A powerful upper level storm system brought blizzard conditions to the Big Country, the region located along and north of Interstate 20. The combination of wind gusts to 50 mph and heavy snow resulted in visibilities less than 1/4 of mile across the eastern two-thirds of the Big Country.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 SJT wrote it up.
A powerful upper level storm system brought blizzard conditions to the Big Country, the region located along and north of Interstate 20. The combination of wind gusts to 50 mph and heavy snow resulted in visibilities less than 1/4 of mile across the eastern two-thirds of the Big Country.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 23, 11:00 PM CST, 4 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 1100 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009 .AVIATION... /06Z UPDATE/ A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS OVERNIGHT AND BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE FORECASTED TRACK OF THE UPPER LOW...THE AREA IMPACTED THE MOST WILL BE OVER THE BIG COUNTRY WHERE KABI WILL HAVE -RA CHANGE OVER TO LIGHT SNOW BY 12Z. MVFR CONDITIONS AT KABI THROUGH THE NIGHT WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE BY EARLY AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BE FROM THE NORTHWEST GENERALLY 15KTS GUSTING TO 25KTS THROUGH THE NIGHT...INCREASING TO 25KTS GUSTING TO 35KTS TO EARLY EVENING OVER THE NORTHERN TAF SITES. WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER OVER THE SOUTHERN TAF SITES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ABILENE 65 32 32 21 43 / 20 80 80 0 0 SAN ANGELO 65 37 42 22 46 / 20 70 30 0 0 JUNCTION 68 41 44 22 48 / 20 70 10 0 0 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 PM CST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CALLAHAN...FISHER...HASKELL...JONES...NOLAN... SHACKELFORD...TAYLOR...THROCKMORTON. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BROWN...COKE...COLEMAN...RUNNELS...STERLING. && 15
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 138 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-241945- FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 138 PM CST WED DEC 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE BIG COUNTRY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT UNTIL NOON ON THURSDAY. A POTENT UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY THURSDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS RAIN ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING THEN CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. FURTHER SOUTH...RAIN MAY CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CONCHO VALLEY TOWARDS DAYBREAK BEFORE ENDING. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE MUCH LIGHTER OVER THIS AREA WITH NO SNOW ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY EAST OF A CROSS PLAINS TO JUNCTION LINE THIS EVENING. SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY BEFORE NOON ON THURSDAY. SOME ADDITIONAL LIGHT ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. 24
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 blizzard, 3 heavy snow, 3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow fell across Fisher County. A Snowfall amount of 5 inches was reported in Rotan.
Heavy Snow fell across Nolan County. A Snowfall amount of 4 inches was reported in Sweetwater.
Heavy Snow fell across Taylor County. A Snowfall amount of 4 inches was reported 3 miles northeast of Abilene, and 18 inch drifts were reported in the county.
Blizzard conditions occurred across Haskell County. A Snowfall amount of 5 inches was reported in Rule.
Blizzard conditions occurred across Throckmorton County. A Snowfall amount of 6 inches was reported in Throckmorton.
Blizzard conditions occurred across Jones County. A Snowfall amount of 4 inches was reported in Hamlin.
Blizzard conditions occurred across Shackelford County. A Snowfall amount of 6 inches was reported in Albany.
Blizzard conditions occurred across Callahan County. A Snowfall amount of 5 inches was reported in Baird.
A snowfall amount of 2 inches was reported near Lake Coleman.
A snowfall amount of 2 inches was reported 3 miles south-southeast of Brownwood.
A man was killed and five others were injured in a two-car crash on a snow covered road south of Sweetwater on Highway 70 on Christmas Day.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Nolan | 2009-12-25 | 39 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
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, December 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: 205635, 205639, 205646, 205630, 205631, 205632, 205633, 205634, 205654, 205659, 207977.