Scattered strong and slow-moving thunderstorms developed this afternoon throughout the South Plains and Rolling Plains. One of these storms produced a downburst with peak winds measured at 69 mph southwest of Guthrie.
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.
Scattered strong and slow-moving thunderstorms developed this afternoon throughout the South Plains and Rolling Plains. One of these storms produced a downburst with peak winds measured at 69 mph southwest of Guthrie. Very heavy rain in excess of 1 inch accompanied the strongest storms as measured near Lake Alan Henry. Later this evening, slow-moving storms developed repeatedly for just over one hour near the Caprock Escarpment in southeast Floyd and northwest Dickens Counties. Bias-adjusted radar total rainfall indicated 2 to 4 inches of rain likely fell just south of Dougherty and also east-northeast of Roaring Springs. Despite this, no ground truth was available to confirm or deny flooding.
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 Jul 23, 11:38 AM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1238 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 .AVIATION... WIDELY SCT COVECTION WILL AGAIN BE A CHALLENGE FOR THIS TAF PERIOD. ISOLD-SCT STORMS EXPECTED ACROSS MAINLY THE KLBB TAF AREA THIS AFTERNOON AS A SHRTWV TROUGH ROTATES WEST UNDERNEATH THE HIGH CENTERED OVER KS. WEAK LOW LEVEL FORCING AND DEEPER SHEAR WILL KEEP CONVECTION FROM ORGANIZING BUT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN STORMS IMPACTING AT LEAST KLBB TO CONTINUE VCTS IN TAF FOR THIS AFTERNOON. A MORE DIRECT IMPACT FROM STORMS WOULD INCLUDE VARIABLE AND GUSTY WINDS TO PERHAPS 40KT AND BRIEF MVFR CIGS. MESOSCALE MODELS SUGGEST SOME OUTFLOW- INDUCED STORMS COULD WORK TOWARD KCDS WITH TIME LATER THIS EVE EITHER FROM THE SOUTH OR NORTHEAST BUT HAVE LEFT MENTION OUT OF TAF FOR NOW. OTHERWISE VFR CIGS AND GENERALLY MODEST SOUTHERLY SURFACE WINDS EXPECTED. && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 331 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012/ SHORT TERM... THE UPPER HIGH THAT HAS BEEN PARKED TO OUR NORTH RECENTLY WAS BEGINNING TO ELONGATE TO THE SOUTHEAST AS IT WILL REPOSITION ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO WHILE ALSO DECREASING IN MAGNITUDE. AS IT DOES SO...AN INVERTED TROUGH WILL TRANSLATE UNDER THE RIDGE AND TOWARD WEST TEXAS TODAY. IN ADDITION...A DECENT FEED OF MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ADVECT THIS WAY...WITH PWATS SLOWLY INCREASING TODAY AND TONIGHT. THESE FACTORS...ALONG WITH ANOTHER DAY OF INTENSE HEATING...WILL LIKELY DRIVE A REPEAT OF ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS WE HAVE SEEN THE PAST FEW DAYS. HOWEVER...THE LACK OF A DISCERNIBLE LOW-LEVEL FOCUS MAKES IT TOUGH TO PIN-POINT ANY LOCATION AS BEING MORE FAVORED AND THUS HAVE CARRIED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE FA. PROGGED SOUNDINGS AT PEAK HEATING AGAIN DISPLAY MINIMAL TO NO CIN...MODEST INSTABILITY...WEAK DEEP LAYER SHEAR AND A DEEPLY MIXED BL. SO EXPECT A FEW STRONGER PULSE-TYPE STORMS THAT WILL BRING A RISK OF SMALL HAIL AND STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS. STORM INTENSITY AND COVERAGE SHOULD FADE DURING THE EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. HOWEVER...SIMILAR TO EARLY THIS MORNING...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A FEW SHOWERS/STORMS OVERNIGHT AS THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS SUFFICIENTLY MOIST. THAT SAID...THINK OVERNIGHT ACTIVITY DOES NOT WARRANT ANYTHING MORE THAN ABOUT 10 PERCENT POPS. REGARDING TEMPERATURES...1000-500 MB THICKNESSES AND 850 AND 700 MB TEMPERATURES ARE PROJECTED TO DECREASE SLIGHTLY TODAY AS THE INVERTED TROUGH APPROACHES AND THE RIDGE WEAKENS. SO...ALTHOUGH IT WILL STILL BE HOT...TEMPERATURES WILL SEE A DOWNWARD TREND. HIGHS ON THE CAPROCK SHOULD TOP OUT SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE 90S...WITH READINGS AROUND THE TRIPLE DIGIT MARK FURTHER EAST. ANOTHER MILD NIGHT WILL FOLLOW TONIGHT...WITH LOWS AT OR SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE. LONG TERM... THE LATEST SUITE OF GUIDANCE SUPPORTS THE IDEA OF IMPROVING RAIN CHANCES THIS WEEK...ALTHOUGH THERE ARE STILL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE BEST TIMES....AREAS...AND HOW MUCH RAIN THERE WILL BE. BY TUESDAY...IT APPEARS THAT WEST TEXAS WILL AT LEAST TEMPORARILY BE RID OF THE UPPER HIGH THAT HAS BROUGHT US THE HOT AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS. A BROAD WEAKNESS IN THE HEIGHT FIELD WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA AND REMAIN THROUGH THURSDAY...AFTER WHICH HEIGHTS WILL BEGIN TO REBOUND AS THE UPPER HIGH EXPANDS OVER THE SRN ROCKIES. A REMNANT CIRCULATION FROM MONDAY/S INVERTED TROUGH MAY STILL BE IN THE VICINITY ON TUESDAY...WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO PIN DOWN WHERE THE BEST PRECIP CHANCES MAY BE FOUND. THE NAM FAVORS THE WRN AND NRN ZONES...AND WE HAVE INCREASED POPS INTO THE SLIGHT CHANCE CATEGORY FOR THOSE AREAS. BY WEDNESDAY THE MID-LVL MOISTURE CHANNEL ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTH AMERICAN MONSOON WILL GET DRAWN EASTWARD INTO THE TROUGH...AND SHOULD STRETCH OVER MUCH OF WEST TEXAS. MEANWHILE...A COLD FRONT WILL BE SENT SWD ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS BY A STRONG UPPER LOW MOVING ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER REGION. A SFC TROUGH WILL DEVELOP FROM WRN KS INTO NE NM...AND WILL LIKELY SERVE AS A BOUNDARY FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT...AS WILL THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN SRN NM AND FAR SW TX. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY MOVE INTO THE SRN PANHANDLE AND WRN SPLNS WED AFTN AND EVE...AND WE HAVE SLIGHTLY RAISED AND EXPANDED POPS ON THE CAPROCK. THE FCST FOR THURSDAY BECOMES COMPLICATED BY THE POSSIBILITY THE FRONT MAY REACH INTO OUR WRN AND NRN ZONES BEFORE STALLING OUT...AS THE ECMWF SUGGESTS. WE/VE CONSERVATIVELY INCREASED POPS FOR THESE AREAS UNTIL WE HAVE BETTER CONFIDENCE ON WHERE THE FRONT WILL END UP. MOST INDICATIONS ARE THAT PRECIP CHANCES WILL BEGIN TO WANE BY FRIDAY AS THE MOISTURE PLUME SHIFTS BACK TO THE WEST. AFTER HIGHS MAINLY IN THE 90S FOR MOST OF THE WORK WEEK...WE COULD SEE A RETURN OF SOME 100S IN THE ROLLING PLAINS NEXT WEEKEND...ALTHOUGH THE UPPER HIGH MAY MIGRATE TOWARD THE LWR MS VLY TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEKEND AND SPARE US THE MOST INTENSE HEAT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 66 94 67 93 67 / 20 20 20 20 20 TULIA 69 94 70 96 67 / 20 20 20 20 20 PLAINVIEW 69 94 70 95 68 / 20 20 20 20 20 LEVELLAND 67 93 68 94 69 / 20 20 20 20 20 LUBBOCK 70 94 70 95 71 / 20 20 20 20 20 DENVER CITY 69 94 70 94 70 / 20 20 20 20 20 BROWNFIELD 68 94 71 95 71 / 20 20 20 20 20 CHILDRESS 75 99 75 100 73 / 20 10 10 10 10 SPUR 70 96 73 97 72 / 20 10 10 10 10 ASPERMONT 74 98 76 99 74 / 20 10 10 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 24/99/99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 456 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 TXZ021>044-241000- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 456 AM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH ANY STRONGER STORMS WILL BE LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:22 UTC.
1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An NWS cooperative weather observer reported pea size hail covering the ground. Despite the small size of the hail, the amount of hail caused significant crop damage east of Silverton.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station located 10WSW Guthrie.
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, July 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: 385412, 385346.