Isolated supercells developed in eastern New Mexico along a dryline during the middle afternoon hours of the 25th. The supercells intensified as they moved into the southwestern Texas Panhandle and western South Plains in association with an upper level shortwave trough translating over New Mexico.
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 LUB wrote it up.
Isolated supercells developed in eastern New Mexico along a dryline during the middle afternoon hours of the 25th. The supercells intensified as they moved into the southwestern Texas Panhandle and western South Plains in association with an upper level shortwave trough translating over New Mexico. Very large hail was reported with the initial supercells in the Panhandle, along with reports of funnel clouds. By early in the evening, much of the convection had dissipated, but a single supercell evolved and tracked across Parmer and Castro Counties. The supercell morphed into a classic tornadic supercell before it eventually dissipated in northeastern Castro County. Severe hail was reported with the storm and several brief and weak tornadoes were observed near Dimmitt.
Several thunderstorms additionally developed across the western South Plains during the early morning hours of the 26th. However, only small hail was reported with this cluster of thunderstorms.
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 May 25, 2:27 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 327 PM CDT TUE MAY 25 2010 .SHORT TERM... DRY-LINE IN PROCESS OF ERUPTING OVER NORTHWESTERN ZONES AT THIS TIME WITH HIGH CAPE AND MODEST SHEAR SUPPORTING SEVERE STORM THREAT. IT IS UNCERTAIN BUT POSSIBLE THAT THIS ACTIVITY MAY BE ABLE TO DEVELOP A PRECIPITATION COOL POOL AND ADVANCE THE STORM THREAT FURTHER INTO WESTERN OR EVEN CENTRAL ZONES DURING THE EARLY EVENING. ALSO...COULD SEE A FEW DISCRETE STORMS EAST OF THE DRYLINE IN CONVERGENCE OVER CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS AS SURFACE WARMS A BIT MORE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. IN ANY CASE...THE PREVIOUS FORECAST FAVORING THUNDER CHANCES MORE OVER THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS AND PANHANDLE CONTINUES TO BE VALID. A FEW STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS WELL LATER TONIGHT UNTIL OUTFLOWS SETTLE COMPLETELY...WITH CHANCE AN OVERNIGHT STORM SYSTEM MAY ANCHOR ON OUTFLOWS AND GENERATE A LOCAL FLOOD THREAT AS MENTIONED IN THE EARLIER HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. HEIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO BUILD ON WEDNESDAY AFTER DISTURBANCE LIFTS NORTHEAST AWAY FROM AREA...BUT MAY NOT COMPLETELY CAP AIRMASS. LEFT-OVER BOUNDARIES AND SURFACE HEATING COULD ADD JUST THE IMPETUS FOR A LOW CHANCE OF THUNDER DURING THE AFTERNOON. WITH WEAKENING SHEAR...THE SEVERE THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH SOME BUT NOT COMPLETELY. RMCQUEEN && .LONG TERM... EXPECT DIMINISHING SHOWER/STORM CHANCES ALONG WITH A SLIGHT INCREASE IN TEMPERATURES THURSDAY ON INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEKEND. THIS IS AS SHARP UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS WESTWARD ACROSS THE REGION IN ADVANCE OF A LARGE TROUGH THAT MOVES INTO THE WESTERN CONUS FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC. STILL...RELATIVELY HIGH LOW-LEVEL EQUIVALENT POTENTIAL TEMPERATURE AIR WILL RESIDE NEAR/ACROSS THE CWA ON THE SW PERIPHERY OF A SFC HIGH SPRAWLING THE UPPER MIDWEST INTO THE GREAT LAKES. THUS...COULD NOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A STRAY AFTERNOON SHOWER/STORM IF INHIBITION CAN BE OVERCOME...BUT LACK OF LOW-LEVEL FOCUS AND SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT POINT TO ISOLATED LATE AFTERNOON ACTIVITY AT BEST. GIVEN VERY LIMITED COVERAGE...IF ANY...HAVE LEFT POPS BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR NOW. IF ANY STORM DOES DEVELOP...MORE LIMITED INSTABILITY THAN RECENTLY EXPERIENCED COUPLED WITH WEAK DEEP LAYER SHEAR WOULD TEND TO MITIGATE STORM ORGANIZATION/STRENGTH. THE WESTERN TROUGH WILL EVENTUALLY LIFT INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN CANADA LATE IN THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. PRIMARY LIFT WITH THE PASSING WAVE SHOULD REMAIN DISPLAYED WELL TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. HOWEVER...WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH TO SEE IF THIS DISTURBANCE AND ANY CONVECTIVE OUTFLOWS CAN DRIVE A COLD FRONT INTO THE AREA BY LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY. IF SO...THIS COULD BE A MORE COHERENT FOCUS FOR SHOWER/STORM CHANCES. ALSO...LATEST ECMWF AND GEM DO SUGGEST A SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE MAY APPROACH BY EARLY NEXT WEEK WHICH WOULD ALSO SUPPORT INCREASING PRECIPITATION CHANCES. FOR NOW...WILL KEEP POPS BELOW MENTIONABLE LEVELS LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD UNTIL IF BECOMES MORE CLEAR IF A FRONT/OUTFLOW CAN PENETRATE THE AREA AND WHETHER OR NOT UPPER SUPPORT WILL INCREASE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 59 82 61 84 59 / 40 20 20 10 10 TULIA 63 80 61 85 61 / 30 20 20 10 10 PLAINVIEW 64 81 61 86 61 / 30 20 20 10 10 LEVELLAND 62 82 63 85 61 / 30 20 20 10 10 LUBBOCK 67 82 63 87 62 / 30 20 20 10 10 DENVER CITY 64 81 63 84 63 / 30 20 20 10 10 BROWNFIELD 65 81 64 86 63 / 30 20 20 10 10 CHILDRESS 66 85 66 88 65 / 20 20 20 10 10 SPUR 65 82 64 89 63 / 20 10 10 10 10 ASPERMONT 66 85 66 89 66 / 20 10 10 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 05/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1125 AM CDT TUE MAY 25 2010 TXZ021>044-261630- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1125 AM CDT TUE MAY 25 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR IN THIS AREA WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SOME STORMS TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER...WITH THE MAIN THREATS OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. IN ADDITION...AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM OVERNIGHT STORM ACTIVITY WILL BE LOCATED IN THIS AREA...AND THERE IS A THREAT OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO IN THE VICINITY OF THIS BOUNDARY. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE OUTLOOK AREA...ALTHOUGH THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE LESS DUE TO LOWER INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH WILL BRING A RISK OF LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA WEDNESDAY. DECREASING INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR WILL REDUCE THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. AFTER WEDNESDAY...THE THREAT OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 258 PM CDT TUE MAY 25 2010 TXZ021-022-027-028-252045- BAILEY-CASTRO-LAMB-PARMER- 258 PM CDT TUE MAY 25 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LAMB...BAILEY...CASTRO AND PARMER COUNTIES... AT 255 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS SPANNING FROM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MULESHOE TO 10 MILES WEST OF DIMMIT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...WIND SPEEDS UP TO 30 MPH...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. MEADOWS
The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:31 UTC.
11 hail, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement in Parmer County reported quarter size to golfball size hail along U.S. Highway 60 from four miles east of Bovina to Friona.
A storm chaser reported half dollar size hail along U.S. Highway 84 in Bailey County. By 14:51 CST, the hail was intermittently mixed with very large 3.75 inch hail stones. No significant damages were reported.
Trained weather spotters reported very large hail of 3.75 inches in rural Bailey County. Minor damage was reported to vehicles along U.S. Highway 84.
The public reported large hail to the size of 2 inches which destroyed a car windshield.
Bovina police department reported golf ball size hail south and east of Bovina.
A trained weather spotter reported quarter size hail northeast of Bovina.
A trained weather spotter reported golf ball size hail in rural portions of Castro County.
Trained weather spotters reported golf ball size hail in Dimmitt.
Skywarn storm spotters and numerous storm chasers photographed a tornado just west of Dimmitt shortly after 18:50 CST. The tornado was brief and remained over open fields. The tornado appeared as a slender condensation tube that stretched to the ground. No damage was reported.
Storm spotters observed the first of two brief dusty tornadoes that developed under a deeply occluded bowl-shaped lowering northeast of Dimmitt at 19:11 CST. These spin-ups occurred over open range land and no damages were reported.
Storm spotters observed the second of two brief dusty tornadoes that developed under a deeply occluded bowl-shaped lowering northeast of Dimmitt at 19:14 CST. These spin-ups occurred over open range land and no 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 historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2010Warnings in Texas, May 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: 233546, 233559, 233560, 233579, 233582, 233586, 233587, 233593, 233596, 233604, 233605, 233606, 233598, 233599.