A potent shortwave trough produced a line echo wave pattern (LEWP) and a supercell thunderstorm across West Central Texas. The squall line tracked from Sterling County northeast to Cross Plains during the day.
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 SJT wrote it up.
A potent shortwave trough produced a line echo wave pattern (LEWP) and a supercell thunderstorm across West Central Texas. The squall line tracked from Sterling County northeast to Cross Plains during the day. The supercell impacted Sutton County.
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 Jan 28, 5:33 AM CST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 533 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010 .UPDATE... SEE 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION... WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY AND TONIGHT...AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM. SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. GIVEN THE COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT MOVING INTO THE AREA...THESE STORMS MAY NOT HAVE A HARD TIME PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...ALTHOUGH COVERAGE MAY NOT BE GREAT ENOUGH TO WARRANT MENTIONING IN THE TERMINALS. COLD FRONT PUSHING INTO THE NORTHERN BIG COUNTRY AS OF 1130Z WILL SAG TOWARDS KABI BY LATE MORNING...AND THEN SLOWLY PROGRESS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. BEHIND THE FRONT...NORTH WINDS WILL BE GUSTY AND TEMPERATURES WILL DROP. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET MOVING INTO THE KABI AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 353 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010/ SHORT TERM... STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO APPROACH WEST CENTRAL TEXAS EARLY THIS MORNING. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS THE UPPER LOW ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO...WITH THE MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN MOVING THE SYSTEM NORTHEAST INTO THE PANHANDLE AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA BY FRIDAY MORNING. STRONG WARM ADVECTION CONTINUES ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH SUNRISE. MEANWHILE...BEST LIFT FROM THE MAIN LOW STARTING TO DEVELOP ACROSS WEST TEXAS...WITH THE LIFT FORECAST TO BE OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. BEEN AWHILE SINCE I GOT THE CHANCE TO GO NEAR 100 PERCENT POPS AREA WIDE. GIVEN THE ALL DAY RAIN AND THE PROSPECTS OF SOME TRAINING THUNDERSTORMS...WILL CONTINUE THE MENTION OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. COLD FRONT HAS SAGGED AS FAR SOUTH AS LUBBOCK AND WICHITA FALLS AS OF 09Z...JUST SKIRTING THE NORTHERN BORDER OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. EXPECT THE FRONT TO SAG SLOWLY SOUTH... MOVING INTO THE BIG COUNTRY BEFORE SUNRISE...AND TO NEAR ABILENE BY LATE MORNING. THIS WOULD PUT IT A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE GFS TIMING...BUT MORE IN LINE WITH THE LATEST RUC FORECASTS. HIGHS ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY TODAY WILL OCCUR SHORTLY AFTER 12Z. FRONT THEN DROPS SOUTH THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS BY EARLY EVENING. PRECIPITATION TYPE THE BIG QUESTION TODAY. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWEST BIG COUNTRY MAY START TO SEE A LITTLE SLEET MIXED IN WITH THE RAIN BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON...BUT WITH TEMPERATURES STILL ABOVE FREEZING. BY SUNSET...TEMPERATURES DROP TO NEAR FREEZING...JUST AS THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION STARTS TO TAPER OFF. HOW LONG AN OVERLAP OCCURS IS STILL A QUESTION...BUT THINK THERE MAY BE ENOUGH TIME SO THAT SOME LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. ALSO EXPECT SOME REFREEZE OF ALL OF THE STANDING WATER LEFT AFTER TODAYS RAINS...WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME ICY CONDITIONS ON ROADWAYS BY MORNING. WILL ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE BIG COUNTRY FOR THIS EVENING. FARTHER SOUTH...SOME LIGHT SLEET AND OR FREEZING RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. HOWEVER...WARM GROUND TEMPERATURES RECENTLY AND THE SMALL TOTALS EXPECTED WOULD LEAD ME TO HOLD OFF ON ADVISORIES AT THIS POINT. 07 LONG TERM... KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW...FRIDAY MORNING IN THE BIG COUNTRY...ALTHOUGH SOME AREAS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE. 12Z NAM AND GFS DO NOT CLEAR OUT THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FRIDAY NIGHT...QUITE AS MUCH AS THE PRIOR MODEL SOLUTIONS...KEEPING A LAYER OF MOISTURE BELOW 850 MB AND POTENTIAL CLOUDS. HOWEVER...EXPECT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO CLEAR OUT WITH SUBSIDENCE BEHIND UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM. MAIN HAZARDS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY WILL BE REFREEZING OF MOISTURE ON ROADWAYS...BRIDGES...AND OVERPASSES. GFS AND ECMWF HAVE A WEAKER UPPER TROUGH...THAT MAY BRING A FEW SHOWERS MONDAY...MAINLY TO SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS. STRONGER UPPER TROUGH MAY POSSIBLY AFFECT WEST CENTRAL TEXAS MIDWEEK. HAVE SHOWERS IN AT THIS TIME...BUT MAY SEE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS. COLD FRONT MAY AFFECT THE REGION LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...BUT IT DOES NOT LOOK STRONG AT THIS TIME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ABILENE 54 25 31 21 40 / 100 70 20 0 0 SAN ANGELO 61 30 38 23 48 / 100 50 10 0 0 JUNCTION 61 35 42 27 49 / 100 70 0 0 0 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CALLAHAN...FISHER...HASKELL... JONES...NOLAN...SHACKELFORD...TAYLOR...THROCKMORTON. && 07
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 611 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-291215- 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- 611 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL TEXAS...AS AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES. MANY OF THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OR PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY STRENGTHEN TO SEVERE LEVELS...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HILL COUNTRY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS...ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH TONIGHT WILL AVERAGE IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH FOR MOST LOCATIONS. LATER THIS AFTERNOON...TEMPERATURES MAY DROP TOWARDS THE FREEZING MARK ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY...AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. SOME OF THE RAIN MAY BEGIN TO CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN...AND SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATION OF ICE IS POSSIBLE. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE BIG COUNTRY TONIGHT...WITH THE THREAT OF ICY SPOTS DEVELOPING ON AREA ROADWAYS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED TODAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 835 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010 TXZ064-065-071-072-281530- STERLING TX-COKE TX-TOM GREEN TX-IRION TX- 835 AM CST THU JAN 28 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 AM CST FOR STERLING...COKE...TOM GREEN AND IRION COUNTIES... AT 834 AM CST...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS INDICATED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 37 MILES WEST OF STERLING CITY TO 36 MILES SOUTHWEST OF STERLING CITY TO 33 MILES WEST OF MERTZON...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY TO 22 MILES NORTH OF BIG LAKE TO 5 MILES EAST OF BIG LAKE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. * STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR... THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 163 AND RANCH ROAD 2469 BY 855 AM CST SHERWOOD AND MERTZON BY 920 AM CST STERLING CITY BY 925 AM CST US-67 NEAR THE IRION-TOM GREEN COUNTY LINE...BROOME...KNICKERBOCKER AND TANKERSLEY BY 930 AM CST PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON AREA ROADWAYS... ESPECIALLY THOSE IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE SITUATION CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE THE PROPER ACTIONS SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED.
The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:52 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A Sheriff's Department Official reported an overturned trailer, downed power lines and power poles, and a barn that lost its roof, in Western Sterling County.
Coleman County Law Enforcement, Fire Department, Storm Spotters and Emergency Management reported widespread wind damage across the City of Coleman. Numerous trees, power lines, and poles were knocked down by the strong thunderstorm winds. Power outages were also reported.
A storm spotter reported that a roof was blown off of a motel in Cross Plains.
Flooding from the very heavy rain was reported in Hamby.
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, January 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: 213861, 213860, 213862, 213863, 213859.