Scattered storms developed across the entire West Texas region during the afternoon and evening hours of the 5th in response to an upper level short wave approaching from the west. The strongest storms were observed across the extreme southern Texas panhandle due to a remnant outflow boundary.
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 storms developed across the entire West Texas region during the afternoon and evening hours of the 5th in response to an upper level short wave approaching from the west. The strongest storms were observed across the extreme southern Texas panhandle due to a remnant outflow boundary. Although most storms were not severe a few storms did produce severe wind gusts. In one instance, small hail became wind-driven and destroyed crops in Motley County.
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 Sep 5, 11:51 AM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1251 PM CDT WED SEP 5 2012 .AVIATION... WHILE CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN PRIMARILY VFR...THERE IS A RISK OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS PERHAPS FAVORING KCDS OVER KLBB BUT CERTAINLY POSSIBLE AT BOTH LOCATIONS. SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS AN UPPER LEVEL BOUNDARY FROM KLTS TO KLBB TO NORTH OF KHOB WHICH MAY SERVE AS A FOCUSING MECHANISM. AS TIMING AND EXACT LOCATION REMAINS UNCERTAIN...WILL NOT EXPLICITLY MENTION IN THE TAF ATTM ALTHOUGH AVIATORS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE RISK EXISTS. ANY PRECIPITATION WHICH FORMS WILL HAVE THE CAPABILITY FOR STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS WELL AWAY FROM THE PARENT STORM/VIRGA && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 426 AM CDT WED SEP 5 2012/ SHORT TERM... UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OVER NM AND WEST TEXAS ALTHOUGH THE PASSAGE OF A SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL WEAKEN THE RIDGE SOME ON THE NERN FLANK IN THE VICINITY OF THE NERN ZONES. WILL ALSO SEE THE RIDGE BECOME INCREASINGLY DIRTY TODAY AND TONIGHT AS MID TO UPPER LEVEL MONSOONAL MOISTURE INCREASES ACROSS THE AREA FROM SOURCE ORIGIN OF AZ AND WRN NM. AT THE SFC A WEAK COLD FRONT MAY TRY TO MOVE INTO THE NRN ZONES LATER THIS AFTN IN THE WAKE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER TROUGH. STRENGTH OF THE UPPER HIGH AND NEARLY PERSISTENT PROGGED THICKNESSES SUGGEST ANOTHER HOT AFTN WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE 90S ON THE CAPROCK AND AT OR ABOVE 100 ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS. ALTHOUGH THE WEAK FRONT PROBABLY WILL NOT MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE ACROSS THE NRN ZONES...POTENTIAL FOR A WEAKENING OF THE RIDGE THERE AND CORRESPONDING DECREASE IN THICKNESSES SUGGEST TEMPS THERE MAY BE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN YESTERDAY. HOT TEMPERATURES AND INCREASED MID LEVEL MOISTURE SUGGEST ISOLATED TO SCATTERED HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. FOCUS INITIALLY IS EXPECTED TO BE ON THE HIGH TERRAIN NEAR THE NM STATE LINE AS WELL AS FURTHER EWD ACROSS THE SRN PANHANDLE NEAR LOW LEVEL FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND NEAR THE CENTER OF THE MID LEVEL MOISTURE AXIS. EXPECTED MOVEMENT OF STORMS IS TOWARD THE EAST OR SOUTHEAST. LOW END CHANCE CATEGORY GOOD FOR THE EXPECTED INITIATION ZONES PRE-00Z THEN DOWNWIND IN THE 00Z-06Z TIME FRAME. SLIGHT CHANCE WILL DO IN THOSE AREAS OUTSIDE THE FAVORED ZONES. LONG TERM... ONLY MINOR REVISIONS WERE MADE THIS FORECAST CYCLE...PRIMARILY SURROUNDING A STRONG FROPA EXPECTED LATE FRIDAY. OTHERWISE THE GAME PLAN REMAINS LARGELY UNCHANGED AS THE INITIAL FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE TX PANHANDLE BEGINS LIFTING NORTH ON THURSDAY IN ADVANCE OF STRENGTHENING WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF AN UPPER TROUGH DROPPING OUT OF THE NRN ROCKIES AND DAKOTAS. POPS WERE MASSAGED A BIT TO INCLUDE SLIGHT CHANCE ACROSS OUR NRN ROW OF COUNTIES THU AFTN COINCIDENT WITH A THERMAL TROUGH AND STRONG HEATING...BUT BY FAR THE GREATEST LIFT FAVORS AREAS WELL NORTH OF THE CWA NEAR THE FRINGES OF STRONGER WLY FLOW AHEAD OF THE IMPENDING UPPER TROUGH. GREATEST CHALLENGE STILL CONCERNS THE STRONG FRONT EXPECTED LATE IN THE DAY FRIDAY. 00Z ECMWF HAS ACCELERATED THIS BOUNDARY MARKEDLY SINCE ITS EARLIER RUN WHILE THE GFS HAS SHOWN SIMILAR BUT LESS SIGNIFICANT VARIATIONS FROM RUN-TO-RUN. THE 06Z NAM IS NOW BACK TO A MORE BULLISH FROPA THAT HAS ALL BUT THE LOW ROLLING PLAINS UNDER COLD ADVECTION BY 00Z SAT. EVEN THOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS FRONT IS SIZEABLE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...FORECAST RATIONALE TENDS TO FAVOR A SLOWER FROPA ON THE SOUTH PLAINS LARGELY GIVEN THE TIME OF DAY AND A BARRIER OF POTENTIAL RECORD-BREAKING HEAT. OPTED TO FOLLOW A BLEND OF THE 00Z GFS AND NAM RUNS FOR NOW. SO AFTER NEAR RECORD HIGHS IN LUBBOCK ON FRI...VERY GUSTY NELY WINDS SHOULD CLOSE THE NIGHT OUT AS A CORRIDOR OF STRONG PRESSURE RISES TAKES AIM OVER MUCH OF THE CWA. IT'S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE WE'VE SEEN GRADIENT WINDS IN THE LOWEST KILOMETER APPROACH ADVISORY LEVELS...BUT FORECAST SOUNDINGS DO LEND CREDIBILITY TO THIS POSSIBILITY FRI EVENING PROVIDED STRONG PRESSURE RISES IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FRONT CAN OFFSET THE OTHERWISE UNFAVORABLE TIME OF THE EVENT AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER TYPICALLY DECOUPLES SLIGHTLY EVEN UNDER COLD ADVECTION AFTER PEAK HEATING. A GREATER CHALLENGE HOWEVER IS POPS. SWLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE PRONE TO DRYING OUT MOISTURE INITIALLY IN PLACE ON FRIDAY...BUT WITH STRONG HEATING THROUGHOUT THE SHARP THERMAL RIDGE...SOME VERY HIGH-BASED CONVECTION IS INDEED POSSIBLE ACROSS OUR NORTH FRI AFTN BEFORE A MORE FAVORABLE POST-FRONTAL AND ELEVATED INSTABILITY REGIME DEVELOP FRI EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ALTHOUGH LARGE-SCALE FORCING LOOKS RELATIVELY MUTED...A MODEST CONTRIBUTION OF LIFT IS EXPECTED FRI NIGHT AS THE BASE OF A POSITIVELY-TILTED TROUGH GRAZES THE SOUTH PLAINS. ALL MODELS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ECMWF HAVE TRENDED WETTER IN THIS PATTERN...BUT AM EXERCISING RESTRAINT WITH POPS AS PROGRESSIVE FRONTS AND UPPER TROUGHS SUCH AS THIS IN NORTHWEST FLOW CAN EASILY DISAPPOINT. THAT CONSIDERATION ASIDE...INGREDIENTS ALONE SUCH AS AN ELEVATED AND MOIST FN LAYER AND WEAK OMEGA WILL FAVOR A BROAD MENTION OF NEAR CHANCE CATEGORY PRECIP BEFORE DIMINISHING QUICKLY FROM NORTH-TO-SOUTH SAT MORNING AHEAD OF MUCH DRIER AIR AND STRONG SUBSIDENCE. SO AFTER POTENTIAL RECORD HIGHS ON FRI IN LUBBOCK .WELL-BELOW NORMAL HIGHS ARE IN ORDER SAT AS A COOL SURFACE RIDGE OVERSPREADS THE REGION SETTING THE STAGE FOR SOME UNSEASONABLY COOL LO TEMPS SAT NIGHT WITHIN THE SURFACE HIGH. SHALLOW UPPER RIDGING APPROACHING FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST CLOSES OUT THIS FORECAST WINDOW RESULTING IN A RAPID RETURN TO SEASONABLE TEMPS BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 96 64 95 64 90 / 30 30 20 10 20 TULIA 97 68 96 66 94 / 30 30 20 10 20 PLAINVIEW 98 68 96 66 96 / 20 30 10 10 20 LEVELLAND 97 68 98 67 98 / 20 30 10 10 10 LUBBOCK 99 71 98 69 98 / 20 30 10 10 10 DENVER CITY 99 70 97 68 98 / 20 20 10 10 10 BROWNFIELD 99 71 98 68 100 / 20 20 10 10 10 CHILDRESS 101 71 101 71 102 / 20 30 20 20 20 SPUR 100 70 99 70 103 / 20 20 10 10 10 ASPERMONT 104 73 102 73 104 / 20 20 10 10 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 99/99/26
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 235 PM CDT WED SEP 5 2012 TXZ021>044-061945- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 235 PM CDT WED SEP 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS...NORTHERN SOUTH PLAINS AND SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH WINDS TO 60 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS BEING THE PRIMARY THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SUSTAINED NORTHEASTERLY WINDS MAY OCCASIONALLY APPROACH 30 MPH OVER PARTS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA FRIDAY NIGHT BEHIND A STRONG COLD FRONT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
303 PM CDT WED SEP 5 2012
TXZ035-052030-
LUBBOCK-
303 PM CDT WED SEP 5 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LUBBOCK COUNTY...
AT 257 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES WEST OF SLATON THIS STORM WAS NEARLY
STATIONARY. THIS STORM HAS GENERATED A DOWNBURST OF WINDS WHICH IS
PROPAGATING RAPIDLY WESTWARD TOWARD THE WOLFFORTH AREA.
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.
LAT...LON 3340 10207 3361 10206 3370 10183 3346 10158
3339 10179
TIME...MOT...LOC 2001Z 198DEG 2KT 3346 10186The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:20 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind-driven hail damaged crops four miles northeast of Flomot. An unknown amount of damage to the crops occurred.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station near Turkey measured a wind gust of 69 mph.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station near Paducah measured a wind gust to 58 mph.
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, September 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: 401013, 401009, 401007.