Following a round of severe storms and heavy rain the night prior, strong and severe thunderstorms developed late this morning over the southwest South Plains before expanding in coverage as they spread east throughout the afternoon. Much of this activity was driven by strong moisture advection in advance of an upper impulse.
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.
Following a round of severe storms and heavy rain the night prior, strong and severe thunderstorms developed late this morning over the southwest South Plains before expanding in coverage as they spread east throughout the afternoon. Much of this activity was driven by strong moisture advection in advance of an upper impulse. A particularly intense storm in southern Lynn County redeveloped to the southeast over time and produced a vivid tornado just south of O'Donnell in nearby Dawson County (NWS Midland's forecast area). Although hail and high winds were rather common place, by far the worst byproduct of these slow-moving storms was widespread flooding throughout Lubbock county. Flash flooding was reported in Shallowater and Lubbock where dozens of cars became stranded in high water from rainfall rates measured as high as eight inches per hour. In Shallowater, just over four inches of rain fell in 30 minutes and proceeded to flood about 75 homes with up to six inches of water. Total damage to floors, walls and personal property could reach $10 million. A total of 6.93 inches of rain was measured by a NWS employee in Shallowater by early evening. One car in Shallowater was swept off the road by flowing water and carried about 100 yards in a bar ditch that transformed into a raging creek. Fortunately, the occupant was not injured. In Lubbock, five high water rescues were reported after motorists became stranded in high water. The flooding also inundated four floors at the UMC Hospital which proceeded to damage some medical records.
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 May 28, 4:00 AM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 500 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015 .SHORT TERM... AN EXTREMELY MOIST AND UNSTABLE LATE MAY AIRMASS CONTINUES TO PUMP UP ACROSS WEST TEXAS IN ADVANCE OF A SLOWLY APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH SYSTEM THROUGH THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. A WELL DEFINED CLOSED CIRCULATION AT 250 MB OVER CENTRAL NEW MEXICO APPEARS HEADED EAST AND NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE WESTERN PANHANDLE AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AND WILL INITIATE DEEP LIFT SPREADING ACROSS WESTERN ZONES AT SOME POINT BY LATER THIS MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS QUITE AT ODDS HOW SCENARIO FOR TODAY WILL UNFOLD WITH A HIGHLY COMPLEX SCENARIO AT 00 HOURS AS THE LATEST EVOLVING MCS SLOWLY EXITS TO THE EAST. ALREADY HAVE CONVERGENT LOW LEVEL EAST-SOUTHEAST FLOW ON THE CAPROCK...AND SOME POSSIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL OUTFLOW TO STEER IN FROM THE EAST LATER IN THE MORNING. SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS ALSO INDICATE POTENTIAL FOR VERY LARGE CAPES LATER TODAY ON THE ORDER OF 3000+ JOULES PER KILOGRAM...WITH AT LEAST MODEST SHEAR WHILE STEERING FLOW HAS INCREASED SINCE YESTERDAY. UNKNOWNS INCLUDE INFLUENCE OF NEARBY MCS OUTFLOWS...POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL MORNING THUNDERSTORMS WESTERN ZONES THAT COULD MODIFY AFTERNOON PROFILES... AND LIKELY SLIGHTLY COOLER CONDITIONS TODAY PROBABLY WITH MORE CLOUDS. DUE TO THE LIST OF UNKNOWNS WE WILL HOLD OFF ON A FLOOD OR FLASH FLOOD WATCH AND FOLLOW SHORT RANGE MODEL AND RADAR TRENDS UNTIL CONFIDENCE IMPROVES. IN SPITE OF DAYTIME CONFIDENCE ISSUES...MAJORITY OF SOLUTIONS AGREE THAT AREA WILL SPAWN ANOTHER LARGE MCS OR TWO BY LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...SUPPORTING ELEVATED THUNDER CHANCES AS POTENTIAL COMPLEX EDGES EAST. IN ADDITION TO HIGHER CHANCES WE HAVE ADDED MORE EXPLICIT SEVERE IMPACTS TO WEATHER GRIDS MATCHING DAY ONE CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK. COULD BE ANOTHER FAIRLY BIG DAY FOR WEATHER THIS AREA. RMCQUEEN .LONG TERM... ONE MORE ROUND OF WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND STORMS LOOKS PRIMED TO MOVE THROUGH LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY BEFORE A QUIETER PATTERN TAKES SHAPE COMPLETE WITH A WARMING TREND NEXT WEEK. SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED UPPER TROUGH SHOULD SPELL A DRY FRIDAY MORNING AND AT LEAST EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS ALL OF THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS...AND ROLLING PLAINS. THAT LOOKS TO CHANGE BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING AHEAD OF AN ENCROACHING UPPER IMPULSE MOVING OUT OF COLORADO ONTO THE HIGH PLAINS. ADDITIONALLY...A COLD FRONT WILL BE PUSHING SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE HELPING TO SUPPLY A DEEP LAYER OF FORCING FOR ASCENT. THE THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT SHOULD BE MORE THAN SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED STRONG/SEVERE CONVECTION AS A THETA-E RIDGE SITS IN PLACE EAST OF A SHARPENING DRYLINE NEAR OR JUST EAST OF THE TEXAS/NEW MEXICO BORDER. PWATS IN THE 1.5-2" RANGE COMBINED WITH CAPES OF 3000-4000 J/KG AND LITTLE IF ANY CAPPING WILL NOT TAKE MUCH PERTURBATION TO INITIATE CONVECTION. WHILE THESE FACTORS WILL CERTAINLY LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY...STEERING FLOW...ALTHOUGH FAIRLY SLOW...SHOULD BE ENOUGH WITH THE SOUTHWARD TRAJECTORY OF THE FRONT AND SOUTHEASTWARD PUSH OF THE UPPER TROUGH TO MOVE STORMS ALONG THUS HOPEFULLY NOT PRODUCING MUCH IN THE WAY OF TRAINING OR STATIONARY RAINFALL. FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF THE FRONT SOME TIME SATURDAY MORNING...COOL SURFACE RIDGING WILL LEAD TO TEMPERATURES ONLY TOPPING OUT IN THE 70S THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WILL SEE DRYING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY AS DEEP LAYER SUBSIDENCE MOVES IN WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE RIDGING AND BEHIND THE DEPARTING SHORTWAVE. DEVELOPING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DOWNSTREAM OF AN UPPER RIDGE WILL ATTEMPT TO ADVECT A FEW STORMS...ORIGINATING IN AN UPSLOPE FLOW REGIME...IN FROM EASTERN NEW MEXICO. HOWEVER...SAID SUBSIDENCE AND FAIRLY WEAK FLOW ALOFT WILL LIKELY KEEP THIS THREAT LOW WITH ISOLATED COVERAGE AT BEST. RIDGING ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD STRONG SUNDAY INTO AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF STORMS VERY LOW. HAVE ELECTED TO KEEP A DRY FORECAST INTACT FOR NOW GIVEN THIS AND INCREASING HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES LEADING TO DECREASING LAPSE RATES/INSTABILITY. NEXT UPPER DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERN CONUS WILL ATTEMPT TO BACK UPPER FLOW INTO MID-LATE NEXT WEEK...SO WILL MONITOR TRENDS MOVING FORWARD REGARDING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE MID 80S TO NEAR 90 BY TUESDAY WITH RIDGING/BUILDING HEIGHTS IN PLACE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 79 56 82 52 / 60 40 10 70 TULIA 78 57 81 56 / 60 60 20 70 PLAINVIEW 78 60 82 58 / 60 60 20 70 LEVELLAND 80 59 83 57 / 60 50 10 60 LUBBOCK 80 60 83 59 / 60 60 10 70 DENVER CITY 82 60 87 58 / 60 50 10 50 BROWNFIELD 81 59 85 58 / 60 50 10 50 CHILDRESS 81 61 83 60 / 60 70 30 80 SPUR 82 60 83 59 / 60 60 20 70 ASPERMONT 85 63 85 61 / 60 70 30 70 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 05/31
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 506 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015 TXZ021>044-291015- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 506 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE EXTREME SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE...SOUTH PLAINS AND ROLLING PLAINS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. STORMS THIS MORNING MAY BE MARGINALLY SEVERE WITH HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS THE GREATEST THREAT. BY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...DEVELOPING STORMS WILL POSE A GREATER RISK FOR VERY LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS OR LARGER...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH OR HIGHER...A FEW TORNADOES...AND LOCALIZED FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING. LOCAL RAIN TOTALS GREATER THAN 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAY DEVELOP FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING BEFORE A COLD FRONT BRINGS INCREASED CHANCES FOR WIDESPREAD SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...AS WELL AS A TRANSITION TO MORE OF A HEAVY RAIN THREAT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED BY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
913 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 AM TSTM WND DMG 5 S TURKEY 34.32N 100.90W
05/28/2015 HALL TX CO-OP OBSERVER
ELM TREE THE WIDTH OF A BASKETBALL WAS UPROOTED.
SEVERAL ELMS ALSO UPROOTED IN THE TOWN OF TURKEY.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LUB1500243
CALDRICHSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
917 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
TXZ022-028-029-281445-
LAMB TX-CASTRO TX-HALE TX-
917 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN CASTRO...LAMB AND
WESTERN HALE COUNTIES UNTIL 945 AM CDT...
AT 916 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
LITTLEFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
HALF INCH HAIL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LITTLEFIELD...OLTON...HART...EARTH...AMHERST...COTTON CENTER...
SPADE...HALFWAY...FIELDTON AND SPRINGLAKE.
LAT...LON 3440 10200 3431 10200 3431 10194 3423 10187
3387 10184 3383 10244 3420 10252 3450 10208
TIME...MOT...LOC 1416Z 237DEG 32KT 3398 10234SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
945 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
TXZ022-023-028-029-281515-
LAMB TX-CASTRO TX-SWISHER TX-HALE TX-
945 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN SWISHER...
SOUTHEASTERN CASTRO...EASTERN LAMB AND WESTERN HALE COUNTIES UNTIL
1015 AM CDT...
AT 944 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
FIELDTON...OR 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF LITTLEFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
PLAINVIEW...LITTLEFIELD...HALE CENTER...OLTON...HART...COTTON
CENTER...SPADE...HALFWAY...FIELDTON...SETH WARD...EDMONSON AND
SPRINGLAKE.
LAT...LON 3430 10169 3397 10174 3388 10232 3418 10241
3438 10220 3448 10199
TIME...MOT...LOC 1444Z 235DEG 31KT 3408 10214SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1018 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
TXZ027-028-033-034-281545-
LAMB TX-COCHRAN TX-BAILEY TX-HOCKLEY TX-
1018 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN HOCKLEY...
SOUTHWESTERN LAMB...SOUTHEASTERN BAILEY AND NORTHERN COCHRAN COUNTIES
UNTIL 1045 AM CDT...
AT 1018 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
NEAR MAPLE...OR 9 MILES WEST OF MORTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
HALF INCH HAIL...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MORTON...NEEDMORE...MAPLE...BULA...PEP...MULESHOE WILDLIFE REFUGE AND
ENOCHS.
LAT...LON 3413 10262 3395 10244 3368 10242 3368 10298
3382 10304
TIME...MOT...LOC 1518Z 239DEG 34KT 3377 10291SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1105 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
TXZ033-034-281630-
COCHRAN TX-HOCKLEY TX-
1105 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN HOCKLEY AND SOUTHEASTERN
COCHRAN COUNTIES UNTIL 1130 AM CDT...
AT 1104 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9
MILES NORTHWEST OF SUNDOWN...OR 14 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MORTON...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LEVELLAND...SUNDOWN...WHITHARRAL...PEP...AND WHITEFACE.
LAT...LON 3383 10256 3382 10238 3371 10223 3345 10225
3343 10269 3357 10276
TIME...MOT...LOC 1604Z 239DEG 34KT 3355 10262SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
1106 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
TXZ024-030-031-281630-
MOTLEY TX-FLOYD TX-BRISCOE TX-
1106 AM CDT THU MAY 28 2015
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FLOYD...NORTHWESTERN MOTLEY AND
SOUTHERN BRISCOE COUNTIES UNTIL 1130 AM CDT...
AT 1106 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
NEAR LOCKNEY...OR 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF FLOYDADA...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 30 MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
FLOYDADA...SILVERTON...QUITAQUE...LOCKNEY...CAPROCK CANYON STATE
PARK...VALLEY SCHOOLS...AIKEN...FLOMOT AND SOUTH PLAINS.
LAT...LON 3431 10095 3431 10094 3404 10093 3395 10156
3407 10157 3430 10157 3431 10154 3431 10147
3436 10147 3460 10110
TIME...MOT...LOC 1606Z 230DEG 27KT 3418 10145The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:31 UTC.
6 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter observed hail up to quarter size covering the ground. No damage was noted.
Reported by a trained spotter. No damage was noted.
A microburst downed a power line in Shallowater which knocked out power for SPEC customers.
A swath of hail up to ping pong ball size fell over Shallowater for about 20 minutes. Minor vehicle dents were common.
A traveling microburst downed several tree branches of two to three inches in diameter and snapped a power pole near 4th Street and Quaker Avenue.
A swath of hail as large as ping pong ball size fell from west Lubbock to the Lubbock airport. Damage was generally minor and consisted of dented vehicles.
Estimated wind gust.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
A swath of hail up to quarter size fell west of Tahoka. Damage was not reported.
Hail up to two inches in diameter was observed on the ground by a storm chaser. Damage was unknown.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
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, May 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: 568823, 568824, 568852, 568825, 568826, 568833, 568829, 568830, 568832, 568837, 568843, 568845, 568848.