Late in the evening of the 27th, dense fog formed across the South Plains of West Texas. Shortly after visibilities dropped below 1/4 mile, two vehicle accidents were reported in Lubbock County.
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.
Late in the evening of the 27th, dense fog formed across the South Plains of West Texas. Shortly after visibilities dropped below 1/4 mile, two vehicle accidents were reported in Lubbock County. One accident was the result of a head on collision while the second accident involved a vehicle running off the road. Three injuries resulted from these vehicle accidents.
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 Feb 27, 5:52 PM CST, 3 hours 8 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 552 PM CST MON FEB 27 2012 .AVIATION... COMPLEX TAF CYCLE WITH VARIOUS AVIATION WEATHER IMPACTS. LOW CLOUDS...DRIZZLE/FOG...AND INTERMITTENT LIGHT SHOWERS WILL RESULT IN IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE NIGHT. DRAMATIC CHANGES EXPECTED BY MID/LATE MORNING TUESDAY WITH BREAKING CIGS AND INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS/BLOWING DUST. SUSTAINED SPEEDS WILL LIKELY EXCEED 30 KT AT KLBB DURING THE 16-22Z TIMEFRAME...AND AN AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING IS LIKELY TO BE NEEDED. RELATIVELY LOW CONFIDENCE EXIST IN TIMING SPECIFIC CATEGORICAL CHANGES IN CONDITIONS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 315 PM CST MON FEB 27 2012/ SHORT TERM... LIGHT RAIN FROM LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTN SHIFTING EWD AS WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING A SHORT WAVE AND ASSOCIATED DRYING ABOUT TO MOVE OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS. HOWEVER...NEXT WAVE / STRONG UPPER JET STILL WELL OUT WEST AND SAME IMAGERY SHOWING SOME DEEPER MOISTURE ALREADY TRYING TO BUILD NWD IN THE WAKE OF THE FORMER WAVE. THAT SAID CONTINUE TO BUY INTO THE WET SCENARIO OVERNIGHT WITH LIKELY LIGHT RAIN DEVELOPING AS THE 130 KT JET AT 250 MB HEADS TOWARD THE AREA. HAVE UPPED POPS INTO THE LIKELY RANGE FOR MOST OF THE AREA BUT KEPT QPF GENERALLY AT .1 INCH OR LESS. MODELS CONTINUE TO HAVE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES QUITE A BIT ABOVE NORMAL BUT KEEP IT PACKED BELOW 700 MB WHILE ALSO KEEPING A NOTABLE CAP ABOVE THAT MOISTURE. WILL THUS TEND TO FAVOR RAIN WORDING WHILE SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AND THUNDER UNLIKELY. EXPECT SOME FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AS MOS GUIDANCE INDICATES AND HAVE THAT WORDING IN THE WX GRIDS AS WELL. AS THE PARENT UPPER LOW MOVES ACROSS THE CNTL ROCKIES AND ONTO THE CNTL HIGH PLAINS EARLY TUESDAY WILL SEE DEEP DRY AIR SHIFT EWD ACROSS THE FCST AREA WHILE STRONG WINDS ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK MIX DOWNWARD. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST MIXING MIGHT NOT BE AS DEEP AS OFTEN SEEN IN THESE SCENARIOS WITH SOME HINT THAT AN INVERSION MAY REMAIN IN PLACE AROUND 700 MB. STILL...WOULD EXPECT STRONGER WINDS ALOFT TO MIX TO THE SFC BY ABOUT 18Z AND PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTN WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF REACHING HIGH WIND CRITERIA...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NWRN THIRD OF THE FCST AREA. WILL EXPAND ON THAT A BIT AND ISSUE A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR BASICALLY ALL AREAS ON THE CAPROCK. ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS THE WINDOW FOR STRONG WINDS IS NARROWER WITH CLEARING OF CLOUD COVER AND VEERING OF WINDS PROBABLY NOT OCCURRING UNTIL INTO THE AFTN. LONG TERM... NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS WILL HAVE ITS PRIMARY IMPACT WINDING DOWN FOR OUR REGION. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ALOFT WILL REMAIN TIGHT OVERNIGHT. FLOW WILL GO ZONAL FOR WEDNESDAY BEFORE BACKING SOUTHWESTERLY FOR THURSDAY ONCE AGAIN AS A TROUGH AXIS AMPLIFIES TO OUR WEST AS LOW CUTS OFF ACROSS THE CENTRAL CANADIAN PRAIRIES. THIS WILL ENHANCE UPPER LEVEL WINDS ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WITH EMBEDDED DISTURBANCE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE CROSS THE WEST COAST NEXT MONDAY. WIND EVENT WILL BE WINDING DOWN BY TUESDAY EVENING AS PACIFIC FRONT PUSHES EAST OF THE REGION ALONG WITH ANY CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN INTO THE EVENING HOURS AS ISENTROPIC DOWNGLIDE CONTINUES WITH FAIRLY PRONOUNCED SUBSIDENT AGEOSTROPHIC VERTICAL CIRCULATION CONTINUING ACROSS THE AREA. WEDNESDAY WILL BE A BIT OF A DOWN DAY FOR WINDS ALTHOUGH TYPICAL SPRING 10-20MPH SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED. THURSDAY WILL SEE A RETURN OF THE WIND AND FIRE WEATHER AS MIN RH VALUES DIP UNDER 10 PCT AND WINDS KICK UP IN THE AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY LOOKS TO BE INCREASING IN LIKELIHOOD ALONG WITH POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER RED FLAG DAY. AFTER THE WINDS...A DRY COLD FRONT ENTERS THE REGION LATE FRIDAY OR SATURDAY AS ANOTHER TROUGH AXIS PASSES OVERHEAD. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BECOME RE- ESTABLISHED BY LATE IN THE WEEKEND AS LEE CYCLOGENESIS FORMS TO OUR NORTH. FIRE WEATHER... WINDS SHOULD EASILY REACH CRITERIA TUESDAY AFTN...ESPECIALLY ON THE CAPROCK. QUESTION REGARDING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER IS RH VALUES. HUMIDITY MAY END UP A BIT SLOWER TO DECREASE LATE TUESDAY MORNING BUT SHOULD GET THERE BY 1 OR 2 PM. WILL UPGRADE THE WATCH TO A WARNING FOR THE WRN 60 PCT OF THE FCST AREA. ACROSS THE EAST WHERE WINDS WILL BE SLOWER TO INCREASE AND RH SLOWER TO DECREASE THE WINDOW FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING ON THE CUSP OF THE 3-HOUR WINDOW. GIVEN UNCERTAINTY WILL MAINTAIN THE WATCH THERE AND LET THE NEXT TWO SHIFTS TAKE A LOOK AT NEWER GUIDANCE TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN ON THURSDAY WITH VERY DRY NEAR SURFACE CONDITIONS. SUSTAINED WINDS AROUND 30 MPH AT THE 20 FT LEVEL REMAIN A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY...PERHAPS SOMEWHAT FAVORING THE NORTH EARLY THEN EDGING SOUTHWARD WITH TIME. MIN RH IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BOTTOM OUT UNDER 10 PCT. THIS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF FIRE WEATHER. H85 THERMAL RIDGE SHOULD EXIST FROM NEAR SANDERSON INTO THE PANHANDLE THUS SUGGESTING HIGHEST FIRE POTENTIAL MAY BE ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES. WILL HOLD OFF ON FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR NOW GIVEN SHORT TERM IMPACTS OF FIRE WEATHER FOR TUESDAY BUT SUSPECT HEADLINES WILL BE HOISTED PERHAPS TOMORROW OR TOMORROW NIGHT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 42 64 28 66 31 / 50 10 0 0 0 TULIA 43 66 30 68 32 / 70 20 0 0 0 PLAINVIEW 45 69 31 69 33 / 70 20 0 0 0 LEVELLAND 45 69 33 71 34 / 60 10 0 0 0 LUBBOCK 46 71 32 71 35 / 70 10 0 0 0 DENVER CITY 47 69 32 70 37 / 50 0 0 0 0 BROWNFIELD 47 71 33 72 35 / 60 10 0 0 0 CHILDRESS 51 75 37 70 38 / 60 30 0 0 0 SPUR 50 75 38 73 37 / 60 20 0 0 0 ASPERMONT 55 78 39 73 39 / 60 20 0 0 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ025-026-031-032-036>038-042>044. RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM CST TUESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ021>024-027>030-033>035-039>041. HIGH WIND WATCH FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ021>024-027>030-033>035-039>041. && 20
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 300 PM CST MON FEB 27 2012 TXZ021>044-282100- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 300 PM CST MON FEB 27 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WINDY CONDITIONS ALONG WITH CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT GENERALLY WEST OF THE CAPROCK ESCARPMENT ALONG WITH A HIGH WIND WATCH. EAST OF THE ESCARPMENT...A FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. WINDY CONDITIONS AND CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER ARE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN ON THURSDAY.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
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, February 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: 363791.