Scattered thunderstorms developed over the South Plains of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 12th. A few of the storms produced localized downbursts.
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 developed over the South Plains of west Texas during the late afternoon and evening hours of the 12th. A few of the storms produced localized downbursts. Two downbursts were accompanied by severe wind gusts as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet. No damages 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 Lubbock, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 12, 2:53 PM CST, 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 353 PM CDT WED AUG 12 2009 .SHORT TERM... A CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SITUATED ACROSS NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IS GRADUALLY BEGINNING TO BUILD ITS WAY INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS THAT WERE LINGERING ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS EARLIER TODAY HAVE DISSIPATED...BUT A COUPLE OF NEW SHOWERS HAVE JUST POPPED UP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE NEAR THE CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK. WITH SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE...MODELS ARE SHOWING THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CAPROCK THIS AFTERNOON. THESE STORMS WILL GENERALLY DRIFT TOWARD THE SOUTH ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CAPROCK...BEFORE WEAKENING AROUND SUNSET WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. THE MAIN THREATS WITH ANY STORMS THAT DO FORM WILL BE LIGHTNING...BRIEF GUSTY WINDS....AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. THUS...KEPT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN FOR THE ENTIRE AREA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE FORECAST TONIGHT SHOULD REMAIN QUIET FOR THE MOST PART...BUT WITH A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CERTAINLY CANNOT RULE OUT ANOTHER ROUND OF STORMS ROLLING OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NM/CO INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. RAIN CHANCES WILL BE FAIRLY LOW AS MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND DISSIPATE BEFORE IT REACHES THE LUB CWA AS IT ENCOUNTERS A MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT. STILL...MAINTAINED SLIGHT CHANCE WORDING FOR MOST LOCATIONS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF LUBBOCK OVERNIGHT...WITH THE GREATEST CHANCES OCCURRING ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW TO MIDDLE 60S ON THE CAPROCK...TO THE UPPER 60S AND LOW 70S ON THE ROLLING PLAINS. THE AFOREMENTIONED RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST OVERNIGHT AND BUILD OVERHEAD ON THURSDAY. A FAIRLY BENIGN WEATHER DAY CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA WITH MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS OCCURRING FOR MOST OF THE DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY BE A DEGREE OR TWO WARMER THAN WEDNESDAY WITH THE MERCURY CLIMBING INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S IN SEVERAL AREAS. RAIN CHANCES SHOULD BE LOWER TOMORROW WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA AS MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS TO THE WEST. HOWEVER...WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST MODEL TRENDS AS SOME LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE CAPROCK MAY INITIATE A BRIEF SHOWER OR TWO TOMORROW AFTERNOON. && .LONG TERM... THE LONG TERM FORECAST COULD CONTINUE TO SEE A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH NEXT WEEK. MID LEVEL FLOW WILL TRANSITION FROM NORTHERLY TO SOUTHWESTERLY ON FRIDAY RATHER QUICKLY AS AN UPPER HIGH SLIDES TO THE EAST OF THE AREA AND FLATTENS OUT A BIT. PRECIPITATION CHANCES MAY CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS TOMORROW AS THERE MAY BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL FORCING TO SUSTAIN SOME ISOLATED STORMS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PANHANDLE. THE PRIMARY CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUE TO BE ON FRIDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS A MID LEVEL WAVE IS STILL PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. MODELS ARE STILL IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING AND POSITION OF THE WAVE. LOW AND MID LEVEL FORCING WILL BE PRESENT BUT THERE MAY BE A FEW LIMITING FACTORS FOR SUSTAINING CONVECTION. SHEAR VALUES ARE PROGGED TO BE EXTREMELY WEAK. SREF PROBABILITIES ARE NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE EITHER. HOWEVER...WITH THIS MUCH CONSISTENCY IN THE MODEL RUNS...HAVE OPTED TO GO CHANCE CATEGORY ACROSS WESTERN ZONES. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST...SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE WILL BE A LACK OF FORCING ACROSS THE AREA HOWEVER WITH A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE EAST OF A SURFACE TROUGH HAVE CONTINUED THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS THROUGH SUNDAY. THE FORECAST THEN BECOMES TROUBLESOME VERY LATE IN THE WEEKEND AND EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. THE GFS CONTINUES TO DRIVE A COLD FRONT NEAR THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OR EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THE EURO CONTINUES TO SHOW THIS FEATURE ABOUT 24 HOURS LATER. NEVERTHELESS...THE FRONT WILL THEN WASH OUT BY TUESDAY WITH A RETURN TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. JDV && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 64 93 63 89 64 / 20 10 20 20 30 TULIA 65 94 66 90 65 / 20 10 20 10 30 PLAINVIEW 66 94 66 89 66 / 20 10 10 10 30 LEVELLAND 66 94 68 90 66 / 20 10 10 10 30 LUBBOCK 68 95 70 92 68 / 20 10 10 10 20 DENVER CITY 66 94 67 92 67 / 20 10 10 20 30 BROWNFIELD 67 94 69 91 67 / 20 10 10 10 20 CHILDRESS 68 97 70 95 72 / 20 10 10 10 20 SPUR 70 96 70 94 70 / 20 10 10 10 20 ASPERMONT 72 96 71 96 72 / 20 10 10 10 20 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 22/01
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 352 PM CDT WED AUG 12 2009 TXZ021>044-132100- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 352 PM CDT WED AUG 12 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO FORM THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTH CENTRAL PANHANDLE. A FEW STORMS COULD APPROACH SEVERE LEVELS WITH VERY STRONG WIND GUSTS. IN ADDITION...THE SLOW MOVEMENT OF THE STORMS WILL PROMOTE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS THROUGH MID EVENING.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:34 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Floydada recorded a 62 mph thunderstorm wind gust just after 15:30 CST. No damage was reported.
A thunderstorm downburst in the Reese Center vicinity resulted in a 66 mph wind gust as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet shortly after 18:10 CST. 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, August 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: 190926, 190927.