August was a drier than normal month for most of the Texas Panhandle. Scattered areas around the Panhandle measured over 3 inches of rain during the month, but most locations received less than 2 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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.
August was a drier than normal month for most of the Texas Panhandle. Scattered areas around the Panhandle measured over 3 inches of rain during the month, but most locations received less than 2 inches. A band of Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) Drought remained from Carson County northwestward to eastern Dallam County. Deaf Smith County to western Hartley County had improved to Moderate (D1) Drought. Otherwise, the remainder of the Panhandles were rated at Severe (D2) Drought conditions. Amarillo recorded 1.76 inches of precipitation for the month (1.15 inches below normal), Dalhart recorded 0.88 inches of precipitation (1.97 inches below normal), and Borger recorded 0.71 inches of precipitation (2.46 inches below normal).
Soil moisture was rated mostly short to adequate during the month. Crops were beginning to suffer in drier areas, but other crops actually caught up on heat units during the warm and dry month. Rangeland and pasture continued to improve in some areas, but cattle herd sizes remained limited due to prolonged drought. Upper soil zones were mostly in the 10 to 30 percent full range, with a few locations much better or much worse. Deeper soil moisture was still below normal in much of the Texas Panhandle, but values were estimated to be greater than 150 percent of normal where rainfall was most frequent over the last year. The Palmer Drought Severity Index indicated a rating of Severe Drought conditions for the Texas Panhandle. Countywide burn bans were supported in several counties.
Stream flows across the Texas Panhandle ranged from near normal to much below normal during August, leading to some areas of moderate hydrological drought. The reservoirs of Lake Meredith and Palo Duro were below 5 percent and 3 percent capacity respectively, and Greenbelt Lake was below 13 percent capacity. Water watches for several public water systems persisted through August while voluntary to mandatory mild water restrictions were continued.
Economic losses due to the drought through August were predominately the result of supplemental watering in the driest areas and supplemental feed for cattle on drought-thinned rangeland and pastures.
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 Jul 31, 10:11 PM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1111 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2014 .AVIATION... SOME LOW CLOUDS OR FOG MAY BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN PANHANDLES OVERNIGHT. RIGHT NOW BELIEVE THAT THE LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WILL STAY TO THE EAST OF THE TAF SITES...SO HAVE GONE WITH A VFR FORECAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE VARIABLE AND BELOW 10 KNOTS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 608 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2014/ AVIATION... MID LEVEL CLOUDS WILL INCREASE DURING THE MORNING ON FRIDAY...BUT SKIES WILL REMAIN VFR. WINDS WILL BE VARIABLE AND UNDER 10 KNOTS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 351 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2014/ DISCUSSION... MADE NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FOR THE NEXT WEEK. THE OVERALL PATTERN REMAINS THE SAME...WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS AND DEEP TROUGH TO THE EAST. IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW BETWEEN THESE SYSTEMS...A FEW SHOWERS OR WEAK THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE STEERED FROM THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE FAR WESTERN PARTS OF THE PANHANDLES THROUGH SATURDAY. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED OUT OF ANY OF THESE STORMS...AND IN ALL LIKELIHOOD THEY WILL REMAIN CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS AND EASTERN NEW MEXICO. SEASONAL TEMPERATURES RETURN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND...THE UPPER AIR PATTERN FLATTENS OUT...WITH THE RIDGE AXIS SHIFTING OVERHEAD. A SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE RIDING AROUND THE RIDGE WILL BRING ANOTHER DECENT SUMMER COLD FRONT THROUGH THE PANHANDLES...SOMETIME BETWEEN TUESDAY AND THURSDAY DEPENDING ON YOUR MODEL OF CHOICE. AT THIS TIME...EXPECT THE FRONT TO MAKE AN INITIAL PUSH WEDNESDAY AND THEN A FINAL PUSH THROUGH ON THURSDAY. AS WITH THE OTHER COLD FRONTS THIS SUMMER...FEEL CONFIDENT IN A WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR BENEFICIAL RAINFALL AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. NF && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && 15/03
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 356 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2014 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-010900- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 356 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2014 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. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE PANHANDLES NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. NF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme Drought (D3) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Extreme Drought (D3) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Extreme Drought (D3) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Exceptional Drought (D4) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Exceptional Drought (D4) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Extreme Drought (D3) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Exceptional Drought (D4) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2014
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: 541766, 541767, 541768, 541769, 541770, 541771, 541772, 541773, 541774, 541775, 541776, 541777, 541778, 541779, 541780, 541781, 541782, 541783.