An upper level disturbance moving over a frigid airmass brought areas of sleet and freezing rain to the Big Country. Periods of sleet and some freezing rain resulted in roads becoming icy over the northern half of West Central Texas, resulting in numerous school closures and some vehicular accidents.
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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 SJT wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance moving over a frigid airmass brought areas of sleet and freezing rain to the Big Country. Periods of sleet and some freezing rain resulted in roads becoming icy over the northern half of West Central Texas, resulting in numerous school closures and some vehicular accidents.
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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 11:55 AM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 1155 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2015 .AVIATION... /18Z TAFS/ IFR/LIFR conditions are expected at the TAF sites through the next 24 hours. Gusty north-northeast winds developing this afternoon will continue overnight and Monday morning. The main area of showers is moving out of West Central Texas, and patchy light rain and fog will occur early this afternoon. Temperatures will drop to below freezing, from north to south, this afternoon into tonight. Some light freezing rain and freezing drizzle is expected, beginning later this afternoon and continuing tonight. Heavier freezing rain and sleet is expected to develop overnight and into Monday morning across the northern third of the area, affecting the KABI terminal. Some sleet may also occur at KSJT and KBBD Monday morning, but with lower confidence and timing late in the TAF period, not including at these TAF sites yet. 19 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1135 AM CST SUN FEB 22 2015/ UPDATE... Several changes were made with this morning's update. Based on upstream observations, the first change was to increase winds north of a Sterling City to Baird line, with gusts to 35 mph or higher possible across this area. We also increased the timing of the secondary cold front which is currently approaching Haskell and Throckmorton counties. Observations north of the front have shown a consistent 10 to 20 degree drop behind the front, with Knox City already down to 33 degrees. Temperatures were trended down a few degrees for the remainder of this morning/afternoon to account for this. Dewpoints were also raised to bring them in line with current observations ahead of the front. lastly, isolated thunder was added to the forecast for this morning into the afternoon for areas along/north of Interstate 20. Convection increased this morning in this area earlier prompting this inclusion in the forecast, and the new SPC day 1 convective outlook and new model data/point soundings confirm this as well. Isolated thunder was also added for all areas for the overnight hours and through mid day tomorrow. Soundings continue to advertise 100-250 MUCAPE in the 700-300 mb layer with strong ascent overspreading the area with the incoming upper-level disturbance tonight/tomorrow. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 509 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2015/ AVIATION... /12Z TAFS/ MVFR ceilings degrading to IFR/LIFR ceilings and visibilities are forecast to continue through the next 24 hours. Periods of light rain will affect all sites, changing to freezing drizzle mainly at KABI during the late afternoon or evening hours. Light northeast winds will increase to 12 to 20 knots, with higher gusts, later this morning. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 441 AM CST Sun Feb 22 2015/ SHORT TERM... (Today and tonight) Winter Storm with ice and sleet likely tonight and early Monday... As an upper trough continues to develop over central California, our winds aloft will back from zonal to southwesterly with periodic upper disturbances traversing the forecast area. The latest 3km WRF passes the first disturbance over our area this morning producing light rain over most of the CWA. Surface temperatures over the Big Country will be dropping to the freezing mark around noon today as subsequent upper disturbances pass over the area. Freezing precipitation in the form of freezing rain and sleet should slowly encompass the entire Big Country by sunset with light rain continuing over the remainder of the forecast area. Temperatures will drop quickly after sunset with freezing precipitation also developing over the Concho Valley and Heartland through this evening. By sunrise tomorrow, all of West Central Texas should be experiencing freezing rain and sleet. Lows on Monday morning will be in the upper teens to the lower 20s over the Big Country with mid to the upper 20s over the remainder of the area. Winter Storm Warning was already issued for most of the area. Upgraded southern tier of counties to a Winter Weather Advisory beginning at midnight tonight. Expect ice/sleet accumulations to be a bit lighter across the southern areas. LONG TERM... Some light precipitation may continue into Monday evening mainly southeast...then a slow warming trend for Tuesday and Wednesday. Another cold front moves in Wednesday, and even cooler air by Thursday. Another upper level shortwave trough moves across the area Friday and Saturday. With temperatures below freezing and increased moisture over the area...we could see another round of wintry precipitation Friday into the weekend. Still a ways out...but temperature profiles look cold enough for snow. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Abilene 43 21 25 20 40 / 90 80 70 10 10 San Angelo 48 27 29 25 46 / 70 70 70 10 10 Junction 53 31 33 28 48 / 60 70 70 20 10 && .SJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM CST Monday FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: Brown...Callahan...Coke...Coleman... Concho...Fisher...Haskell...Irion...Jones...Nolan...Runnels... Shackelford...Sterling...Taylor...Throckmorton...Tom Green. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY from Midnight tonight to 6 PM CST Monday FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: Crockett...Kimble...Mason...McCulloch... Menard...San Saba...Schleicher...Sutton. && Aviation: 19 Morning Update: Doll Short Term: 15 Long Term: 08
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX 356 AM CST SUN FEB 22 2015 TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139- 140-154-155-168>170-231000- FISHER-NOLAN-STERLING-COKE-RUNNELS-IRION-TOM GREEN-CONCHO- CROCKETT-SCHLEICHER-SUTTON-HASKELL-THROCKMORTON-JONES-SHACKELFORD- TAYLOR-CALLAHAN-COLEMAN-BROWN-MCCULLOCH-SAN SABA-MENARD-KIMBLE- MASON- 356 AM CST SUN FEB 22 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ACCUMULATING WINTER PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE ICY BRIDGES...OVERPASSES AND ROADS...CREATING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ACCUMULATING WINTER PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD. THE PRIMARY HAZARD WILL BE ICY BRIDGES...OVERPASSES AND ROADS...CREATING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. 15
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The sheriff's office estimated 0.2 inches of sleet and 19 accidents in Sweetwater.
A trained spotter estimated 0.2 inches of sleet 11 miles east of Weinert.
Throckmorton ISD closed schools for the day for icy roads.
The sheriff's office estimated 0.5 inch of sleet in Anson.
Schools closed for the day in Roby and Rotan as roads were icy across the region.
A National Weather Service Cooperative Observer reported a half an inch of sleet and snow. A trained spotter estimated 0.5 inches of sleet in Buffalo Gap. The Abilene Airport and Abilene ISD closed for the day.
The sheriff's office estimated 0.20 inches of sleet on area roads and schools closed for the day.
The sheriff's office estimated an inch of sleet 5 miles north northwest of Baird.
The sheriff's office estimated 0.10 inches of sleet in Coleman.
Schools were closed for the day across the county because of icy roads.
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, February 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: 563497, 563502, 563506, 563507, 563513, 563499, 563518, 563520, 563521, 563522.