A cold Canadian airmass pushed southward over the west Texas South Plains on the 25th and dropped temperatures into the 20s across the region. Widespread clouds and freezing fog transitioned to a light wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and freezing drizzle by midday on the 26th.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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 LUB wrote it up.
A cold Canadian airmass pushed southward over the west Texas South Plains on the 25th and dropped temperatures into the 20s across the region. Widespread clouds and freezing fog transitioned to a light wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and freezing drizzle by midday on the 26th. Intermittent precipitation fell over the area through the 27th, with total accumulations that ranged between one and two tenths of an inch.
Automobile accidents were reported in Childress, Hale, Hall, Hockley, Garza, Lubbock, and Terry Counties. One man was injured in a single vehicle roll over near Brownfield (Terry County). Weather was attributed to nearly a dozen accidents in Garza County, but no injuries were reported.
An ATR-42 twin turboprop cargo aircraft landed short of the runway in the adverse weather conditions at 04:37 CST on the 27th at Lubbock's Preston Smith International Airport. A fire developed onboard the airplane after impact and the aircraft and its cargo were destroyed. The pilot and co-pilot were transferred to a local hospital with injuries.
In all, the light wintry precipitation resulted in nearly $3.25 million dollars in damages and three injuries.
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 Jan 26, 5:48 AM CST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 548 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009 .AVIATION... MVFR/IFR CIGS ARE EXPANDING SOUTHWESTWARD ATTM TOWARD THE KLBB TAF SITE. THUS VFR CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO LOW CLOUDS DURING THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS. SUBCLOUD LAYER IS NOTABLY DRY...AND THIS LENDS TO SOME UNCERTAINTY IN ONSET OF VIS RESTRICTIONS DUE TO FREEZING DRIZZLE/FOG. LATEST MODEL PROFILES SUGGEST THAT LIFR CONDITIONS MAY NOT DEVELOP UNTIL AFTER 27/00Z...WHEN UPGLIDE STRENGTHENS AND INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF FREEZING DRIZZLE/LIGHT FREEZING RAIN. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 445 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009/ DISCUSSION... EXPECTATIONS FOR WINTER WEATHER AND A POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ICE GLAZING CONTINUE TO COMPLICATE THE FORECAST. THE PERIPHERY OF A 1035+MB CANADIAN/MODIFIED ARCTIC AIRMASS CONTINUES TO RIDGE OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS AS CAA PERSISTS IN THE WAKE OF LAST EVENING/S FROPA. CURRENT SATELLITE TRENDS DEPICT INCREASING POST FRONTAL STRATUS WITHIN COLD LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW. SURFACE OBS SUGGEST THAT THE SUB CLOUD LAYER REMAINS VERY DRY...HOWEVER...WITH TD/S IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS. EXPECT THESE TRENDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS...WITH CLOUDS OVERSPREADING THE AREA. THE LATEST MOS GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED SHARPLY LOWER FOR DAYTIME TEMPERATURES...AND THIS SEEMS REASONABLE GIVEN THICKENING STRATUS AND PROGGED CONTINUED CAA. THUS HAVE LOWERED MAXIMA NOTABLY TODAY...WITH MOST AREAS LIKELY TO STRUGGLE NEAR THE FREEZING MARK...OR EVEN EXPERIENCING DECREASING TEMPERATURES. FORECAST PROFILES SUGGEST THAT THE DRY NEAR SURFACE AIR MAY HELP TO RESTRICT THE ONSET OF FREEZING FOG/DRIZZLE...BUT STILL EXPECT MOISTENING LATER TODAY/TONIGHT AS MODEST/SHALLOW ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE AND UPSLOPE INCREASE. IT CONTINUES TO APPEAR THAT ANY QPF WILL BE VERY LIGHT GIVEN THE SHALLOW NATURE OF MOISTURE/ASCENT...BUT GIVEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURES...A LIGHT GLAZE REMAINS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY... ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHEAST HALF OF THE FA. MODELS HAVE TRENDED TO SHOW THE ONSET OF WEAK ISENTROPIC DOWNGLIDE SPREADING FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST BY LATE TUESDAY. THIS IN ADVANCE OF EJECTING/WEAKENING POSITIVELY TILTED UA LOW NOW OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THUS HAVE TRENDED GRIDDED POPS/CLOUDS DOWN OVER THE NORTHWESTERN SOUTH PLAINS TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER MODEST FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED DPVA/WAA CONTINUES TO RESULT IN MODEL QPF SIGNALS NORTH OF THE REMNANT SURFACE BOUNDARY IN PROXIMITY TO THE SOUTHERN ZONES. WILL CONTINUE LOW CHANCE CATEGORY POPS THERE AND A MENTION OF A WINTRY MIX AS THE TROUGH PASSAGE MAY PROVIDE SUFFICIENT COOLING/LIFT FOR FLURRIES. NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST. ADDITIONAL FROPAS APPEAR IN THE OFFERING BY EARLY THURSDAY AND AGAIN DURING THE WEEKEND...AS THE SYNOPTIC SCALE FLOW WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY AN AMPLIFIED RIDGE/WEST TROUGH/EAST PATTERN. SOME SIGNAL EXIST FOR A SOUTHERN PLAINS SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSAGE SATURDAY...BUT NO SENSIBLE WEATHER IMPACTS ARE CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 33 19 30 18 52 / 10 20 10 10 0 TULIA 29 17 29 18 51 / 20 20 10 10 10 PLAINVIEW 30 18 29 18 51 / 20 20 20 20 10 LEVELLAND 36 23 33 23 54 / 10 20 20 20 10 LUBBOCK 32 21 31 23 51 / 10 20 20 20 10 DENVER CITY 46 28 32 26 57 / 10 20 20 20 10 BROWNFIELD 38 25 32 24 55 / 10 20 20 30 10 CHILDRESS 28 17 32 20 49 / 20 30 20 20 10 SPUR 31 21 29 23 51 / 20 20 20 30 10 ASPERMONT 35 22 31 23 50 / 20 20 30 30 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 409 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009 TXZ021>044-271015- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 409 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINTER WEATHER PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE AND PERIODS OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. VERY LIGHT WINTRY PRECIPITATION MAY RESULT IN A GLAZE OR LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION ON SOME SURFACES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN PANHANDLE AND THE NORTHERN ROLLING AND SOUTH PLAINS. IN ADDITION...FOG WILL LOCALLY REDUCE VISIBILITY AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS FROM FREEZING DRIZZLE... FOG...AND LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 409 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009 TXZ021>044-262200- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FRIONA...BOVINA...DIMMITT...HART... TULIA...SILVERTON...QUITAQUE...MEMPHIS...TURKEY...CHILDRESS... MULESHOE...LITTLEFIELD...OLTON...PLAINVIEW...FLOYDADA...LOCKNEY... MATADOR...ROARING SPRINGS...PADUCAH...MORTON...LEVELLAND... LUBBOCK...SLATON...WOLFFORTH...CROSBYTON...RALLS...DICKENS... SPUR...GUTHRIE...PLAINS...DENVER CITY...BROWNFIELD...TAHOKA... ODONNELL...POST...JAYTON...ASPERMONT 409 AM CST MON JAN 26 2009 ...WINTRY WEATHER EXPECTED ON THE SOUTH PLAINS TODAY AND TUESDAY... COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS REGION TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT THAT PUSHED THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT. PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE...FOG...AND PERHAPS LIGHT FREEZING RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN PANHANDLE... THE NORTHERN ROLLING PLAINS...AND THE NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS LATER TODAY...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL BE VERY LIGHT... HOWEVER...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 20S AND LOWER 30S...SOME LIGHT GLAZING OF EXPOSED SURFACES WILL BE POSSIBLE. A PASSING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING A MODEST INCREASE IN MOISTURE LATE TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. WITH SUB FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN PLACE...ADDITIONAL LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON SOME SURFACES. SNOW FLURRIES MAY MIX WITH LIGHT FREEZING RAIN LATE TUESDAY NIGHT...BUT NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION STATIONS...OR YOUR CABLE TELEVISION SERVICE PROVIDER FOR LATER STATEMENTS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER SITUATION.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
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, January 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: 144883, 145068, 145069, 145070, 145071, 145072, 145073, 145074, 145075, 145076, 145077, 145078, 145079, 146195, 146196.