The month of October saw few precipitation events and the precipitation coverage was much more isolated than September. This led to near steady state of drought conditions across the Texas Panhandle.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
The month of October saw few precipitation events and the precipitation coverage was much more isolated than September. This led to near steady state of drought conditions across the Texas Panhandle. Portions of the northwest Texas Panhandle remain in Extreme (D3) Drought rating while the western half of the Texas Panhandle remains at the Severe (D2) Drought rating. The remainder of the Texas Panhandle has dropped below Severe (D2) Drought rating. Amarillo recorded 0.17 inch of precipitation for the month (1.49 inches below normal), Dalhart recorded 0.12 inch of precipitation (1.35 inches below normal), and Borger recorded 0.26 inch of precipitation (1.46 inches below normal).
October brought to an end the growing and wet season across the Texas Panhandle. The Texas A&M Agrilife Program received reports of decent summer crop yields from across the Panhandle from both irrigated and some dryland fields. However, a drier October and more isolated precipitation events has led to upper soil zones degrading to 10 to 40 percent of normal. Deeper soil zones continue to range from 50 to 150 percent of normal. The Palmer Drought Severity Index continues to rate the Texas Panhandle at Extreme Drought due to the impact from the long range drought from the past three years. Countywide burn bans continue to be supported in Moore, Roberts, Hemphill, and Armstrong Counties.
Reservoirs and stream flows across the majority of the Panhandle have remained at near normal flow, but some streams across the southern Texas Panhandle have dropped below normal. The reservoirs of Palo Duro and Greenbelt Lake are both below 15 percent capacity with Lake Meredith at zero percent capacity. Water watches for several public water systems persisted through October while voluntary to mandatory mild water restrictions have been enacted.
Economic losses due to the drought through October were estimated near $2 million (D2)/$5 million (D3)/$10 million (D4) a county, and were predominately the result of delayed growth of corn and cotton, marginal supplemental watering, reduction of cattle herd sizes, and supplemental feed for cattle in pastures and rangeland.
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 Sep 30, 10:35 PM CST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1135 PM CDT MON SEP 30 2013 .AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 06Z TAFS VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE UNDER CLEAR SKIES. WINDS WILL START OUT PRETTY LIGHT AND BE SOMEWHAT VARIABLE BETWEEN SE AND NE ON TUE AS AN AREA OF WEAK LOW PRESSURE MEANDERS ABOUT THE PANHANDLES. TAFS WILL BE OUT AT 0520Z. SIMPSON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 654 PM CDT MON SEP 30 2013/ AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 00Z TAFS VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE. WINDS WILL START OUT OF THE SE AT ALL SITES...BUT BECOME A BIT VARIABLE BEFORE TAKING ON A MORE EASTERLY DIRECTION AT KDHT AND KGUY DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. SIMPSON PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 246 PM CDT MON SEP 30 2013/ DISCUSSION... FAIRLY QUIET WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS OR SO AS SURFACE TROUGH NEAR THE TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO STATE LINE WILL RESULT IN SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WHICH WILL INCREASE BY WEDNESDAY INTO THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE SURFACE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO DEEPEN BY THE MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHES THE PANHANDLES FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO WILL DEEPEN BY THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. THIS SURFACE LOW WILL HOLD UP THE COLDER AIR UNTIL THE SURFACE LOW FINALLY TRACKS EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES BY FRIDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW THE COLD FRONT TO FINALLY SURGE SOUTHWARD INTO THE PANHANDLES FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE GFS IS THE SLOWEST IN BRINGING THE FRONT THROUGH THE PANHANDLES AROUND 18Z FRIDAY TO 00Z SATURDAY. THE ECMWF BRINGS THE COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z TO 22Z FRIDAY. BEST LIFT AND MOISTURE SHOULD REMAIN JUST NORTH OF THE PANHANDLES LATE THIS WEEK SO WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY. DECIDED TO LEAVE DAYS 4 THROUGH 7 ALONE FOR NOW AS CONFIDENCE IN THE GFS/ECMWF TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT LOW. REGARDLESS OF THE TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT EITHER THURSDAY NIGHT OR LATE FRIDAY...THE WEEKEND STILL LOOKS DRY WITH SEASONABLE OR BELOW SEASONABLE TEMPS. SCHNEIDER FIRE WEATHER... DESPITE MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES OF LESS THAN 15 TO 20 PERCENT AND 20 FOOT WIND SPEEDS OF GREATER THAN 15 TO 20 MPH BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...NO ELEVATED OR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. RECENT RAINFALL SHOULD HELP KEEP THE FUELS MOIST AND THE ENERGY RELEASE COMPONENT LOW...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PANHANDLES. THE WESTERN PANHANDLES WILL STILL NEED TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED AS NOT AS MUCH RAINFALL FELL AND FUELS DRYING OUT QUICKER THAN THE REMAINDER OF THE PANHANDLES. SCHNEIDER && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && 09/16
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 258 PM CDT MON SEP 30 2013 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-011100- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 258 PM CDT MON SEP 30 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...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES MAY FALL INTO THE MID 30S ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN PANHANDLES FRIDAY NIGHT...POSSIBLY BRINGING THE FIRST FROST OF THE SEASON TO SOME LOCATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. SCHNEIDER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Extreme drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Extreme drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Moderate drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Moderate drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Moderate drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
Moderate drought as shown by the US Drought Monitor.
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, October 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: 477626, 477627, 477628, 477629, 477630, 477631, 477632.