Drought, Stonewall
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Stonewall forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 33.179, -100.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 2009
Despite a wet summer and early fall of 2008, precipitation was scarce over the west Texas South Plains region, especially over the southern Rolling Plains from late October 2008 through May 2009. Severe (D2) drought initially developed over the Rolling Plains during late January 2009.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $6.0 million
- Events
- 3
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS LUB wrote it up.
Despite a wet summer and early fall of 2008, precipitation was scarce over the west Texas South Plains region, especially over the southern Rolling Plains from late October 2008 through May 2009. Severe (D2) drought initially developed over the Rolling Plains during late January 2009. By mid April 2009, several widespread rain events had helped to provide a temporary reprieve of drought conditions over most of the area. The area impacted by Severe (2) drought had lessened over the southern Rolling Plains. However, May 2009 saw a low coverage and intensity of convective rainfalls as compared to climatology. Thus, with long-term rainfall deficits on the increase, drought conditions intensified to Extreme (D3) drought over the southern Rolling Plains of West Texas by the end of May.
Severe (D2) drought was ongoing over Kent, King, and Stonewall Counties at the beginning of May. Rainfall deficits for the previous six month period increased to between four and six inches over the southern Rolling Plains by the end of the month. These deficits represented 40% to 50% of climatological averages.
Following the failure of winter wheat crops in previous months, agricultural impacts in May began to include delays in cotton planting--the area's primary industry. Local cotton experts reported that the lack of wetting rainfall events in May made it difficult for farmers to plant. However, the lack of rainfall would not become critical until early June, when crop insurance deadlines required cotton crops to be in the fields.
State agricultural officials estimate that cattle losses related to the drought will exceed $1 billion. Only a fraction of those losses occurred in the South Plains region with most of the land usage locally being for cotton production.
The total economic impact across the South Plains region in May was estimated at $6 million with approximately $24 million dollars of economic loss occurring locally since the onset of severe (D2) drought conditions in January 2009.
What forecasters said that day
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 30, 10:57 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 10:57 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1157 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS WILL PREVAIL DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE VALID PERIOD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GROUND FOG AROUND DAYBREAK. INSTABILITY TO THE EAST OF A A DRYLINE AND SOUTH OF A SFC COLD FRONT WILL PROVIDE FOR AFTERNOON CONVECTION NEAR KCDS BUT ACTUAL LOCATION OF THESE FEATURES WILL DETERMINE IF STORMS WILL AFFECT THE TERMINAL AREA. AFTER THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH...LOW CLOUDINESS IS EXPECTED AND WHILE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE...IT IS POSSIBLE THAT CIGS COULD DROP CONDITIONS TO IFR. 26 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1002 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009/ UPDATE... REMOVED POPS FROM THE ROLLING PLAINS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING. ONE LONE STORM FORMED IN WESTERN OKLA BUT WEAK CONVERGENCE ON VARIOUS BOUNDARIES WAS NEVER ABLE TO OVERCOME CAP FARTHER WEST. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 51 87 43 64 45 / 10 10 20 20 20 TULIA 56 86 45 62 47 / 10 10 20 20 20 PLAINVIEW 58 89 48 67 48 / 10 10 20 20 20 LEVELLAND 59 93 51 70 50 / 10 10 20 20 20 LUBBOCK 61 92 51 70 50 / 10 10 20 20 20 DENVER CITY 61 94 55 83 51 / 10 10 10 20 20 BROWNFIELD 63 94 54 77 53 / 10 10 20 20 20 CHILDRESS 65 88 49 70 51 / 10 30 30 20 30 SPUR 65 92 53 72 52 / 10 20 20 20 30 ASPERMONT 65 93 55 74 55 / 10 20 20 20 30 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 99/99/26
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 9:03 PM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1003 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TXZ021>044-020315- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1003 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE INTERSECTION OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND THE DRYLINE WILL BRING THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ACROSS THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND EASTERN ROLLING PLAINS ON FRIDAY. ALSO...AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY MAY BRING THE RISK OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING LATER THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, King
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- King forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 33.617, -100.256 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought, Kent
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Kent forecast zone
- Crop damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- Other Federal Agency
- Coordinates
- 33.181, -100.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Oklahoma, May 1 to 2, 2009
- Tornadoes and Hail in Alabama, May 1 to 3, 2009
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 1, 2009
- Flooding in Arkansas, May 1 to 31, 2009
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 1 to 3, 2009
- Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 4, 2009
- Flood in Iowa, May 1 to 7, 2009
- Flood in Iowa, May 1, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Arkansas, May 1, 2009
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Alabama, May 1 to 2, 2009
- Flooding in Indiana, May 1 to 29, 2009
- Flooding in Illinois, May 1 to 3, 2009
More
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2009
Sources
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: 167512, 167513, 167514.