After a snowy start to the year, March was a dry month for most of the Texas Panhandle. Most precipitation was light and fell during only two events during the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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.
After a snowy start to the year, March was a dry month for most of the Texas Panhandle. Most precipitation was light and fell during only two events during the month. Most areas measured less than one half inch of liquid equivalent precipitation. Extreme (D3) to Exceptional (D4) Drought conditions expanded to affect all of the northeastern half of the Texas Panhandle by the end of March. Conditions across the rest of the Panhandle remained a mix of Moderate (D1) Drought to Severe (D2) Drought. Amarillo recorded 0.21 inches of precipitation for the month (1.18 inches below normal), Dalhart recorded 0.08 inches of precipitation (1.09 inches below normal), and Borger recorded 0.27 inches of precipitation (1.14 inches below normal).
Soil moisture was rated from short to adequate during March. As temperatures began to warm and spring winds returned, the winter wheat crop began to suffer drought stress with the month's low precipitation. Rangeland and pasture saw little change in March, and cattle herd sizes remained limited due to prolonged drought and high cattle prices. Upper soil zones were mostly in the 10 to 30 percent full range (slight to moderate agriculturally dry), with locations in the eastern Panhandle generally drier. Deeper soil moisture was below 50 percent of normal in much of the Texas Panhandle. The Palmer Drought Severity Index indicated a rating of Near Normal conditions for the Texas Panhandle. Countywide burn bans were supported in several counties.
Streamflows across the Texas Panhandle ranged from below normal to much below normal during March, indicative of moderate to severe hydrologic drought. 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 March while voluntary to mandatory mild water restrictions were continued.
Economic losses due to the drought through March were predominantly the result of early losses in winter wheat 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 Feb 28, 11:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1130 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015
.AVIATION...
MVFR CONDITIONS AT DHT AND GUY ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE IFR
RANGE OVERNIGHT. THEN IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH
THE REST OF THE FORECAST AT THESE SITES. A WIND SHIFT WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE GUY AND DHT TAF SITES SWITCHING THE WINDS AROUND TO THE
NORTHEAST...BUT THE SPEEDS WILL REMAIN UNDER 10 KNOTS.
AT AMA...IFR CONDITIONS MAY IMPROVE SLIGHTLY FOR SUNDAY
AFTERNOON...BUT THEY SHOULD GO BACK TO IFR BY EARLY SUNDAY EVENING.
THE WIND SHIFT SHOULD MOVE ACROSS AMA BY EARLY EVENING SUNDAY
SWITCHING THE WINDS AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 838 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015/
UPDATE...
ADDED AREAS OF FREEZING FOG TO THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES FOR
TONIGHT THROUGH 10AM. SURROUNDING CWAS HAVE HAD PERIODS OF DENSE FOG
ALREADY THIS EVENING...BASED ON SOUNDING AM NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH THAT
VISIBILITIES WILL DROP THAT LOW AT THIS TIME BUT WILL BE SOMETHING TO
WATCH.
ELSENHEIMER
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 530 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015/
AVIATION...
MVFR CONDITIONS WILL ONLY GO DOWN TONIGHT INTO THE IFR RANGE. THE IFR
CONDITIONS WILL ONLY SLOWLY IMPROVE DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. SOME
LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE BEST CHANCE AT GUY
SO HAVE RETAINED THE MENTION THERE. WILL WATCH THE TRENDS AND SEE IF
FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL NEED TO BE MENTIONED AT DHT AND AMA. WINDS WILL
REMAIN LIGHT THROUGH THE FORECAST. WINDS WILL COME AROUND TO THE
NORTHEAST AND EAST AT DHT AND GUY SUNDAY AFTERNOON BEHIND A SURFACE TROUGH.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 429 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015/
DISCUSSION...
THE NEXT TO LAST IN A SERIES OF STORMS SYSTEMS SLATED TO IMPACT THE
TX AND OK PNHDLS WEATHER IS A CLOSED LOW OFF THE SRN CA COAST. OUR
FCST AREA WILL BE IN SW FLOW ALOFT...WHICH SUGGESTS AN EROSION OF THE
ARCTIC AIRMASS CURRENTLY OVER THE REGION AND A RETURN TO WARMER TEMPS
THRU TUESDAY. ALSO...ANY PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS TONIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY MORNING WILL LIKELY BE A WINTRY MIX OF EITHER LIGHT FREEZING
DRIZZLE...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...OR LIGHT SLEET. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON
ENOUGH WARM AIR WILL BE PRESENT SUCH THAT ANY PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE
ALL LIQUID DURG THAT TIME. IT APPEARS THAT ONLY VERY LIGHT AMOUNTS OF
WINTRY PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT THRU MONDAY AFTERNOON. SLGT
CHC POPS WERE UTILIZED TONIGHT THRU MONDAY.
THE LAST IN THE SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS WILL BE A FAST MOVING UPPER
LEVEL TROF AND ITS ATTENDANT SFC COLD FRONT. THESE TWO FEATURES ARE
PROGGED TO IMPACT THE TX AND OK PNHDLS DURG THE TUESDAY THRU
WEDNESDAY NIGHT TIME FRAME. COLDER TEMPERATURES AND A SMALL THREAT OF
LIGHT SNOW ARE THE MAIN WEATHER ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FINAL
STORM SYSTEM IN THE SERIES. A RETURN TO DRY WEATHER ALONG WITH WARMER
TEMPERATURES IS ANTICIPATED NEXT THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.
ANDRADE
&&
.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CST SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...GRAY...
HARTLEY...HUTCHINSON...MOORE...OLDHAM...POTTER...RANDALL...
SHERMAN.
OK...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CST SUNDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: CIMARRON.
&&
15/03HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 1018 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-011630- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 1018 PM CST SAT FEB 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...LIGHT SLEET...AND LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. VERY LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR. ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN ONE HALF OF AN INCH. IN ADDITION...DENSE FREEZING FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE HALF OF A MILE OR LESS ACROSS THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. DENSE FREEZING FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO ONE HALF OF A MILE OR LESS ACROSS THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE SUNDAY MORNING. A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN...OR LIGHT SLEET WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. VERY LIGHT ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR. LIGHT SNOW MAY DEVELOP AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LESS THAN ONE INCH AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS AND COOPERATIVE OBSERVERS ARE REQUESTED TO RELAY SNOWFALL AND ICE REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN AMARILLO TEXAS.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 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.
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.
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.
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.
Extreme Drought (D3) 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.
Extreme Drought (D3) as depicted on the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Exceptional Drought (D4) 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 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 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: 568752, 568753, 568754, 568755, 568756, 568757, 568758, 568759, 568760, 568761, 568762, 568763, 568764, 568765, 568766, 568767, 568768, 568769.