A slow moving upper level system near the Four-Corners region produced isolated to scattered thunderstorms on several consecutive days over the South Plains and Rolling Plains of West Texas. On the evening of the 16th many thunderstorms became severe.
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.
A slow moving upper level system near the Four-Corners region produced isolated to scattered thunderstorms on several consecutive days over the South Plains and Rolling Plains of West Texas. On the evening of the 16th many thunderstorms became severe. Most of this activity took place from mid-afternoon through mid-evening along and east of a dryline. During the overnight hours, a pacific cold front overtook the dryline and produced linear type thunderstorms. Although this second batch of storms was generally not severe, one cluster of thunderstorms did produce quarter size hail in Lubbock early on the morning of the 17th.
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 Apr 16, 1:33 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 233 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 .SHORT TERM... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AS DIFLUENT SOUTHWEST UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE TROUGH AND DRY- LINE. EXPECTED ENERGY LEVELS IN THE 1000-2500 JOULES PER KILOGRAM RANGE OVERNIGHT WITH ADEQUATE SHEAR MOSTLY GREATER THAN 30 KNOTS. LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AXIS STRETCHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST PANHANDLE INTO THE ROLLING PLAINS WHERE DEWPOINTS REMAIN IN THE UPPER 50S. INITIAL TORNADO WATCH JUST TO OUR NORTH WHILE OUR AREA REMAINS QUIET AT THE MOMENT...THOUGH CUMULUS FIELD PERCOLATING ESPECIALLY EASTERN ZONES AND DEVELOPMENT OF CLOUD STREET FEATURES POINT TO POTENTIAL FOR HORIZONTAL ROLLS. SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS STILL INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS BREAKING OUT NEAR AND EAST OF THE DRY-LINE JUST EAST OF THE I-27 AND US 87 CORRIDOR AND SHIFTING NORTHEAST FAIRLY QUICKLY...WHILE APPROACHING DYNAMIC ENERGY WILL PUT INCREASING UPWARDS PRESSURE TO CONVECT CLOSER TO WESTERN BORDER DURING THE EVENING. SOLUTIONS ALSO SHOWING DEVELOPMENT OF SOME KIND OF CONVECTIVE SYSTEM SPREADING OVER THE AREA DURING THE NIGHT...THOUGH UNCLEAR IF EARLY OR LATE...OR SEMI-DISCREET MULTI-CELL AND SUPERCELLS VS. MORE LINEAR STRUCTURE. A LOT REMAINS UNCERTAIN EVEN AT THIS LATE JUNCTURE. BUT GIVEN OVERALL ENVIRONMENT FAVORING AT LEAST MODERATE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INDICES COMBINED WITH A KNOWN SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCING PATTERN...IT IS BEST TO CONTINUE A HIGH CHANCE OR LIKELY CATEGORY OF STORMS OVERNIGHT. BY LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY...OUR CURRENT BEST GUESS IS THAT CONVECTIVE SYSTEM OR REMNANTS WILL BE SPREADING THROUGH OR AWAY FROM EASTERN ZONES EARLY FRIDAY. UPPER LOW SHOULD WOBBLE A LITTLE FURTHER NORTHEAST WHICH SHOULD FAVOR DRIER LOW AND MID LEVEL SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FLOW. BETTER EXPECTATION THAT SURFACE DRY-LINE WILL BE SOMEWHERE FROM THE EASTERN SOUTH PLAINS INTO THE ROLLING PLAINS. WE HAVE EDGED THUNDER CHANCES SLIGHTLY LOWER FOR CENTRAL AND WESTERN ZONES FRIDAY...WITH BEST CHANCE AND STILL PERHAPS STRONG OR SEVERE THUNDER THREAT THROUGH OUR EASTERN BORDER COUNTIES. RMCQUEEN .LONG TERM... NO MAJOR CHANGES IN THIS EXTENDED FCST DUE TO IMPENDING SEVERE CONVECTION. OVERALL PATTERN FROM FRI NIGHT THROUGH NEXT WED WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY VARYING DEGREES OF CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT. INITIAL STACKED LOW OVER THE FOUR CORNERS WILL CRAWL EAST-NORTHEAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND SPREAD STRONGER SW FLOW AND DRIER AIR THROUGH THE REGION BEFORE A MODEST CANADIAN FRONT ARRIVES SAT NIGHT/EARLY SUN. MEAN AFTERNOON DRYLINE POSITION SHOULD RESIDE EAST OF THE AREA THIS WEEKEND...SO POPS REMAIN NEXT TO NIL. BEHIND THE LOW...CYCLONIC NW FLOW BY MON-TUE ALONG WITH ANOTHER WEAK FRONT IN THE AREA MAY FOSTER THE NEXT LOW-END PRECIP CHANCES UNTIL A MORE BONA FIDE PRECIP PATTERN UNFOLDS BY MID-TO-LATE WEEK AS WINDS ALOFT BACK SWLY IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER SLOW MOVING SOUTHERN STREAM LOW. MAX AND MIN TEMPS LOOK TO STAY WITHIN 5 OR SO DEGREES OF CLIMO THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 05/93
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 1135 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015 TXZ021>044-171645- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 1135 AM CDT THU APR 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL UP TWO INCHES IN DIAMETER...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL BE HIGHEST TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM TULIA...TO PLAINVIEW...TO FLOYDADA...TO PADUCAH. TONIGHT...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BRING THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER...INCLUDING ISOLATED TORNADOES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE AND ROLLING PLAINS. THEREAFTER...THE THREAT OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
327 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015
TXZ043-162045-
KENT TX-
327 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN KENT COUNTY UNTIL
345 PM CDT...
AT 326 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7
MILES NORTHWEST OF HUDD...OR 19 MILES NORTHEAST OF SNYDER...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
CLAIREMONT.
LAT...LON 3297 10092 3328 10073 3316 10052 3308 10052
3296 10064
TIME...MOT...LOC 2026Z 214DEG 32KT 3298 10079SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 345 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 TXZ043-162100- KENT TX- 345 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL KENT COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM CDT... AT 345 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CLAIREMONT...OR 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JAYTON...MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... JAYTON AND CLAIREMONT. LAT...LON 3339 10086 3333 10052 3296 10070 3297 10096 TIME...MOT...LOC 2045Z 199DEG 29KT 3308 10080
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 403 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 TXZ036-037-043-162115- DICKENS TX-CROSBY TX-KENT TX- 403 PM CDT THU APR 16 2015 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN CROSBY...CENTRAL KENT AND SOUTHERN DICKENS COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM CDT... AT 401 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A COUPLE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 7 MILES SOUTH OF SPUR TO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLAIREMONT...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH. NICKEL SIZE HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... SPUR...GIRARD AND CLAIREMONT. THESE STORMS 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 3305 10072 3306 10096 3353 10104 3351 10052 TIME...MOT...LOC 2101Z 185DEG 22KT 3317 10080
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:44 UTC.
8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement and the public reported hail up to the size of golf balls in and to the west of Dickens.
Both the emergency manager for Motley County and Matador fire department reported hail to the size of golf balls in the city of Matador.
A citizen reported hail to the size of golf balls in O'Donnell.
A trained spotter reported hail up to the size of ping pong balls in Tahoka.
The Sheriff's office in Kent County reported hail up to the size of quarters in Jayton.
Local media reported hail up to the size of quarters near 98th and University Avenue in Lubbock.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, 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: 560824, 560825, 560826, 560827, 560828, 560829, 560830, 560823.