Scattered thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and early evening hours ahead of a shortwave trough in New Mexico. Numerous preexisting outflow boundaries were also present across the South and Rolling Plains from earlier activity, which combined with a frontal boundary across the Texas Panhandle providing lift.
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 thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon and early evening hours ahead of a shortwave trough in New Mexico. Numerous preexisting outflow boundaries were also present across the South and Rolling Plains from earlier activity, which combined with a frontal boundary across the Texas Panhandle providing lift. A brief landspout tornado formed in southwest Lubbock County prior to thunderstorm initiation, before isolated severe wind gusts and damage occurred underneath more mature storms in Hockley, Floyd, and Stonewall Counties.
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 Aug 7, 2:35 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 335 PM CDT WED AUG 7 2013 .SHORT TERM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LINGERED ACROSS THE AREA INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON WHICH LEFT BEHIND A PLETHORA OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES WHICH MAY BOOST RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THIS EVENING. ON THE OTHER HAND...CLOUD COVER HAS BEEN SLOW TO BURN OFF ACROSS THE AREA WHICH MAY HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRECIPITATION IN SOME AREAS DUE TO COOLER SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND A LACK OF SURFACE-BASED INSTABILITY. ADD IN A SHORTWAVE THAT WAS SLOWLY MOVING EAST OVER NEW MEXICO AND THE LIFT THAT IT MAY PROVIDE AND THE POP FORECAST HAS QUITE A FEW FACTORS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WILL BE NO EASY WAY TO PINPOINT ONE AREA THAT WILL BE MORE FAVORED OVER ANOTHER THUS DECIDED TO CARRY BROAD-BRUSH LOW-END CHANCE OVER ALL BUT THE SOUTHEASTERN ROLLING PLAINS. BEST CHANCES WILL BE THROUGH MIDNIGHT BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS LINGER THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. MIN TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABOUT THE SAME AS LAST NIGHT AND WILL ALSO DEPEND ON WHERE MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL FALL TONIGHT. FORECAST FOR TOMORROW WILL AGAIN DEPEND ON WHAT THE LOCATION OF THE POSSIBLE COLD FRONT WILL BE. THE NAM REMAINS THE STRONGEST OF ALL THE MODELS AND BRINGS THE FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN COUNTIES OF THE FORECAST AREA/SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE BY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. ALL OF THE OTHER MODELS HAVE THE FRONT ABOUT 100-150 MILES FARTHER NORTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AT THAT TIME. HELD OFF MAKING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE FRONTAL POSITION WILL BE PRETTY IMPORTANT IN DETERMINING WHERE THE BEST POPS NEED TO BE LOCATED. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE TRICKY DUE TO CLOUD COVER FROM DISSIPATING STORMS ALONG WITH A WEST TO SOUTHWEST WIND AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND COMPRESSIONAL WARMING POSSIBLY HELPING BOOST TEMPS IF IT MAKES IT AS FAR SOUTH AS THE NAM IS FORECASTING. JORDAN && .LONG TERM... AN UA TROUGH TRANSLATING ACROSS THE PANHANDLES AND AN UA RIDGE PERSISTING ACROSS SE TEXAS /THUS PROMOTING WSW FLOW ALOFT/...WILL BE THE REGIONAL SYNOPTIC PATTERN AT THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. A SFC TROUGH NOTED ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS TOMORROW NIGHT...APPEARS TO BE THE FOCUS FOR PRECIP ACROSS THE SAID AREA...AS A 20 KT LLJ ENCOURAGES AN INCREASE IN LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE /DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 60S AND PWATS AOA 1.65 INCHES/. NEXT SHOT AT PRECIP WILL BE A COLD FRONT ON FRIDAY THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED UA TROUGH. MODELS STILL STRUGGLE WITH THE SPEED OF THE FRONT AS IT IS EITHER ANTICIPATED TO CLEAR THE CWA BY FRIDAY MORNING /PER THE NAM/ OR FRIDAY EVENING /PER THE GFS/. THE FRONT/S SPEED WILL VERY MUCH PLAY A ROLE WITH REGARD TO PRECIP CHANCES...BECAUSE IF IT IS AS FAST AS DEPICTED BY THE NAM...THE FRONT WILL BE LOCATED ACROSS THE PERMIAN BASIN BY THE AFTN WHICH IS WHERE THE BEST RAINFALL CHANCES ARE EXHIBITED. HOWEVER IF IT IS A TAD SLOWER AS SHOWN PER THE GFS...PRECIP WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE CWA /MORE SO FRIDAY NIGHT/EARLY SATURDAY MORNING/...HENCE UPSLOPE SFC WINDS WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO INTERACT WITH THE FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING. CONCURRENTLY...THE UA RIDGE WILL BE RETROGRADING TO NEAR THE REGION WHICH WILL VEER FLOW ALOFT A BIT TO THE WEST. MOUNTAINOUS CONVECTION SHOWN TO DEVELOP FRIDAY NIGHT-SATURDAY IS BEING SHIFTED ACROSS THE WRN ZONES THANKS TO ADEQUATE STEERING FLOW. GIVEN THE ABOVE SYNOPTIC AND MESOCALE FACTORS...WILL HOLD ON TO MENTIONABLE POPS TOMORROW NIGHT-SATURDAY. BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND/BEGINNING OF THE NEXT WEEK...THE UA RIDGE WILL HAVE RETROGRADED TO ACROSS SW NM/NRN OLD MEXICO THEREFORE PROMOTING NW FLOW ALOFT. THIS FAVORABLE FLOW IS CONDUCIVE FOR MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN STORMS TO FILTER ACROSS THE CWA...WHICH IS INDEED BEING DEPICTED THROUGH MID-WEEK. EXACT LOCATIONS THAT THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT IS A BIT UNCERTAIN ATTM...BUT RAISING POPS TO 10-14 PERCENT /JUST SHY OF MENTIONABLE LEVELS/ APPEAR VALID FOR NOW. TEMPS WILL COOL TO BELOW NORM ON FRIDAY THANKS TO THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT /80S AND 90S/...WITH A GRADUAL WARMUP THROUGH EARLY TO MID WEEK /MID TO UPPER 90S/. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 64 91 63 86 63 / 30 20 20 20 20 TULIA 67 95 66 87 64 / 30 20 20 20 20 PLAINVIEW 67 98 67 88 64 / 30 20 20 20 20 LEVELLAND 68 98 68 91 65 / 30 20 20 20 20 LUBBOCK 71 100 69 92 66 / 30 20 20 20 20 DENVER CITY 69 98 69 94 67 / 30 20 10 20 20 BROWNFIELD 70 99 69 94 67 / 30 20 20 20 20 CHILDRESS 73 100 70 92 69 / 30 20 20 20 20 SPUR 74 101 72 94 70 / 30 20 20 20 20 ASPERMONT 78 101 75 99 72 / 20 20 20 20 20 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 14/29
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 631 AM CDT WED AUG 7 2013 TXZ021>044-081145- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 631 AM CDT WED AUG 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE COVERAGE OF STORMS SHOULD INCREASE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AS A FRONT MOVES IN FROM THE NORTH. ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE...A FEW STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH SMALL HAIL..WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:49 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A brief landspout tornado was reported by a local meteorologist north of Wolfforth underneath a developing cumulus cloud. No damage or injuries occurred.
Local emergency management officials reported power poles blown down on the west side of Levelland as a thunderstorm moved through. A mobile home under development was also knocked down by strong winds nearby.
Local fire department officials observed severe wind gusts near 60 mph as a thunderstorm moved overhead.
The Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet station near Aspermont recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2013Warnings in Texas, August 2013
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: 458776, 458781, 458784, 458786.