports indicate that three motorists were assisted when their vehicles became stranded in high water over Lubbock city streets, and an additional car was reportedly submerged in Idalou. Urban street flooding additionally prompted Texas Tech University to cancel evening classes, and minor water damage occurred to a business.

Local law enforcement and fire fighting officials reported that nickel to quarter size hail covered the ground in Post. The accumulating hail combined with heavy rainfall to result in minor flooding of several city streets. A post-storm survey by the National Weather Service revealed minor damage to a number of roofs in Post, and large swaths of de-leafed mesquite trees near the city.

A combination of heavy rainfall and accumulating hail resulted in minor flooding of several city streets in Post. No road closures or damages were reported.

Local newspaper reports indicate that a combination of accumulating hail and heavy rainfall resulted in water covering portions of Texas Highway 194 northwest of Edmonson. No damage was reported.

Local fire and law enforcement officials reported that dime to quarter size hail covered the ground along a swath southwest and west of Floydada.

An intense supercell thunderstorm impacted areas from near Justiceburg northeastward to the Lake Alan Henry vicinity. Large, and occasionally giant hail was reported along its track.

Residents interviewed during a post-storm National Weather Service survey described a swath of ping pong ball (and occasionally larger) hail that impacted areas from Justiceburg to north of Lake Alan Henry. The hail caused minor roof damage to a few homes, however, much larger hail stones caused more extensive damage east and northeast of Justiceburg near Lake Alan Henry.

The owners of a general store located between Justiceburg and Lake Alan Henry along Farm to Market Road 3519 reported tennis ball size hail as an intense supercell storm impacted the area between 17:00 and 17:30 CST. The hail damaged air conditioning units on the store's roof and caused damage to vehicles.

Skywarn storm spotters reported that golfball size hail covered the ground in Lorenzo.

Ping pong ball size hail reportedly covered the ground along Texas Farm to Market Road 659 south of Post. This as the third in a series of severe storms impacted portions of Garza County.

Operators at the Lake Alan Henry Marina reported giant hail near Turkey Ridge at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 3519 and 2458. Hail up to the size of softballs damaged a number of roofs and vehicles in the area. No injuries were reported.

The supercell thunderstorm that produced a destructive swath of damaging hail over Lubbock (Lubbock County) produced a brief tornado near Ralls as it tracked northeastward over northern Crosby County.

A number of veteran storm chasers observed a brief tornado just southwest of Ralls at 17:45 CST. The tornado appeared as a broad multiple-vortex spin-up of dust, but resulted in no damage as it remained in open fields.

Local ranch workers interviewed during a post-storm National Weather Service survey reported that golfball size hail fell along U.S. Highway 380 on the Garza and Kent County line shortly before 18:00 CST. Large swaths of de-leafed mesquite trees marked the path of the large hail in the area. No property damage was reported. The parent storm was the same supercell thunderstorm that earlier produced giant hail near Justiceburg and Lake Alan Henry.

Local ranchers interviewed during a post-storm National Weather Service survey reported that a swath of golfball size hail fell from the Garza and Kent County line along U.S. Highway 380 to near the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 1081 and 2320. Large swaths of de-leafed mesquite trees were evident within the reported hail swath, but no property damage was reported. The parent storm was the same supercell thunderstorm that earlier produced giant hail near Justiceburg and Lake Alan Henry in Garza County.

Another severe thunderstorm produced a swath of large hail that ranged between the size of nickels and golfballs west of Post, and impacted portions of U.S. Highway 84 northwest of that city shortly after 18:00 CST. This storm was an anticyclonic left-moving supercell.

Yet another intense supercell storm moved northeastward over southeastern Garza County during the 18:00 CST hour.

Mutliple storm chasers and the public observed a deeply occluded mesocyclone with a well-developed funnel-shaped lowering southwest of Justiceburg. A veteran storm chaser near the storm observed intermittent wisps of condensation at the ground at 18:20 CST. The brief tornado lasted approximately one minute and remained over open country. Shingles were reportedly blown off of a home in the area, but no other damages were reported.

Law enforcement officials and Skywarn storm spotters reported large hail that ranged in size from quarters to half dollars along a swath from Ransom Canyon to Idalou as a cluster of severe thunderstorms impacted northeastern Lubbock County.

An Anton city employee reported that penny to nickel size hail briefly fell in Anton shortly after 19:00 CST.

The previously tornadic supercell that impacted Justiceburg (southeastern Garza County) continued to move northeastward into western Kent County. A local rancher interviewed during a post-storm National Weather Service survey witnessed a brief tornado in open ranch land. The tornado occurred immediately south of U.S. Highway 380 and just east of the Garza and Kent County line. No damage was reported, but the rancher reported hearing a loud roar as the tornado passed.

Quarter size hail was reported in Petersburg by local fire department officials as a cluster of severe storms impacted far southeastern Hale County and parts of northeastern Lubbock County.

Skywarn storm spotters reported golfball size hail along Texas Farm to Market Road 1081 northwest of Clairemont.

A relatively long-lived, but weak (EF-1), tornado developed rapidly within a convective complex over northwestern Lubbock County shortly before 20:00 CST and tracked north-northeastward into southwestern Hale County.

The tornadic circulation was initially embedded within heavy rain, but was well sampled at close range by the Lubbock, Texas (KLBB) WSR-88D radar. The tornado developed just south of U.S. Highway 84 at 19:56 CST. The tornado quickly crossed U.S. Highway 84 five miles northwest of Shallowater, where a National Weather Service damage survey team found tumble weeds suspended within utility wires. The tornado then tracked north-northeastward to the west of Farm to Market Road 179. The tornado downed utility poles, damaged four structures, a livestock trailer, and additionally uprooted a large tree before crossing the Lubbock and Hale County line one mile west of the County Line community.

Two mobile homes sustained minor damage from the tornado. Skirting was removed from one home, and mud splatters were evident on the structure. A large roof panel was additionally removed from a second mobile home along county roads west of Farm to Market 179. A well-built permanent house sustained minor damage immediately southwest of County Line, near the Lubbock and Hale County line. A carport and outbuilding were destroyed at the residence and minor roof damage occurred from debris loaded wind. In addition, a large metal garage structure on the property was partially collapsed when tornadic winds caused the door to fail. A large boat stored within the structure was subsequently damaged when it was pushed by wind-loaded debris through a portion of the structure's back wall.

By 20:15 CST drier air began to occlude the tornadic circulation. This allowed visibility around the tornado to improve and a National Weather Service employee began witnessing and photographing the tornado and associated utility power flashes as it approached the Lubbock and Hale County line. The tornado blew down approximately a dozen wooden utility poles along its path as it crossed into Hale County one mile west of the County Line community at 20:16 CST.

The tornado continued until 20:20 CST in southwestern Hale County, where it resulted in additional damages to farm implements, utility poles, and an oil field shed. Damages to the two mobile homes, a single family residence and metal garage, trees, and to wooden utility poles support an EF-1 rating with estimated wind speeds between 85 and 95 mph. The tornado traveled nearly eight miles between 19:56 CST and 20:20 CST and accounted for $130,000 in damages along its path in Lubbock and Hale Counties. No injuries were reported.

A relatively long-lived, but weak (EF-1), tornado developed rapidly within a convective complex over northwestern Lubbock County shortly before 20:00 CST and tracked north-northeastward into southwestern Hale County.

The tornado crossed the Lubbock and Hale County line at 20:16 CST one mile west of County Line, where a number of wooden utility poles were downed. The tornado then tracked northward for more than a mile and resulted in damage at a farmstead where a cotton stripper basket was blown 250 yards and destroyed. The tornado additionally destroyed a small outbuilding near an oil field northwest of County Line.

The tornado then dissipated as observed by close-range radar sampling and visually by a National Weather Service employee at 20:20 CST about a mile and a half northwest of County Line.

Damages to utility poles and the outbuilding, as well as damages to four structures and a large tree in northwestern Lubbock County support an EF-1 rating with wind speeds between 85 and 95 mph. The tornado traveled nearly eight miles between 19:56 CST and 20:20 CST, and accounted for a total of $130,000 in damages along its path in Lubbock and Hale Counties. No injuries were reported.

A tornadic circulation reformed within the Lubbock and Hale County convective complex, east of the dissipated County Line tornado's track. Although the tornado was never witnessed by spotters or local officials, the tornado vortex was well sampled at close range by the Lubbock, Texas (KLBB) WSR-88D radar, and damage subsequently confirmed that a tornado indeed occurred.

This tornado developed very near Farm to Market Road 54 at 20:26 CST, about five and a half miles west-northwest of Abernathy, and moved northward along a two mile long track. The weak tornado broke a number of tree limbs within a shelter belt at a homestead along Farm to Market Road 54, then collapsed a small privately-owned two-way radio tower northeast of the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 54 and 2528. Damage to the radio tower was determined to support an EF-1 rating with wind speeds estimated between 90 and 100 mph. The tornado then dissipated at 20:30 CST approximately eight miles northwest of Abernathy.

An intense Doppler radar indicated low-level circulation developed within the southwestern flank of an evolving convective complex over remote areas of northwestern Kent County shortly after 20:30 CST. No visual observations of a tornado were received. A post-storm National Weather Service survey, however, discovered tumble weeds and other vegetative debris suspended in utility wires just south of Farm to Market Road 2320 and east of that roadways intersection with Farm to Market Road 1081, approximately eleven miles northwest of Clairemont. This evidence of a localized wind event was consistent with survey observation where a well-documented tornado crossed a major U.S. highway in northwestern Lubbock County earlier in the evening, and is well correlated to the intense radar derived tornadic vortex signature. Event time is estimated per radar.

Multiple public and law enforcement reports of a tornado were well corresponded to an intense radar-derived tornadic vortex signature just southwest and west of Girard shortly after 21:00 CST. One public report indicated that a family heard a loud roar as the tornado passed near their home four miles southwest of Girard. Despite multiple witnesses, a post-storm National Weather Service survey found no damage in the area which is predominantly open mesquite-covered range land.

The Lynn County Emergency Manager reported that repeated waves of thunderstorms throughout the late afternoon and evening hours had produced heavy rainfall and resulted in flash flooding over portions of Lynn County. Reports indicated that extensive areas of flowing flood waters inundated portions of U.S. Highway 87 near Tahoka. Flood waters additionally flowed over Farm to Market Roads 211 and 1730 near New Home. No damage or injuries were reported.

Another tornadic circulation developed within a broken convective complex near the Roosevelt community in eastern Lubbock County during the 21:00 CST hour on the 16th. Again, this event was well sampled at close range by the Lubbock, Texas (KLBB) WSR-88D radar, and was confirmed by Skywarn storm spotters and by the occurrence of property damage.

A weak tornado developed just southwest of the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 40 and 400 between Roosevelt and Acuff at approximately 21:12 CST. The tornadic winds were sufficient to collapse a low-end and dated 20x30 foot barn and to damage the skirting and roofing of a mobile home near that intersection. A small metal awning also was blown off of a business and a fence was blown down as the tornado moved northeastward into open country. Skywarn storm spotters observed the tornado and associated utility power flashes about three and a half miles southeast of Idalou just before it dissipated at 21:20 CST.

Damage to the barn supports an EF-1 rating, with estimated wind speeds approaching 95 mph. Damages were estimated at $25,000. No injuries were reported.

Nickel size hail was additionally reported in the immediate vicinity of the tornado.

Skywarn storm spotters reported nickel size hail at the intersection of Texas Farm to Market Roads 40 and 400 between Roosevelt and Acuff. A tornado additionally impacted the area during the time of the hail.

A law enforcement officer observed a brief tornado over open range land in extreme southeastern Dickens County shortly after 21:30 CST. The tornado was associated with a small radar reflectivity derived supercell structure that evolved on the southern flank of the previously tornadic storm near Girard (Kent County). No damage was reported.

A storm chaser observed a brief tornado, seen within lightning flashes and associated with utility power flashes, over rural portions of southwestern King County shortly before 22:00 CST. The tornado remained over open range land south of U.S. Highway 82 southwest of Guthrie, and was associated with the same small-scale supercell storm which previously produced a tornado over southeastern Dickens County. No damage was reported.