An approaching weather system from the west brought thunderstorms to the eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Although most of the severe thunderstorms were south of the Oklahoma Panhandle, many of the storms that affected Beaver County produced hail up to quarter size.
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 AMA wrote it up.
An approaching weather system from the west brought thunderstorms to the eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Although most of the severe thunderstorms were south of the Oklahoma Panhandle, many of the storms that affected Beaver County produced hail up to quarter size. In some cases the hail accumulated to a depth of several inches.
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 Apr 16, 12:01 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 101 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .AVIATION.../18Z TAFS/ VCSH AND EVENTUALLY VCTS WILL MOSTLY IMPACT KAMA AND KGUY THROUGH 05Z WITH THE BEST TIME FRAME FOR TS BEING 20Z-00Z. AT THIS TIME...TOO DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT A TS OCCURRENCE ALTHOUGH IF ONE OCCURS AT TAF SITE...WIND GUSTS OVER 40KTS AND SMALL HAIL WOULD BE POSSIBLE AS WELL AS LOWER VISIBILITIES WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL. THINK TS WILL MOVE OFF TO THE EAST BY 00Z...WHICH IS WHERE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE. MVFR/IFR CEILINGS WILL DEVELOP AFTER 04Z...MAINLY AT KAMA AND KGUY WITH CEILINGS MIXING OUT BY 13Z. KH && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1150 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015/ UPDATE... WE WILL PERFORM A SPECIAL BALLOON RELEASE AT 18Z. INITIAL CONCERN IS WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE WESTERN PANHANDLES AND ONGOING CLOUDS/SHOWERS IN THAT AREA. FURTHER EAST WITH LESS CLOUD COVER SURFACE DIABATIC HEATING AND SOUTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL MOIST ADVECTION IS OCCURING. 12Z OBSERVED KAMA SOUNDING MODIFIED FOR EXPECTED AFTERNOON TEMPERATURE YIELDS MODERATE SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY. ONE OF THE BIGGEST UNCERTAINTIES NOW IS TO WHAT DEGREE WE MIX OUT AND IMPLICATIONS THAT WILL HAVE FOR INSTABILITY. MOISTURE IS PROBABLY QUITE SHALLOW BUT MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW DEEPENING WITH TIME. LATEST WEST TEXAS MESONET OBS SHOW LOW 60 DEGREE SURFACE DEW POINTS UP STREAM IMPINGING ON THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. RAP AND OTHER SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE SEEM TO BE TOO WEAK AND SLIGHTLY MISPLACED WITH SURFACE LOW DEEPENING OVER NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO...HENCE MORE SIGNIFICANT ISOLLOBARIC RESPONSE AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SEEN IN REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT CONVECTION OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLES WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN INTO EARLY AFTERNOON WITH MORE ROBUST CONVECTION EVOLVING OVER THE EASTERN EDGE OF THIS AREA MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PANHANDLES THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE INITIATION MAY OCCUR FURTHER EAST AS WELL. STORM MOTIONS WILL BE NORTHEASTERLY AT AROUND 25 KNOTS. WITH SUCH LOW FREEZING LEVELS AROUND 8500 FEET AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS. THE BEST CHANCE OF A TORNADO WILL BE LATER THIS EVENING AS LOW LEVEL MOIST ADVECTION CONTINUES AND LOW LEVEL JET STRENGTHENS RESULTING IN STRONGER 0-1KM SHEAR. ANOTHER CONCERN IS DURATION. WITH LOW LEVEL THETA-E ADVECTION CONTINUING INTO THE EVENING SO WILL THE THREAT OF CONVECTION. A MARGINAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT MAY PERSIST INTO THE NIGHT. BRB PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 530 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015/ DISCUSSION... POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING REMAINS PRIMARY ISSUE OF CONCERN WITH THIS FORECAST. CLOSED 500 MB LOW CURRENTLY NEAR 4-CORNERS WILL BE A DOMINATING INFLUENCE ON PANHANDLES WEATHER FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. DYNAMICS FROM THIS SYSTEM HAS CREATED STRONG SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW...AS SEEN IN KAMA VAD WIND PROFILE THROUGH THE NIGHT. INFLUX OF GULF MOISTURE WILL CAUSE ATMOSPHERE TO BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE BY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG SHEAR EXPECTED TO DEVELOP... PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA. SCATTERED TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HAIL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE...GUSTS TO AROUND 70 MPH...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE. POTENTIAL FOR DRY-SLOT TO MOVE INTO WESTERN SECTIONS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEING STRONGLY SUGGESTED BY ALL MODELS. THUS HAVE LOWERED POPS IN WESTERN SECTIONS DURING THIS TIME FRAME. DRYLINE WILL LIKELY SHARPEN SUBSTANTIALLY OVER EASTERN SECTIONS...WITH GOOD PROSPECTS FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BOTH DAYS. BY SUNDAY...COLD AIR ALOFT WITH DEPARTING CLOSED LOW COULD CAUSE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MAINLY NORTH AND NORTHEAST PART OF FORECAST AREA. THUNDERSTORMS BECOME MORE LIKELY MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AS GULF EXPECTED TO REMAIN OPEN. 03 COCKRELL FIRE WEATHER... ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY BRIEFLY DEVELOP ACROSS THE EXTREME WESTERN PART OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS DRY SOUTH SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASE. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP ON FRIDAY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE PANHANDLES... PARTICULARLY IN AREAS NOT RECEIVING WETTING RAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO ELEVATED OR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. 03 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 519 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-162115- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 519 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE GREATEST COVERAGE ACROSS EASTERN SECTIONS. SOME STORMS WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH HAIL UP TO TENNIS BALL SIZE AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...MAINLY ACROSS THE EASTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE PANHANDLES. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY BRIEFLY DEVELOP ACROSS THE EXTREME WESTERN PART OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. STRONG TO POTENTIALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS WELL AS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MAINLY THE EASTERN HALF OF THE PANHANDLES. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE HAIL UP TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE AND WIND GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME IS LOW. ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP ON FRIDAY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE PANHANDLES...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS NOT RECEIVING WETTING RAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS WELL AS POTENTIALLY ON FRIDAY...AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY. AREA FIRE MANAGERS AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ACROSS WESTERN PARTS OF THE PANHANDLES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND ON FRIDAY. COCKRELL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 215 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 TXZ012-017-161945- POTTER TX-RANDALL TX- 215 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN RANDALL AND SOUTHERN POTTER COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM CDT... AT 213 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES NORTH OF CANYON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... CANYON... AMARILLO... LAKE TANGLEWOOD... TIMBERCREEK CANYON... THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS... AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. LAT...LON 3534 10193 3517 10167 3493 10189 3500 10208 TIME...MOT...LOC 1915Z 206DEG 14KT 3505 10194 SIMPSON
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
242 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0225 PM HAIL PANTEX 35.32N 101.58W
04/16/2015 M1.00 INCH CARSON TX PUBLIC
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1500326
LGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
243 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0154 PM HAIL 5 NE BORGER 35.71N 101.34W
04/16/2015 M2.75 INCH HUTCHINSON TX PUBLIC
&&
EVENT NUMBER AMA1500327
LGThe Dodge City radar (KDDC), 158 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:49 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Quarter size hail was reported 4 miles south-southeast of Gray, Oklahoma in Southwest Beaver County.
Quarter size hail was reported 3 miles south of Gray, Oklahoma in Southwest Beaver County.
Quarter size hail was reported in Bryans Corner. The hail accumulated to a depth of 2 to 3 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, April 2015
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: 572831, 572832, 572833.