An intense storm system and upper air jet contributed to high-based convection over the western South Plains of west Texas during the evening hours of the 30th. The thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts measured as high as 76 mph and blowing dust.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
An intense storm system and upper air jet contributed to high-based convection over the western South Plains of west Texas during the evening hours of the 30th. The thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts measured as high as 76 mph and blowing dust. Winds downed utility poles and lines which sparked a 2,000 acre wildfire west of levelland.
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 Dec 30, 6:24 PM CST, 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 624 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010 .UPDATE... HAVE FRESHENED THE ZFP AND THE NPW TO REFLECT THE EXPIRATION OF THIS AFTERNOON/S WIND ADVISORY. WILL RETAIN THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AS IS FOR NOW BUT WILL REEVALUATE THE FORECAST AFTER 00Z ROABS AND MODELS COME IN LATER THIS EVENING. WILL ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON THE HIGH BASED SHOWERS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST THIS EVENING AS THEY HAVE SHOWN THE ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY TRANSFER HIGH MOMENTUM AIR TO THE SURFACE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 555 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010/ AVIATION... MAIN CONCERN THIS ROUND REMAINS ON STRONG WINDS. SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD SEE A BRIEF DOWNWARD TREND THIS EVENING...BUT A STRONG PACIFIC FRONT CURRENTLY CUTTING THROUGH EASTERN NM WILL RACE ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT...LIKELY PASSING THROUGH KLBB AROUND 4Z AND KCDS AROUND 7Z. WINDS WILL BECOME SW TO W BEHIND THE FRONT AND INCREASE AGAIN...LIKELY SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 30 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR IN CASE AN AWW BECOMES NECESSARY LATER TONIGHT. ALSO...WILL HAVE TO WATCH THE HIGH BASED SHOWERS DEVELOPING/MOVING OUT OF EASTERN NM AS THEY COULD GRAZE THE TAF SITES THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH ANY SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTION FROM PRECIPITATION APPEARS UNLIKELY...THE HEAVIER SHOWERS ALOFT COULD PRODUCE A LOCALLY STRONG WIND GUST. THE GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS SHOULD FINALLY DROP OFF BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 350 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010/ SHORT TERM... VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY WITH THE PRIMARY /BUT NOT ONLY/ CONCERN BEING STRONG WINDS. CURRENT WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THRU 6 PM IS IN GOOD SHAPE WITH WIDESPREAD 25 TO 35 MPH AND GUSTS INTO THE UPPER 40S FOUND ACROSS THE AREA AT 3 PM ACCORDING TO WEST TEXAS MESONET. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME MIXING HOWEVER TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL KEEP IT BREEZY. MEANWHILE...WINDS ALOFT WILL BE STRENGTHENING AS JETMAX EXCEEDING 130 KTS AT 250MB AND 60KTS AT 700MB DEVELOPS ACROSS THE AREA. WE EXPECT TURBULENT MECHANICAL MIXING TO ALLOW GUSTY WINDS TO MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE SOMETIME AFTER MIDNIGHT /SIMILAR TO PAST NIGHT/ AND THUS A REPEAT OF ADVISORY STRENGTH WINDS AND ISOLATED SVR WIND GUSTS APPEAR LIKELY. WITH THIS IN MIND HAVE GONE AHEAD AND ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY BEGINNING AT 2 AM FOR AREAS ON/ADJACENT TO THE CAPROCK. THE WINDS ALOFT MAXIMIZE FROM ABOUT 12Z TO 18Z AND THEN BEGIN TO SHIFT EASTWARD. AT THE SAME TIME A PACIFIC-TYPE COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA MAINTAINING A TIGHT SFC GRADIENT. THUS WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE AND EXPAND EAST INTO THE ROLLING PLAINS DURING THE MORNING HRS AND HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR THAT AREA BEGINNING AT 8 AM. WIND SPEEDS MAY NOT QUITE REACH ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR A EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME ACROSS THE EASTERN ROLLING PLAINS BUT DECIDED TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE ADVISORY TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION. THE STRENGTH OF THE MID-LVL HEIGHT GRADIENT ARGUES THAT THE POTENTIAL OF AT LEAST ISOLD SVR GUSTS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY. ACCOMPANYING THE STRONG WINDS WILL BE WIDESPREAD BLOWING DUST...WHICH MAY BECOME LOCALLY THICK AND MAKE FOR SOME AREAS OF HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY SUBSIDE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN NEW MEXICO AT 3 PM A WIDE AREA OF SCATTERED PRECIP /MAINLY SNOW/ IS OBSERVED FROM ABOUT DEMING TO RATON WITH EVEN A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES NEAR CLINES CORNERS. STRONG DPVA/LIFT WITH SUFFICIENT MID-LVL MOISTURE SHOULD ARRIVE IN OUR W-NW ZONES AND SWEEP QUICKLY NEWD ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH ABOUT MIDNIGHT OR SO. MOST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO GENERATE AT LEAST SOME LIGHT PRECIP MAINLY ACROSS THE NRN THIRD OF THE CWA. HAVE KEPT THE POP CONFIGURATION BASICALLY THE SAME WHILE UPPING PARMER AND CASTRO INTO THE CHC CATEGORY THIS EVENING. PRECIP SHOULD COMMENCE AS RAIN...BUT MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AS STRONG CAA AND EVAPORATION TAKE HOLD. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE SHORT DURATION OF LIFT THERE SHOULD BE ONLY A SMALL WINDOW FOR SNOW AND WE DO NOT EXPECT ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR MORE. ONE CAVEAT TO BE WATCHED IS A HINT OF MID-LVL INSTABILITY WHICH COULD PRODUCE SOME CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED ACTIVITY RESULTING IN HEAVIER PRECIP AND POSSIBLY STRONGER WINDS. TEMPS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE MILD TONIGHT BUT SHOULD BEGIN TO FALL EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AS CAA FOLLOWS THE PACIFIC COLD FRONT. HIGHS ON FRIDAY WILL BE SOMEWHAT PROBLEMATIC BUT WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM NEAR 40 NORTHWEST TO THE MIDDLE 50S SOUTHEAST. LONG TERM... MUCH QUIETER WEATHER IS IN THE OFFING BEGINNING FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE INITIAL UPPER TROF AXIS EXPECTED TO BE WELL TO OUR NORTHEAST. A TRAILING LOBE OF POSITIVE VORTICITY WILL THEN GLANCE THE SOUTH PLAINS EARLY NEW YEAR/S DAY...HOWEVER DEEP SUBSIDENCE AND SUBSEQUENT DRYING WILL KEEP CLOUDS TO A MINIMUM DURING THIS WAVE/S PASSAGE. AT THE VERY LEAST THIS IMPULSE WILL DRIVE A POLAR FRONT SOUTH FRI NIGHT BEFORE POTENTIALLY BACKDOORING ONTO THE CAPROCK BY MIDDAY SAT. THE NAM HAS TRENDED MORE WESTERLY WITH THIS COOL PUSH AND THIS SCENARIO APPEARS PLAUSIBLE CONSIDERING ALL MODELS SHOW THE SURFACE HIGH AXIS ACROSS OUR ERN ZONES. THIS COOL DOME MAY LINGER INTO SUNDAY OFF THE CAPROCK UNTIL THE SURFACE HIGH EASES FARTHER DOWNSTREAM. LITTLE IN THE WAY OF DEWPOINT RECOVERY FRI NIGHT AND AGAIN SAT NIGHT SHOULD GARNER SOME VERY COLD LOW TEMPS FOR THE START OF 2011 AND RECENT MOS TEMPS APPEAR TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON THIS SCENARIO. THEREAFTER...AN ACTIVE SPLIT FLOW REGIME IN BRITISH COLUMBIA SHOULD SEND ADDITIONAL PACIFIC ENERGY SOUTHWARD ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST CULMINATING WITH A CUTOFF LOW AROUND SOCAL BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. UPPER FLOW LOCALLY SHOULD ASSUME A SWLY COMPONENT ALLOWING A GRADUAL INFLUX OF MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WHILE THE LOW LEVELS ALSO UNDERGO MOISTENING. THE MAIN BRANCH OF THE POLAR JET DURING THIS TIME APPEARS STRONGLY CYCLONIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NATION SUPPORTIVE OF AT LEAST ONE POLAR FRONT ENTERING THE LOCAL AREA AS EARLY AS MON NIGHT. PRIMARILY CONFLUENT FLOW ALOFT HOWEVER SHOULD KEEP PRECIP AT BAY DURING THIS FROPA. NWP CONSISTENCY REGARDING THE BEHAVIOR OF THE CUTOFF LOW IN/NEAR SOCAL BY MIDWEEK REMAINS ELUSIVE AND AS SUCH WILL NOT ENTERTAIN THE UNUSUALLY MOIST SCENARIO ADVERTISED BY THE RECENT GFS AND SOME OF ITS ENSEMBLES. FIRE WEATHER... AS EXPECTED...RH VALUES TODAY HAVE STAYED ABOVE 15 PERCENT FOR THE MOST PART AREA-WIDE...ALTHOUGH DEWPOINTS ARE SLIGHTLY BELOW FCST VALUES FOR SOME AREAS. HOWEVER...AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA EVEN OVERNIGHT DUE TO THE CONTINUED GUSTY WINDS AND VERY DRY FUELS. THE FIRE DANGER WILL INCREASE ON FRIDAY AS VERY DRY AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST BEHIND A PACIFIC-TYPE COOL FRONT. THUS DESPITE COOLER TEMPS...RH VALUES SHOULD DROP BELOW 15 PERCENT ACROSS A LARGE AREA...MAINLY FROM THE CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS THROUGH THE ROLLING PLAINS. THERE ARE STILL A COUPLE OF QUESTION MARKS REGARDING THE SEVERITY OF THE FIRE DANGER. THE WINDS WILL BE ON A DIMINISHING TREND BY AFTERNOON WHEN THE RH VALUES WILL BE AT THEIR LOWEST....AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL PRODUCE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPS ACROSS THE CAPROCK. WITH THIS IN MIND HAVE CONTINUED THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH AS IS FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM MAINLY FROM I-27/US-87 EASTWARD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 20 37 7 37 7 / 30 0 0 0 0 TULIA 25 39 10 38 8 / 20 0 0 0 0 PLAINVIEW 26 41 14 39 8 / 20 0 0 0 0 LEVELLAND 25 43 12 42 9 / 20 0 0 0 0 LUBBOCK 28 45 17 42 14 / 20 0 0 0 0 DENVER CITY 25 47 15 42 13 / 20 0 0 0 0 BROWNFIELD 27 47 17 42 15 / 20 0 0 0 0 CHILDRESS 34 48 17 39 11 / 20 0 0 0 0 SPUR 33 49 17 41 10 / 10 0 0 0 0 ASPERMONT 38 54 23 43 13 / 10 0 0 0 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ024>026-030>032-035>038-041>044. WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM TO 5 PM CST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ025-026-031-032-037-038-043-044. WIND ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO 5 PM CST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ021>024-027>030-033>036-039>042. && 23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 344 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010 TXZ021>044-312145- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 344 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...REMAINDER OF TODAY AND TONIGHT NON PRECIPITATION STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS AT TIMES GUSTING UP TO 50 MPH...AREAS OF BLOWING DUST AND AN ELEVATED GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER WILL SUBSIDE BY SUNSET BEFORE A STRONG COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT. WESTERLY WINDS BEHIND THIS FRONT WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 30 MPH WITH A FEW GUSTS POSSIBLY APPROACHING 60 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY DESPITE MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY...WINDS WILL AGAIN BECOME QUITE STRONG THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION DURING THE PRE- DAWN HOURS BEFORE DIMINISHING LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. COMBINED WITH EXCEPTIONALLY DRY AIR...THESE WINDS WILL LEAD TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER BEHAVIOR GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 27. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS ON FRIDAY IN ADDITION TO A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STRONG WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WIND OR POOR VISIBILITY FROM BLOWING DUST.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 708 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010 TXZ021>025-027>031-033>036-039>041-310400- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE-FLOYD-MOTLEY- COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FRIONA...BOVINA...DIMMITT...HART... TULIA...SILVERTON...QUITAQUE...MEMPHIS...TURKEY...MULESHOE... LITTLEFIELD...OLTON...PLAINVIEW...FLOYDADA...LOCKNEY...MATADOR... ROARING SPRINGS...MORTON...LEVELLAND...LUBBOCK...SLATON... WOLFFORTH...CROSBYTON...RALLS...PLAINS...DENVER CITY... BROWNFIELD...TAHOKA...ODONNELL 708 PM CST THU DEC 30 2010 ...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED WITH HIGH BASED SHOWERS THIS EVENING... AN AREA OF HIGH BASED SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND ADVANCE QUICKLY NORTHEAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTH PLAINS...SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND WESTERN ROLLING PLAINS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF BUT STRONG WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 TO 55 MPH AS THEY PASS AS WELL AS A QUICK BURST OF LIGHT RAIN AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING THE STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING DUST. THE SHOWERS SHOULD QUICKLY RACE OFF TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA BY LATE THIS EVENING THOUGH GUSTY WINDS WILL REMAIN BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:07 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Morton recorded a peak thunderstorm wind gust of 65 mph at 19:10 CST. No damage was reported.
Thunderstorm winds snapped four wooden utility poles west of Levelland along Texas Highway 114. The resultant downed power lines sparked a large wind-driven grassland wildfire.
A large wind-driven wildfire was sparked when thunderstorm winds downed utility lines into receptive grassy-fuels along Texas Highway 114 west of Levelland shortly before 19:20 CST. The fire charred 1,920 acres as it burned eastward across Farm to Market Road 303. Fire crews saved a barn that housed fifty bales of hay. No significant damages or injuries were reported.
A thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph was recorded by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site near Muleshoe. No damage was reported.
Thunderstorms produced a swath of severe winds and blowing dust over portions of Lamb County. A 76 mph gust was initially measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet near Amherst at 19:35 CST. A subsequent wind gust of 59 mph was measured at the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site south of Olton at 19:50 CST. No significant damages were reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2010
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: 266368, 266371, 266372, 266369, 266370.