A complex of thunderstorms beginning late on the 10th and continuing into the early morning hours of the 11th brought much needed rainfall and a few severe weather reports. During the evening of the 10th, a dryline retreated to the Texas/New Mexico border while an upper level storm system approached from the 4-corners region.
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.
A complex of thunderstorms beginning late on the 10th and continuing into the early morning hours of the 11th brought much needed rainfall and a few severe weather reports. During the evening of the 10th, a dryline retreated to the Texas/New Mexico border while an upper level storm system approached from the 4-corners region. The first complex of storms began in the northwestern South Plains and moved into the Texas panhandle. A second complex of thunderstorms developed across southeastern New Mexico into the southwestern South Plains and moved east-northeast.
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 10, 11:40 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1240 AM CDT WED MAY 11 2011 .UPDATE... QUICK FORECAST/GRID UPDATE OUT TO ACCOUNT FOR SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER THE WESTERN FA. LAPS AND SPC MESOANALYSIS SHOWING 2 KJ/KG IN ADVANCE OF THIS CONVECTION...A CONTINUED UPWARD TREND AND INTERMITTENT SEVERE UPDRAFTS MAY OCCUR. && .FIRE WEATHER... RISK OF LIGHTNING INITIATED FIRE WILL BE HIGH...AND GUSTS FROM STORMS COULD PROVE VERY PROBLEMATIC/DANGEROUS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1157 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011/ AVIATION... STORMS ARE DEVELOPING WEST OF KLBB TERMINAL AND MAY IMPACT THE TAF SITE AROUND 08Z. HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON WHETHER THE STORMS WILL IMPACT THE TERMINAL AREA OR NOT AS WELL AS WHEN THE BEST TIMING WILL BE. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE THAT MVFR CEILINGS COULD DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AT BOTH TAF SITES AS GUSTY SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS HELPS TO PULL LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. STORMS AND CLOUDS WILL RAPIDLY PUSH EAST BY SUNRISE AS DRY AIR PUSHES INTO THE REGION. STRONG WESTERLY WINDS NEAR 30 KTS ARE EXPECTED BY LATE MORNING TOMORROW AT BOTH TERMINALS...AND PERIODS OF BLOWING DUST WITH VFR VISIBILITIES COULD DEVELOP AT KLBB. JORDAN PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 941 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011/ UPDATE... SURFACE ANALYSIS CONTINUES TO SHOW THE DRYLINE MAKING RAPID PROGRESS TO THE WEST THIS EVENING. 00Z UPPER AIR DATA CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE CLOSED LOW JUST WEST OF THE FOUR CORNERS WITH A STRONG JET AT 250 HPA STARTING TO EDGE EASTWARD INTO THE REGION. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES CONTINUED MID-LEVEL CLOUD DECK OVER THE BIG BEND INTO SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO WHICH MAY HINT AT WEAK LIFT OVER THIS AREA AND THIS MAY BE ENOUGH TO SPARK SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS ALONG THE DRYLINE. LATEST 00Z MODEL DATA MAKING IT IN INDICATES THE DRYLINE WILL PUSH TO ALONG THE TX/NM STATE LINE BY SUNRISE AND THE RUC CONTINUES TO DEVELOP A BAND OF CONVECTION ALONG THE DRYLINE AROUND MIDNIGHT. NAM HAS BACKED OFF ON THE AMOUNT OF CONVECTION BUT CONTINUES TO HINT AT A POSSIBILITY OF SOME ISOLATED STORMS. CONFIDENCE IS NOT ALL THAT HIGH ON STORMS BEING ABLE TO INITIATE BUT WILL HANG ON TO THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS JUST IN CASE. LATEST MODEL DATA CONTINUES TO INDICATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TOMORROW AND HAVE GONE AHEAD AND REMOVED THE RED FLAG FOR TODAY AND UPGRADED THE WATCH FOR WEDNESDAY. WILL ALSO DO SOME WORK UPDATING GRAPHICAL PRODUCTS WITH UPDATED GRIDS AND TEXT PRODUCTS ALREADY OUT. JORDAN && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 47 78 45 78 49 / 0 0 0 0 10 TULIA 50 81 46 78 50 / 0 0 0 0 0 PLAINVIEW 50 83 48 78 51 / 0 0 0 0 10 LEVELLAND 50 84 49 82 52 / 0 0 0 0 10 LUBBOCK 51 85 50 80 52 / 0 0 0 0 10 DENVER CITY 46 84 50 83 53 / 0 0 0 0 10 BROWNFIELD 48 86 50 83 53 / 0 0 0 0 10 CHILDRESS 53 86 50 81 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 SPUR 52 89 51 81 55 / 0 0 0 0 0 ASPERMONT 54 90 53 82 58 / 10 0 0 0 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ021>044. && 20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1115 AM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 TXZ021>044-111615- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1115 AM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TAHOKA TO MEMPHIS. IF ANY STORMS DEVELOP...SOME COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. FIRE WEATHER CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING ACROSS ALL OF THE SOUTH PLAINS AREA WITH HOT WEATHER...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...GENERALLY IN THE ROLLING PLAINS. EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDER ORGANIZATIONS AND SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO RELAY REPORTS OF ONGOING WILDFIRES TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK. GOEHRING
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1115 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 TXZ033-110445- COCHRAN- 1115 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COCHRAN COUNTY... AT 1111 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS SPEEDS UP TO 40 MPH...AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING 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. JORDAN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1148 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 TXZ027-028-033-034-110545- BAILEY-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LAMB- 1148 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COCHRAN...HOCKLEY...LAMB AND BAILEY COUNTIES... AT 1146 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE LOCATED NORTH OF MORTON AND NORTHWEST OF MULESHOE...ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...WINDS SPEEDS UP TO 40 MPH...AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. 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 STORMS HAVE PASSED. JORDAN
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1226 AM CDT WED MAY 11 2011 TXZ021-110600- PARMER- 1226 AM CDT WED MAY 11 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PARMER COUNTY... AT 1223 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES WEST OF FRIONA...OR NEAR RHEA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL BRANCHES TO BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOOSE OBJECTS TO BLOW AROUND. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 111 AM CDT WED MAY 11 2011 TXZ021-110645- PARMER- 111 AM CDT WED MAY 11 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR PARMER COUNTY... AT 110 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR FRIONA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 60 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL BRANCHES TO BE BLOWN DOWN...AND LOOSE OBJECTS TO BLOW AROUND. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED.
The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:13 UTC.
2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site northeast of Friona recorded a 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust. No damage was reported.
Broadcast media and a Texas Tech mesonet meteorologist reported quarter size hail around 82nd Street and University Avenue in south Lubbock. Minor car damage was reported.
A NWS storm spotter reported penny size hail in west Lubbock. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2011
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: 307781, 308160, 308162.