Moist upslope flow along a retreating east-west oriented surface boundary focused scattered thunderstorms early this evening across the western South Plains. Ample wind shear and instability allowed several of these storms to quickly become supercellular producing very large hail, some giant, accompanied by destructive straight-line winds as they drifted east-southeast.
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.
Moist upslope flow along a retreating east-west oriented surface boundary focused scattered thunderstorms early this evening across the western South Plains. Ample wind shear and instability allowed several of these storms to quickly become supercellular producing very large hail, some giant, accompanied by destructive straight-line winds as they drifted east-southeast. The most prolific supercell developed west-northwest of Levelland around 1800 CST and moved eastward near Highway 114 before merging with another supercell near the Hockley-Lubbock County line. At this point, the supercell intensified further and turned southeast moving across southwest and south-central Lubbock County as a significant high precipitation supercell. Destructive winds and very large hail (up to softball size in a few locations) accompanied this storm as it tracked from near Smyer southeast to Woodrow creating extensive damage to structures and vehicles in its path. A NWS storm survey revealed the most significant damage occurred from wind-driven hail along FM 41 just west of Highway 87 and also between FM 179 and Woodrow Road. In some instances, the west-facing exterior of homes in these areas was completely shredded. This damage was compounded by the supercell's slow motion which resulted in up to a 15-minute period of destructive wind gusts as high as 95 mph as measured by a West Texas Mesonet site located 6SSW Wolfforth.
Later this evening, the low-level jet intensified and ignited additional severe storms over portions of the central and southern South Plains. One of these storms was a slow-moving elevated supercell that moved over areas of southeast Hockley and southwest Lubbock Counties previously impacted by the earlier supercell. This storm created additional instances of large hail; however, excessive rainfall in a short time span over already wet soils lead to large areas of mostly rural flooding. Many roads especially between Levelland and Wolfforth became impassable due to swollen playa lakes. Nearly 20 miles of FM 1585 was inundated with water and disabled at least two vehicles.
Total economic losses were estimated at $25 million.
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 29, 6:10 PM CST, 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 710 PM CDT SUN APR 29 2012 .AVIATION... CURRENTLY MODESTLY ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM CLUSTER ABOUT 35 MILES WEST OF KLBB MAY DRIFT CLOSE TO OR JUST NORTH OF KLBB IN THE NEXT ONE TO TWO HOURS...WILL KEEP A CLOSE EYE AND ADD AS PREVAILING OR TEMPO GROUP IF IT GETS ANY NEARER. SOLUTIONS INDICATE KCDS SHOULD SEE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THUNDER AS WELL SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT... WE HAVE RETAINED VICINITY THUNDER MENTION FOR NOW. LOWER ATMOSPHERE SHOULD MOISTEN AGAIN LATER TONIGHT WITH DECENT CHANCE FOR MVFR CIGS DEVELOPING...WHICH SHOULD BREAK UP AGAIN AROUND MIDDAY MONDAY. ADDED PROB30 THUNDER FOR KCDS VERY LATE IN TAF PERIOD TOMORROW AFTERNOON. RMCQUEEN && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 220 PM CDT SUN APR 29 2012/ SHORT TERM... FEATURES OF SIGNIFICANCE THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE RETREATING FRONTAL BOUNDARY...STRETCHING FROM SW OK INTO THE NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN ROUGHLY ALONG A LINE AT 19Z FROM LAWTON TO SNYDER TO SEMINOLE. ALSO DRYLINE IS EXPECTED TO TIGHTEN UP WITH MIXING ACROSS SE NM NEXT FEW HOURS WITH PUSH EASTWARD LIKELY TOWARD THE SW SOUTH PLAINS. BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION APPEARS TO BE ACROSS THE INTERSECTION OF THESE TWO FEATURES...IN THE 20-22Z TIME FRAME. HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS HAVE BEEN HINTING AT ISOLATED CELL DEVELOPMENT IN THE ANDREWS-SEMINOLE-LAMESA AREA MID AFTERNOON ALONG THE NORTHWARD RETREATING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. HODOGRAPHS SUGGEST WEAK SUPERCELL/MULTI-CELL CLUSTER ACTIVITY PROPAGATING E-NEWD INTO THE SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS...VICINITY JAYTON-ASPERMONT TOWARD 00Z. FEEL THIS IS THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR THUNDERSTORMS ALTHOUGH WITH SOME CLEARING ACROSS THE CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS...SOME STORMS COULD DEVELOP FARTHER NORTH TOWARD LUBBOCK. MODELS HAVEN'T BEEN TOO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS IDEA HOWEVER. GIVEN STRONG SHEAR AND AT LEAST 2000 MLCAPE...COULD SEE SOME 1-2 INCH HAIL REPORTS SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY/S STORMS. OTHER STORMS MAY DEVELOP LATER THIS EVENING IN AREA OF STRONGER FORCING IN RIGHT REAR ENTRANCE REGION OF UPPER JET ACROSS THE PANHANDLE...IN AREA OF INCREASING LIFT ALONG/NORTH OF RETREATING FRONT...AS LOW LEVEL JET STRENGTHENS SOMEWHAT TOWARD 06Z. ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT THIS ACTIVITY WILL STAY NORTH OF THE LUB CWA...ALTHOUGH SEVERE STORMS WILL BE LIKELY IF STORMS MANAGE TO DEVELOP FARTHER SOUTH IN THE SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. LOW CLOUDS TO RETURN OVER THE REGION TONIGHT IN THE 06Z-10Z TIME FRAME...WITH A QUICKER BURN OFF TOMORROW. SHOULD SEE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS CONVECTIVE COVERAGE MONDAY GIVEN FLAT SLIGHTLY WEAKER... ANTICYCLONIC FLOW ACROSS WEST TEXAS. STILL PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BUT MUCH OF AREA MAY REMAIN WEAKLY CAPPED IN LIGHT SLY FLOW REGIME. JAMES LONG TERM... MAY SEE SOME CONVECTION DEVELOP MONDAY EVENING ACROSS THE FCST AREA...MAINLY POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TSRA ALONG AND EAST OF THE DRYLINE WITH BETTER CHANCES ACROSS THE ERN HALF OF THE PANHANDLE AND WRN OKLAHOMA POSSIBLY AS FAR SOUTH AS THE CHILDRESS AREA NEAR REMNANT OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND/OR FRONTAL BOUNDARY. OTHERWISE THE WEEK AHEAD LOOKS UNEVENTFUL IF NOT HOT AND DRY. DRYLINE PROGGED TO MOVE TO THE ROLLING PLAINS OR FARTHER EAST EACH AFTN. BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED TSRA IN THE FCST AREA WILL COME TUESDAY AFTN WITH THE DRYLINE LIKELY STAYING FARTHEST WEST THAT DAY BUT CAP STRENGTH WILL BE A CONCERN. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SHOULD SEE THE DRYLINE SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA WHILE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL SEE ADDED LIMITING EFFECT OF A RIDGE BUILDING OVERHEAD. MOS TEMPS LOOK REASONABLE ATTM...THAT IS ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES WARMER THAN SEASONAL NORMS AND THE WARMEST DAY LOOKING TO BE FRIDAY WITH UPPER RIDGE IN FORCE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 54 85 55 89 52 / 50 10 10 10 10 TULIA 57 85 59 91 56 / 50 10 20 10 10 PLAINVIEW 58 86 62 92 58 / 50 10 20 10 10 LEVELLAND 58 89 61 93 58 / 40 10 10 10 10 LUBBOCK 59 89 62 94 61 / 40 10 20 10 10 DENVER CITY 57 89 59 92 59 / 30 10 10 10 10 BROWNFIELD 58 90 62 94 59 / 40 10 10 10 10 CHILDRESS 64 85 62 94 63 / 50 30 30 10 10 SPUR 65 86 63 95 61 / 50 20 20 10 10 ASPERMONT 64 88 65 92 64 / 50 20 20 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 99/99/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1117 AM CDT SUN APR 29 2012 TXZ021>044-301630- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1117 AM CDT SUN APR 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF A DRYLINE AND A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH PLAINS BY MID AFTERNOON. STORMS MAY DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE CENTRAL SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS THIS EVENING. GIVEN MODERATE INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR...LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MONDAY...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...WITH SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN PANHANDLE AND ROLLING PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
718 PM CDT SUN APR 29 2012
TXZ028-034-300045-
HOCKLEY-LAMB-
718 PM CDT SUN APR 29 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HOCKLEY AND LAMB COUNTIES...
AT 713 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 16 MILES SOUTH OF LITTLEFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 25 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WINDS SPEEDS UP TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY 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.
LAT...LON 3396 10242 3399 10211 3369 10211 3358 10244
3376 10259
TIME...MOT...LOC 0018Z 235DEG 20KT 3371 10241
JDVThe Lubbock radar (KLBB), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:36 UTC.
15 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A left splitting storm from the Hockley County supercell moved northeast and produced golfball size hail in Littlefield. No reports of damage were received.
An intense supercell produced a swath of significant hail from just north of Levelland southeast to north of Ropesville. Although most hail reports in this swath were baseball size or smaller, hail as large as softballs was observed near Smyer. An unknown amount of damage occurred to property in this hailswath.
Off-duty NWS employees estimated winds around 50 knots in the rear flank downdraft of a supercell. These winds snapped a power pole 2E Levelland along Highway 114.
A Skywarn storm spotter observed a funnel cloud about 5SW Wolfforth from a high-precipitation supercell.
Destructive downburst winds occurred for a period of 20 minutes immediately south and west of the track of a mesocyclone moving southeast across far southwest Lubbock County. A West Texas mesonet site located 6SSW Wolfforth sampled this region of the supercell and measured the following winds over a span of 20 consecutive minutes:
750 pm CST: West at 51 mph gusting to 80 mph /|755 pm CST: West at 61 mph gusting to 85 mph /|800 pm CST: Northwest at 71 mph gusting to 95 mph /|805 pm CST: Northwest at 55 mph gusting to 70 mph /|810 pm CST: North at 50 mph gusting to 76 mph /
A NWS storm survey revealed that a few trees were uprooted about 5S Wolfforth and that nearby roofs from a house and mobile home were removed.
A destructive high-precipitation supercell exited Hockley County and continued moving southeast across southwest Lubbock County. A significant hailswath accompanied this supercell with hailstones as large as baseballs at times. Reports of baseball size hail were received from the following locations: Slide Rd and 150th St, 120th St and Milwaukee Ave, and also along FM 41 just west and east of Highway 87. Damage to vehicles and homes in this hailswath was severe with many windshields, windows and skylights completely destroyed. Several hundred homes will likely require new roofs.
A utility company reported three downed power poles west of Highways 62 and 82 along Foster Road.
Law enforcement reported nickel size hail. No damage was reported.
Three power poles were knocked over northeast of the intersection of Highway 385 and FM 41.
A trained spotter lost a windshield to baseball size hail about 3WSW Union.
A trained spotter lost a windshield 7E New Home.
A meteorologist with Texas Tech reported quarter size hail and heavy flooding along FM 1585. No damage was reported.
An amateur radio operator reported 2.5 inch diameter hail 5E Ropesville along SR 41. No damage was reported.
A trained spotter reported two inch hail covering the ground. No damage was reported.
A trained spotter reported quarter size hail. No damage was reported.
An amateur radio operator reported golfball size hail at SR 179 and 211. No damage was reported.
A trained spotter reported golfball size hail in Southland. No damage was reported.
Slow-moving thunderstorms moved repeatedly over portions of southeast Hockley County this night deluging some rural areas with up to five inches of rain in three hours. An estimated 20-mile stretch of FM 1585 between Highways 385 and 62/82 became impassable by floodwaters that at times reached nearly three feet deep. At least two cars became disabled after motorists attempted to cross the floodwaters. No injuries were reported.
A trained spotter reported quarter size hail. No damage was reported.
Large hail fell in Tahoka from 2212-2215 CST as reported by a CO-OP observer and a NWS employee. The largest hail up to two inches in diameter fell at 2215 CST. Damage was unknown.
Repeated heavy rains from slow-moving thunderstorms this night produced up to four inches of rain and flooded several area roads. Up to 2.5 feet of flowing water was observed over highway 62/82.
Fences were blown down at FM 1585 and FM 3261. The blown down fences allowed between 50 and 60 head of cattle to become loose and block a roadway.
Golfball size hail was reported in Tahoka. No damage was reported.
Slow-moving thunderstorms this night flooded a portion of Highway 84 near Southland to such an extent that tractor trailers were unable to proceed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2012
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: 368892, 368900, 368901, 370060, 370069, 368935, 370072, 370080, 370073, 370081, 370082, 370083, 370075, 370076, 370077, 370084, 370085, 370086, 370087, 370078, 370088, 370074, 370089, 370090.