Despite minimal low-level moisture and instability, strong lift accompanying a short wave trough helped generate a line of showers and thunderstorms along a surface trough late this St. Patrick's Day afternoon.
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.
Despite minimal low-level moisture and instability, strong lift accompanying a short wave trough helped generate a line of showers and thunderstorms along a surface trough late this St. Patrick's Day afternoon. Very high-based thunderstorms developed rapidly shortly before 1500 CST in far eastern New Mexico before increasing in coverage as they entered the western Texas Panhandle and northwest South Plains. Virga and strong downdrafts were so prevalent with these storms that a large haboob quickly developed and overspread much of the South Plains. Some area residents photographed very tall gustnadoes along the leading edge of this haboob; however, none of these were tornadic and did not create any known damage. North of a line from Levelland to Floydada, deeper instability and lift resulted in several severe thunderstorm wind gusts. Near South Plains, these severe winds downed a few power lines along Highway 207. Additional virga showers around sunset in Hockley and Lubbock Counties created a second round of strong convective winds that caused sporadic instances of minor property damage primarily in the southwest sections of Lubbock.
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 Mar 17, 2:33 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 333 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013 .SHORT TERM... FAVORABLY-TIMED S/W TROUGH IS ON SCHEDULE TO HELP GENERATE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING. SATELLITE PRODUCTS REVEAL A WELL-DEFINED AXIS OF LIFT SPREADING EAST OF A LINE FROM RATON SOUTH TO CLINES CORNERS COMPLETE WITH EMBEDDED STORMS. KCQC RECENTLY MEASURED A 50 KNOT CONVECTIVE GUST AND NLDN PRODUCTS HAVE REGISTERED SEVERAL CG STROKES IN THE PAST HOUR ALONE. LITTLE CHANGE TO THE EARLIER FORECAST UPDATE AS WE STILL EXPECT SUFFICIENT DESTABILIZATION TO DEVELOP FIRST IN OUR NWRN COUNTIES BEFORE EXPANDING SOUTHEAST THROUGH EARLY EVENING. RECENT LAPS DATA INDICATE NEARLY 600 J/KG OF SBCAPE BEGINNING TO SPREAD TOWARDS PARMER COUNTY...ALTHOUGH THIS SHOULD BE THE UPPER LIMIT TO INSTABILITY AS DEWPOINTS BEGIN SLOWLY MIXING OUT DUE TO INCREASING SWLY WINDS BEHIND A WEAK PSEUDO-WARM FRONT RECENTLY ANALYZED FROM ABOUT AMARILLO SOUTH TO LAKE ALAN HENRY. SURFACE TROUGHING FARTHER WEST IN ERN NM WILL ADVANCE EASTWARD THROUGH THE EVENING WITH THE PARENT UPPER TROUGH AND SHOULD EASILY RESULT IN AT LEAST ISO HIGH-BASED STORMS. A FEW SEVERE CONVECTIVE GUSTS REMAIN ON TAP GIVEN DEEP INVERTED-V STRUCTURES...BUT ANTICIPATED LOW COVERAGE OF STORMS WOULD LIKELY KEEP ANY SUCH GUSTS FEW AND FAR BETWEEN BEFORE BOUNDARY LAYER DECOUPLING DROPS THE AXE ON CONVECTIVE MIXING AROUND SUNSET. ONCE THE UPPER TROUGH EXITS THE REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT...A MORE VIGOROUS...ALBEIT DISTANT TROUGH WILL DRIVE A MODEST COLD FRONT SOUTH DURING THE PRE-DAWN HOURS. PALTRY LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE SUGGESTS NO THREAT OF LOW CLOUDS OR SENSIBLE WX WITH THIS FRONT. AXIS OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MERELY GRAZE OUR WESTERN COUNTIES DURING THE MORNING BEFORE DEPARTING EAST...SO AFTER SOME GUSTY A.M. WINDS...WINDS ON THE CAPROCK WILL VEER WESTERLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY BUT REMAIN E-SELY FARTHER EAST COMPLETE WITH COOLER TEMPS. && .LONG TERM... WEST TEXAS WILL BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD POSITIONED WITHIN A REGIME OF SLIGHT NORTHWEST FLOW... HALFWAY BETWEEN A LARGE TROUGH ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. AND AN AMPLIFIED RIDGE OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE WITHIN A POST- FRONTAL REGIME MONDAY NIGHT... WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE EXTREME WESTERN CWA WHERE DRY WESTERLY WINDS WILL SNEAK INTO THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT OF MONDAY'S EARLY MORNING FRONT... VERY LITTLE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL LIKELY BE PRESENT ACROSS THE AREA AS A SUBTLE SORT WAVE TRAVERSES WEST TEXAS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AS SUCH... HIGH CLOUDS WILL LIKELY BE THE EXTENT OF ITS IMPACT... IN ADDITION TO COOLER TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY BEHIND ANOTHER REINFORCING FRONT AND A TEMPORARY DELAY IN LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING WEDNESDAY. MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT REGARDING THE NEXT APPROACHING SYSTEM...AS LEE TROUGHING WILL BEGIN IN EARNEST ALONG THE FRONT RANGE IN RESPONSE TO A DIGGING NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. FURTHER SOUTH... A LEADING SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE WILL ALSO LOCALLY ENHANCE PRESSURE FALLS ACROSS NE NM AND THE TEXAS PANHANDLE BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL LIKELY AID IN RAPID MOISTURE RETURN TO THE AREA BEGINNING WEDNESDAY EVENING AND CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY MORNING. LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE SEEMS TO SUGGEST IMPROVING LOW-LEVEL TRAJECTORIES FROM THE GULF AS WELL... AND NOW BRINGS WIDESPREAD LOW TO MID 50S DEWPOINTS INTO THE SOUTH PLAINS BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT OF THIS STRONG WARM MOIST ADVECTION... AT THE VERY LEAST A BROKEN STRATUS DECK IS LIKELY TO DEVELOP BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT... AND MAY EVEN RESULT IN A FEW SPRINKLES BEFORE A PACIFIC FRONT RACES EASTWARD BY EARLY AFTERNOON THURSDAY. WHILE IT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION TO SEE SOME SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SOME THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP IN THE FAR EASTERN PORTION OF THE CWA ALONG THE ADVANCING FRONT... MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THIS FEATURE WILL LIKELY CLEAR THE CWA WELL BEFORE PEAK DIURNAL HEATING. AS THIS FRONT PASSES... THE PRIMARY CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR BREEZY WINDS AND ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE CAPROCK. LATEST GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SLOWER DRYING THAN PREVIOUS RUNS... WITH MINIMUM RH VALUES BETWEEN 20-30 PERCENT AS OPPOSED TO 15-20 PERCENT IN PREVIOUS RUNS...BUT THESE DETAILS WILL HAVE TO BE HASHED OUT IN FUTURE FORECASTS AS MODELS GET A BETTER HANDLE ON THE APPROACHING WAVE. BEYOND THURSDAY... MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT A COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTHWARD INTO THE AREA AS THURSDAY'S LOW DEEPENS AND EXITS THE AREA TO THE SOUTHEAST BY FRIDAY. HOWEVER...GFS AND ECMWF SOLUTIONS DIVERGE SIGNIFICANTLY BEYOND THIS POINT...AS THE LATEST GFS SOLUTION IS TRENDING TOWARDS A MUCH MILDER AND MORE TRANSIENT COLD SURGE FOR NEXT WEEKEND. GIVEN RECENT TRENDS... THE GFS SEEMS TO BE THE MORE BELIEVABLE SOLUTION...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN EITHER ONE AT THIS STAGE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 36 68 34 66 38 / 10 0 0 0 0 TULIA 38 66 32 66 40 / 20 0 0 0 0 PLAINVIEW 39 67 35 67 42 / 20 0 0 0 0 LEVELLAND 41 71 42 72 43 / 20 0 0 0 0 LUBBOCK 41 70 38 70 43 / 20 0 0 0 10 DENVER CITY 45 73 43 73 45 / 20 0 0 0 0 BROWNFIELD 43 72 42 73 45 / 20 0 0 0 10 CHILDRESS 44 66 36 70 40 / 20 0 0 0 0 SPUR 46 69 38 73 42 / 20 0 0 0 10 ASPERMONT 48 69 40 74 41 / 10 0 0 0 10 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 93/16
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1243 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013 TXZ021>044-181745- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1243 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT CONVECTIVE AND FIRE WEATHER ISOLATED HIGH-BASED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE SOUTHWARD ALONG THE NEW MEXICO STATE LINE. STORMS WILL THEN MOVE EASTERLY OVER PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH THE EVENING. THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LOCALLY SEVERE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH. ALSO...OCCASIONAL CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING WILL RAISE THE THREAT OF A FEW WILDFIRES IN THOSE AREAS WHERE LITTLE OR NO RAIN FALLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER THREAT IS POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY AS VERY BREEZY AND DRY WINDS OVERSPREAD MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 415 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013 TXZ021-022-027-172145- BAILEY-CASTRO-PARMER- 415 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BAILEY...CASTRO AND PARMER COUNTIES... AT 410 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES WEST OF FRIONA...TO 5 MILES WEST TO WEST CAMP. MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. WINDS UP TO 55 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF BLOWING DUST THAT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO BELOW A MILE AT TIMES. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. LAT...LON 3475 10233 3402 10285 3401 10304 3474 10303 TIME...MOT...LOC 2112Z 277DEG 34KT 3469 10296 MRC
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
445 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013
TXZ021-022-027-028-172215-
BAILEY-CASTRO-LAMB-PARMER-
445 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LAMB...BAILEY...CASTRO AND
PARMER COUNTIES...
AT 344 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES NORTH OF
FRIONA TO 23 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MULESHOE...MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 55 MPH AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF BLOWING DUST THAT WILL REDUCE
VISIBILITIES TO BELOW ONE MILE AT TIMES. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS
OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL
THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 3475 10235 3469 10208 3384 10255 3395 10304
3428 10304 3475 10278
TIME...MOT...LOC 2145Z 284DEG 43KT 3473 10268 3404 10305
MRCSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
514 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013
TXZ022-023-027>029-033-034-172245-
BAILEY-CASTRO-COCHRAN-HALE-HOCKLEY-LAMB-SWISHER-
514 PM CDT SUN MAR 17 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR
COCHRAN...HOCKLEY...LAMB...BAILEY...HALE...SWISHER AND CASTRO
COUNTIES...
AT 509 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 22
MILES NORTHWEST OF TULIA TO 13 MILES NORTHWEST OF LITTLEFIELD TO 12
MILES WEST OF MORTON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 55 MPH AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN AREAS OF BLOWING DUST THAT WILL REDUCE
VISIBILITIES TO BELOW ONE MILE AT TIMES. STAY AWAY FROM
HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY
STRUCTURE UNTIL THESE STORMS HAVE PASSED.
LAT...LON 3475 10194 3449 10155 3383 10203 3383 10208
3376 10208 3371 10212 3340 10259 3370 10304
3379 10304 3405 10264 3475 10213
TIME...MOT...LOC 2212Z 308DEG 42KT 3466 10207 3400 10249
3373 10292
MRCThe Lubbock radar (KLBB), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:26 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Measured by a KVII schoolnet site at the Hart Elementary School. At 1635 CST, a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet located 3N Hart measured a 62 mph gust.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet located 1NE Amherst. At 1635 CST, another Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet located 6S Olton measured a gust to 61 mph.
Law enforcement reported power lines down along Highway 207.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station.
An NWS employee in southwest Lubbock estimated wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph from a virga shower. These winds snapped a 20-foot antenna and caused sporadic minor damage to property fences in far southwest Lubbock.
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, March 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: 430925, 430929, 430927, 430923, 430931, 430935.