November brought less than normal precipitation to most of the Texas Panhandle, with only the far southeastern Panhandle counties receiving over 1 inch of precipitation. Most areas measured less than half an inch.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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.
November brought less than normal precipitation to most of the Texas Panhandle, with only the far southeastern Panhandle counties receiving over 1 inch of precipitation. Most areas measured less than half an inch. Extreme (D3) Drought remained along a line from east of Dalhart to near Clarendon and in the extreme northeastern Panhandle. The southwestern Texas Panhandle remained a mix of Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate (D1) Drought conditions. Otherwise, the remainder of the Panhandles were rated at Moderate to Severe (D2) Drought conditions. Amarillo recorded 0.34 inches of precipitation for the month (0.46 inches below normal), Dalhart recorded 0.15 inches of precipitation (0.43 inches below normal), and Borger recorded 0.23 inches of precipitation (0.61 inches below normal).
Soil moisture was rated from very short to adequate during the month. Crops fared well during the month, with the break in precipitation allowing many crops to catch up on harvesting. 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 locations in the western Panhandle generally drier. 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 had been most frequent over the previous few months. The Palmer Drought Severity Index indicated a rating of Near Normal 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 November. The reservoirs of Lake Meredith and Palo Duro were below 6 percent and 2 percent capacity respectively, and Greenbelt Lake was near 12 percent capacity. Water watches for several public water systems persisted through October while voluntary to mandatory mild water restrictions were continued.
Economic losses due to the drought through November were predominantly 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 Oct 31, 10:28 PM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1128 PM CDT FRI OCT 31 2014 .AVIATION... FOR THE 06Z TAFS...LITTLE CHANGE TO PREVIOUS AVIATION AFD REASONING. WIND WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN WEATHER STORY FOR THIS FCST CYCLE. SFC WINDS WILL RAMP UP AT ALL TERMINAL SITES BEGINNING AROUND 14Z SATURDAY AND PERSISTING UNTIL AROUND SUNSET SATURDAY IN RESPONSE TO A DEEPENING SURFACE TROF OF LOW PRESSURE OVER ERN CO AND NERN NM. PERIODS OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS ARE ALSO ANTICIPATED THROUGH LATE SATURDAY EVENING. ANDRADE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 634 PM CDT FRI OCT 31 2014/ AVIATION... FOR THE 00Z TAFS...WIND WILL BE THE PRIMARY WEATHER ELEMENT DURG NEXT 24 HOURS AT ALL TAF SITES. SFC WINDS WILL RAMP UP BETWEEN 14Z AND 15Z SATURDAY AND PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS A SURFACE TROF OF LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER ERN CO AND NERN NM. PERIODS OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED. ANDRADE PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 356 PM CDT FRI OCT 31 2014/ SHORT TERM... HALLOWEEN GOT OFF TO A CHILLY START TODAY AS THE AREA REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A COOL HIGH SURFACE RIDGE. WHILE AFTERNOON TEMPS HAVE GENERALLY CLIMBED INTO THE 50S /WHICH IS CERTAINLY MUCH WARMER THAN THE WINTER-LIKE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES/ IT WILL BE CHILLY FOR TRICK OR TREAT FESTIVITIES THIS EVENING. TEMPS IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S ARE EXPECTED BY AROUND SUNSET THIS EVENING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN LATER THIS EVENING IN RESPONSE TO DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN COLORADO. THE ENHANCED SURFACE WINDS AND INCREASING CLOUD COVER GENERATED BY A PASSING UPPER DISTURBANCE SHOULD PREVENT WIDESPREAD FROST AND FREEZING TEMPS. HOWEVER OVER THE FAR EASTERN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA WHERE WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT...PATCHY FROST AND/OR A LIGHT FREEZE MAY BE POSSIBLE. DID REFRAIN FROM ISSUING ANY ADVISORIES AND/OR WARNINGS GIVEN SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POTENTIAL FROST AND/OR FREEZE. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL RESIDE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY WHILE THE SURFACE TROUGH DEEPENS FURTHER OVER EASTERN COLORADO. THIS WILL RESULT IN STRENGTHENING SOUTHWEST WINDS ALONG WITH SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPS. LONG TERM...THE EVOLUTION OF A LONG WAVE UPPER TROUGH WILL BE THE MAIN FOCUS IN THE LONG TERM. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL SLIDE EAST OF THE REGION SUNDAY IN RESPONSE TO THE APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. WITH THE UPPER FLOW TRANSITIONING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST...ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE WILL START INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. A WEAK UPPER DISTURBANCE PASSING ACROSS THE AREA CAN PROVIDE ENOUGH SUPPORT FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. BETTER RAIN CHANCES WILL OCCUR MONDAY AS THE UPPER TROUGH EDGES CLOSER TO THE AREA. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT...HELPING TO INCREASE PRECIP CHANCES ACROSS THE AREA. MODEL SOLUTIONS SUGGEST AN AMPLIFIED UPPER AIR PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK WITH THE EVENTUAL SOUTHERN STREAM CUTOFF UPPER LOW MIDWEEK. HOWEVER MODEL SOLUTIONS ARE SHOWING LARGE DIFFERENCES AS THE ECMWF IS SLOWER WITH THIS UPPER LOW AND INDICATES ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AS THE UPPER LOW LIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST. HAVE INSERTED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THURSDAY BUT LEFT OUT MENTION FRIDAY GIVEN THESE MODEL DISCREPANCIES. TEMPS WILL CLIMB INTO THE MID 60S TO MID 70S SUNDAY WHILE THE COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN MUCH COOLER AIR MID WEEK WHERE HIGHS WILL ONLY CLIMB INTO THE 50S TO NEAR 60 TUESDAY. SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPS WILL CLIMB INTO THE 60S FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD. CLK && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 250 PM CDT FRI OCT 31 2014 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- 250 PM CDT FRI OCT 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A FROST OR A LIGHT FREEZE IS POSSIBLE FOR SOME LOCATIONS IN THE EASTERN TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. AT THIS TIME ANY STORMS THAT FORM ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. CLK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
Severe Drought (D2) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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.
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, November 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: 550661, 550662, 550663, 550664, 550665, 550666, 550667, 550668, 550669, 550670, 550671, 550672, 550673, 550674, 550675, 550676.