Abundant low level moisture from snow showers earlier in the day allowed dense fog to form across the southern Texas Panhandle. Even as surface winds gusted into the 30 mph range, surface visibilities dropped to a quarter mile or less for a couple hours at Amarillo (Potter and Randall County), Herford (Deaf Smith County), Vega (Oldham County), and Claude (Armstrong County).
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 AMA wrote it up.
Abundant low level moisture from snow showers earlier in the day allowed dense fog to form across the southern Texas Panhandle. Even as surface winds gusted into the 30 mph range, surface visibilities dropped to a quarter mile or less for a couple hours at Amarillo (Potter and Randall County), Herford (Deaf Smith County), Vega (Oldham County), and Claude (Armstrong County). While no vehicle accidents were reported, traffic flow on roads and highways were reduced greatly.
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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 5:51 PM CST, 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 551 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013 .AVIATION.../00Z TAFS/ MAIN CONCERN IS FZFG POTENTIAL TONIGHT. THERE WILL LIKELY BE ISOLATED PATCHES OF FZFG WITH VLIFR CONDITIONS 03Z-14Z, BUT OUR CONFIDENCE IS LOW AS TO WHETHER THEY WILL IMPACT ANY TERMINAL. IF FZFG DOES DEVELOP, BELIEVE THE TERMINAL WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCE OF OCCURRENCE WILL BE KAMA. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE FOR -SHSN AT KAMA AND KDHT AFTER 22Z, BUT THE BETTER CHANCES WILL BE AFTER THIS TAF PERIOD. JACKSON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 330 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013/ DISCUSSION... LIGHT SNOW CONTINUES TO MOVE OUT OF THE PANHANDLES AS THE UPPER LOW TRACKS FURTHER NORTH THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE PROVIDED BY THE PRECIPITATION THAT FELL LAST NIGHT AND TODAY MAY LEAD TO PATCHY FOG ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AS WINDS BEGIN TO DECREASE. SHOULD ANY FOG DEVELOP IT COULD LOWER VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE AND SHOULD DISSIPATE BY 10 AM FRIDAY. THE SNOW FROM TODAY WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE HIGH TEMPS FOR FRIDAY. WENT BELOW MOS NUMBERS IN THE AREAS THAT GOT THE HIGHEST SNOW AMOUNTS FOR THIS REASON. DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF MELT OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE THE BIGGEST FACTOR ON HOW MUCH COOLER THE HIGHS COULD BE. THEN ANOTHER DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE PRECIP POTENTIAL WITH THIS SYSTEM DUE TO THE DIFFERENCES ON THE SPEED OF THIS DISTURBANCE. HAVE KEPT LOW POPS ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS PANHANDLES. ANY PRECIPITATION THAT MAY OCCUR WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EARLY SATURDAY MORNING SHOULD HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO MELT AWAY AS HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE 40S AND 50S ACROSS THE AREA. THE SLIGHTLY WARMER CONDITIONS WONT STICK AROUND LONG AS YET ANOTHER...MORE PROMINENT...SYSTEM IS EXPECTED SUNDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING. IT IS A LITTLE EARLY TO TRY AND EXACTLY DEFINE THE PRECIP TYPES WITH THIS SYSTEM AS THERE ARE BOTH DIFFERENCES IN POSITIONING AND PRECIP POTENTIAL. BUT LEANED CLOSER TO THE NAM AND ECMWF WITH A MORE SOUTHERN POSITION OF THE LOW AND WITH MORE OPTIMISTIC PRECIP CHANCES THAN THE GFS. WITH THAT THINKING THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE A PERIOD WHERE OVERNIGHT SNOW MAY BEGIN TO MIX WITH RAIN DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. THEN AS NIGHT BEGINS TO FALL PRECIP SHOULD TRANSITION BACK TO ALL SNOW. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON ALL PRECIP SHOULD END...ASSUMING THE SYSTEM DOES NOT SLOW GREATLY...AND A DRY PERIOD SHOULD BE IN STORE FOR THE PANHANDLES. A DISTURBANCE IS SHOWN TO COME CLOSE TO THE PANHANDLES AROUND WEDNESDAY BUT FOR NOW WILL KEEP THE AREA DRY. FIRE WEATHER... NEITHER ELEVATED NOR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER IS EXPECTED THOUGHT THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 203 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013/ UPDATE... RADAR TRENDS HAVE CONTINUED TO SHOW A RAPID DECREASE IN SNOW COVERAGE ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS A LITTLE SOONER THAN EXPECTED DUE TO THE UPPER LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE SNOW HAS TAKEN A FURTHER NORTH EJECTION THAN PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. AS SUCH HAVE EXPIRED THE WINTER STORM WARNING AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY EARLY. THERE ARE A FEW LIGHT RETURNS STILL OVER THE FAR NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE BUT ANY SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1141 AM CST THU FEB 21 2013/ AVIATION... UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE MOVE AWAY FROM THE PANHANDLES THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WITH GUY IMPROVING LAST. FOG IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN TONIGHT. CLEARING SKIES...LIGHT WINDS AND A MOIST GROUND CALL FOR FOG. THE FOG MAY BE DENSE IN SPOTS...BUT CONFIDENCE ON WHERE IT WILL DEVELOP IS NOT VERY HIGH. FOR NOW HAVE COVERED THE TAFS WITH MVFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT...BUT CONDITIONS MAY BE MUCH WORSE. THE FOG IS EXPECTED LIFT BY LATE IN THE MORNING ON FRIDAY. && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && JJ/JC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 203 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-220815- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 203 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. GOEHRING
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
317 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0253 PM SNOW HIGGINS 36.12N 100.03W
02/21/2013 M7.0 INCH LIPSCOMB TX PUBLIC
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300237
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
348 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0347 PM SNOW 1 S SPEARMAN 36.18N 101.19W
02/21/2013 M4.5 INCH HANSFORD TX TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300238
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
354 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0353 PM SNOW 2 WSW BORGER 35.65N 101.43W
02/21/2013 M2.4 INCH HUTCHINSON TX CO-OP OBSERVER
FINAL SNOWFALL TOTAL.
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300240
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
356 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0353 PM SNOW 1 SE CANADIAN 35.90N 100.37W
02/21/2013 M5.0 INCH HEMPHILL TX FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
SOME MELTING HAD OCCURRED BEFORE OBSERVATION
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300241
FENNERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
400 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0355 PM SNOW 1 NNW STRATFORD 36.35N 102.08W
02/21/2013 M4.5 INCH SHERMAN TX TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300242
FENNERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
619 PM CST THU FEB 21 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0930 AM SNOW 2 WNW PALO DURO CANYON 34.96N 101.71W
02/21/2013 M1.4 INCH RANDALL TX PUBLIC
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1300243
FENNERThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.
A quarter mile visibility was reported by the Claude (Armstong County) AWOS.
A quarter mile visibility was reported by the Hereford (Deaf Smith County) AWOS.
A quarter mile visibility was reported by the Vega (Oldham County) AWOS.
A quarter mile visibility was reported by the Amarillo (Potter County) ASOS.
A quarter mile visibility was reported by a member of the public in Amarillo (Randal County).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, February 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: 437217, 437218, 437219, 437220, 437221.