Winter Storm in Texas, February 25, 2015

Name: Winter Storm in Texas, February 25, 2015
Start: 2015-02-25T01:00
End: 2015-02-25T15:00
Location: Texas

February 25, 2015 · NWS SHV · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS SHV wrote it up.

Cold arctic air remained in place across the region and there was already ice on the ground across some locations that observed a Winter Storm from sleet accumulation on Monday, February 23rd. An upper level trough exited the Four Corners region of the country and moved into the Texas Hill Country during the predawn hours of Wednesday, February 25th. Widespread precipitation developed ahead of the trough across Texas and moved into the region shortly after midnight on the 25th. The precipitation began as a mixture of light rain or freezing rain after midnight towards the predawn hours on Wednesday. As the trough moved closer into the region from the west, the precipitation quickly transitioned over to sleet and eventually moderate to heavy snow across a good portion of the region after sunrise on the 25th. The mixed winter precipitation moved out of the region during the late afternoon or early evening hours of the 25th. Snowfall totals across Northeast Texas along and north of the Interstate 20 corridor ranged from 1 inch to near 7 inches. Some of the greatest snowfall accumulations were found at the following locations: Longview: 7 inches, Domino: 7 inches, Avery: 5 inches, Texarkana: 4 inches, Mount Pleasant: 4 inches, Clarksville: 4 inches, Talco: 4 inches, Hallsville: 4 inches, Gladewater: 4 inches.

What forecasters said that day

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 Shreveport, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 24, 11:57 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 11:57 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1157 PM CST TUE FEB 24 2015

.AVIATION...
MVFR/VFR ATTM WITH A RETURN TO MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS AS STRONG
CLOSED LOW OVER SE NM ATTM MOVES ACROSS OVER THE ARKLATEX BY 09Z
AND THROUGH 21Z. WIDESPREAD WINTRY MIX BEGINNING FOR E TX AND SE
OK 07-09Z AND ACROSS NW AND N CENTRAL LA AND SW AR 10-13Z. INITIAL
MIX OF -RA/-FZRA/IP QUICKLY WILL BECOME ALL -SN 15-21Z WITH
REDUCTIONS IN VSBY. SFC WINDS LIGHT AND VAR ATTM...BCMG NW 5-10
KTS. ALOFT...WE ARE W 5-10KTS TO 5KFT THEN NW 15-30KTS INTO THE
MID LEVELS INCREASING TO 50KTS BY FL160...100KTS BY FL260. /24/

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1023 PM CST TUE FEB 24 2015/

DISCUSSION...
LOTS TO TALK ABOUT THIS EVENING...AS CHANGES TO THE CURRENT WINTER
STORM WARNING WERE NEEDED BASED ON MUCH OF THE 18Z GUIDANCE AS
WELL AS THE NEW 00Z WRF RUN. TEMPS HAVE ALREADY REACHED OR FALLEN
BELOW FREEZING AS OF 03-04Z...ESPECIALLY WHERE AN ICEPACK REMAINS
FROM MONDAY/S WINTER STORM. THE EVENING WATER VAPOR LOOP INDICATES
THAT THE CLOSED LOW CENTERED NEAR EL PASO WILL CONTINUE E INTO
CNTRL TX OVERNIGHT...WHICH SHOULD TAKE ON MORE OF A NEUTRAL TILT
AS IT NEARS THE I-35 CORRIDOR BY MIDMORNING WEDNESDAY. THE 00Z KSHV
RAOB REVEALS A LARGE MELTING LAYER BETWEEN 530-900MB...WITH THE
SUBREEZING LAYER HAVING WARMED 2C IN THE LAST 12 HOURS...WITH THE
DEPTH OF THIS SUBFREEZING LAYER ALSO HAVING THINNED SLIGHTLY AS
WELL. FORECAST SOUNDINGS HAVE INITIALIZED POORLY ON THIS
SUBFREEZING LAYER AND REMAIN A BIT TOO WARM...AND FEEL THAT
FREEZING RAIN/SLEET WILL BE MORE OF A CONCERN DURING THE ONSET OF
PRECIPITATION LATE TONIGHT...BEFORE DYNAMIC COOLING ASSOCIATED
WITH THE APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH ALLOWS THE COLUMN TO QUICKLY
COOL AFTER 12Z...THUS RESULTING IN A TRANSITION OVER TO SNOW.
AREAS OF NCNTRL LA MAINLY ALONG/N OF A MANSFIELD...TO WINNFIELD
AND COLUMBIA LINE CURRENTLY AT/BELOW FREEZING SHOULD REMAIN SO
THROUGH THE EVENT DURATION...AND WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE A LITTLE
LONGER DURATION OF SLEET BEFORE THE COLUMN COOLS ENOUGH FOR SNOW.
PW/S ACROSS THESE AREAS ARE ALSO NEARING AN INCH AS
WELL...RESULTING MORE IN A HEAVY/WET SNOW WHICH COULD RESULT IN
ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES.

ATTM...BELIEVE THAT THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL OCCUR ACROSS
EXTREME NE TX/SW AR/EXTREME SE OK...WITH TOTALS OF 4-6
INCHES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 7-8 INCHES POSSIBLE. CLOSER TO
THE I-20 CORRIDOR OF E TX...LOOKING AT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 3-4
INCHES...WITH AREAS OF NW AND NCNTRL LA POSSIBLY SEEING 3-6
INCHES...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS. GIVEN THE VERY STRONG
FORCING AHEAD OF THE TROUGH...LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL WILL BE
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WARNING AREA...WHERE LIQUID EQUIVALENTS LOOK
TO RANGE FROM 0.40-0.80 INCHES /PER THE 00Z WRF/. THE HEAVY
SNOWFALL THREAT SHOULD DIMINISHING FROM W TO E DURING THE
AFTERNOON AS DRY SLOTTING ALOFT SPREADS E BEHIND THE TROUGH. IN
ADDITION...STEEP LAPSE RATES IN THE 700-500MB LAYER MAY RESULT IN
ISOLATED AREAS OF THUNDERSNOW/SLEET...WHICH WOULD ENHANCE
SLEET/SNOWFALL RATES ESPECIALLY ACROSS EXTREME ERN TX AND N LA. EVEN
THOUGH TEMPS SHOULD BE NEAR OR EVEN SLIGHTLY ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS
THE EXPANDED WARNING AREA...THE HEAVIER SNOWFALL RATES WILL OFFSET
MELTING...ALLOWING FOR GREATER ACCUMULATIONS...ESPECIALLY WHERE
THE ICEPACK REMAINS.

ONLY MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO MIN TEMPS TONIGHT...AS WELL AS
POPS/WEATHER TYPES FOR LATE TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING.
OTHERWISE...THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE.

UPDATED SUITE OF PRODUCTS ARE OUT...GRIDS WILL BE AVAILABLE
SHORTLY.

15

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 629 PM CST TUE FEB 24 2015/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SHV  31  35  30  43  29 /  70 100  10  10  10
MLU  30  34  30  42  27 /  50 100  10  10  10
DEQ  28  34  27  38  23 /  40 100  10  20  10
TXK  28  34  28  40  25 /  60 100  10  20  10
ELD  29  34  28  40  24 /  50 100  10  20  10
TYR  31  36  31  44  29 /  80 100  10  10  10
GGG  31  36  30  44  29 /  80 100  10  10  10
LFK  34  38  32  49  32 /  80  80  10  10  10

&&

.SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073.

LA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: LAZ001>006-010>014-019-021.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: LAZ017-018-020-022.

OK...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: OKZ077.

TX...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-151.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: TXZ149-150-152-153-165>167.

&&

24/15

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 25, 12:06 AM CST, 54 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHREVEPORT LA
1206 AM CST WED FEB 25 2015

ARZ050-051-059>061-070>073-LAZ001>006-010>014-019-021-OKZ077-
TXZ096-097-108>112-124>126-136>138-151-251200-
SEVIER-HOWARD-LITTLE RIVER-HEMPSTEAD-NEVADA-MILLER-LAFAYETTE-
COLUMBIA-UNION AR-CADDO-BOSSIER-WEBSTER-CLAIBORNE-LINCOLN-
UNION LA-DE SOTO-RED RIVER-BIENVILLE-JACKSON-OUACHITA-WINN-
CALDWELL-MCCURTAIN-BOWIE-FRANKLIN-TITUS-CAMP-MORRIS-CASS-WOOD-
UPSHUR-MARION-SMITH-GREGG-HARRISON-PANOLA-
1206 AM CST WED FEB 25 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH
6 PM WEDNESDAY FOR ADDITIONAL WINTER PRECIPITATION. AN UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BE APPROACHING THE REGION LATE
TONIGHT...WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT FREEZING
RAIN AND SLEET. THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO TRANSITION OVER
TO ALL SNOW SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF
LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH DAYBREAK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SHIFT FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE
REGION WEDNESDAY...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET QUICKLY
TRANSITIONING OVER TO SNOW AFTER DAYBREAK. SNOWFALL TOTALS OF
THREE TO SIX INCHES WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS OF 7 TO 8 INCHES WILL
BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST TEXAS...SOUTHEAST
OKLAHOMA...SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS...AND NORTH LOUISIANA THROUGH
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN ICING OF BRIDGES AND
OVERPASSES...AND MANY ROADWAYS. THE SNOW WILL QUICKLY DIMINISH FROM WEST TO
EAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS...SKYWARN NETWORKS...AND AMATEUR
RADIO OPERATORS...WILL BE NEEDED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
FOR ICE AND SNOWFALL REPORTS.

LAZ017-018-020-022-TXZ149-150-152-153-165>167-251200-
SABINE LA-NATCHITOCHES-GRANT-LA SALLE-CHEROKEE-RUSK-NACOGDOCHES-
SHELBY-ANGELINA-SAN AUGUSTINE-SABINE TX-
1206 AM CST WED FEB 25 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
LOUISIANA...NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...EAST TEXAS AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
THROUGH 6 PM WEDNESDAY FOR ADDITIONAL WINTER PRECIPITATION. AN
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BE APPROACHING THE REGION
LATE TONIGHT...WHICH WILL RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT
FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO
TRANSITION OVER TO ALL SNOW SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. ICE
ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE
THROUGH DAYBREAK...RESULTING IN SOME ICING OF BRIDGES AND
OVERPASSES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SHIFT FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE
REGION WEDNESDAY...WITH FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET QUICKLY
TRANSITIONING OVER TO A MIXTURE OF SLEET AND SNOW AFTER DAYBREAK.
ADDITIONAL ICE TOTALS LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH...AND SNOWFALL
TOTALS OF ONE TO THREE INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS DEEP EAST
TEXAS AND THE SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF NORTHCENTRAL LOUISIANA THROUGH
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN ICING OF BRIDGES AND
OVERPASSES...AND SOME ROADWAYS. THE WINTRY MIX WILL QUICKLY DIMINISH
FROM WEST TO EAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS...SKYWARN NETWORKS...AND AMATEUR
RADIO OPERATORS...WILL BE NEEDED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
FOR ICE AND SNOWFALL REPORTS.

15

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Red River

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Red River forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.621, -95.050 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bowie

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Bowie forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.446, -94.423 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Franklin

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.176, -95.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Titus

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Titus forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.217, -94.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Morris

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Morris forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.114, -94.733 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Camp

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Camp forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.973, -94.978 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Cass

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.078, -94.344 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wood

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Wood forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.786, -95.382 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upshur

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Upshur forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.736, -94.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.798, -94.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Smith

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Smith forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.375, -95.269 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gregg

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Gregg forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.481, -94.817 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Harrison

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Harrison forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.548, -94.371 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Panola

When: February 25, 1:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Panola forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.162, -94.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, February 2015

Sources

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: 554836, 554837, 554838, 554839, 554840, 554841, 554842, 554843, 554844, 554845, 554846, 554847, 554848, 554849.