There was an upper level ridge centered over the Texas Gulf Coast. Intense surface heating took place across the higher terrain of West Texas which created lift.
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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 MAF wrote it up.
There was an upper level ridge centered over the Texas Gulf Coast. Intense surface heating took place across the higher terrain of West Texas which created lift. This instability across the mountains resulted in thunderstorms with strong wind gusts.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 1, 1:45 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 245 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 .DISCUSSION... Not much change to the current forecast, as persistence rules. WV imagery shows the upper ridge centered over the Arklatex, w/afternoon temps across West Texas and Southeast New Mexico already above-normal at 18Z, many of which will top out near the triple digits before the afternoon is out. Over the next 24 hours or so, models center the ridge over Texas, and park it there into the extended. This will result in an increase in thicknesses/H85 temps thru Thursday or so, before models begin to diverge slightly into the extended. Regardless, their differences are minor and all point to a continuation of highs near the century mark each day. Rain chances remain low in general. The cap was slower to erode today than yesterday, and area radars show convection further west of the Pecos, perhaps due to lower theta-e moving into the eastern zones from the south, as has been advertised the past couple of days. In general, the low-lvl thermal and theta-e ridge will remain just to the west of the FA into the extended, w/best chances of convection each day over the higher terrain out west. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Big Spring 75 101 73 102 / 10 10 10 10 Carlsbad 69 98 71 98 / 20 20 30 20 Dryden 74 97 72 98 / 10 10 10 10 Fort Stockton 72 98 74 99 / 10 20 10 10 Guadalupe Pass 70 90 69 91 / 30 30 30 20 Hobbs 71 97 70 95 / 10 20 20 20 Marfa 61 88 63 88 / 20 40 20 30 Midland Intl Airport 72 100 72 101 / 10 10 10 10 Odessa 75 98 75 99 / 10 10 10 10 Wink 73 102 73 102 / 10 10 10 20 && .MAF Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NM...None. TX...None. && 84/44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 129 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-021830- GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS OF EDDY COUNTY-EDDY COUNTY PLAINS- NORTHERN LEA COUNTY-CENTRAL LEA COUNTY-SOUTHERN LEA COUNTY-GAINES- DAWSON-BORDEN-SCURRY-ANDREWS-MARTIN-HOWARD-MITCHELL- VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS- LOVING-WINKLER-ECTOR-MIDLAND-GLASSCOCK-WARD-CRANE-UPTON-REAGAN- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA-PECOS-PRESIDIO VALLEY-MARFA PLATEAU- BIG BEND AREA-TERRELL-GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS- 129 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 /1229 PM MDT MON AUG 1 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WESTERN TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT PLAINS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS. GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS. IN ADDITION...FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER YOU CAN BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER WHEN THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE POTENTIAL FOR AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND ADJACENT PLAINS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN THREATS. OTHERWISE...THE RISK OF SIGNIFICANT HAZARDOUS WEATHER OVER WEST TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO IS LOW THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THIS PRODUCT...ALONG WITH OTHER WATCHES...WARNINGS...ADVISORIES... AND STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN MIDLAND CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT /LOWER CASE/ HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MIDLAND
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 307 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 NMZ028-TXZ058-012030- EDDY COUNTY PLAINS NM-REEVES COUNTY AND UPPER TRANS PECOS TX- 307 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL EDDY AND NORTHWESTERN REEVES COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT/230 PM MDT/... AT 306 PM CDT/206 PM MDT/...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CARLSBAD...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... CARLSBAD...LOVING...MALAGA...AVALON...LIVING DESERT STATE PARK... WHITES CITY...CARLSBAD NORTH...CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK... CAVERN CITY AIR TERMINAL...LAKE AVALON AND OTIS. LAT...LON 3200 10399 3201 10443 3251 10444 3253 10399 TIME...MOT...LOC 2006Z 042DEG 6KT 3230 10426 10
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
305 PM MDT MON AUG 1 2016
NMZ029-012145-
NORTHERN LEA COUNTY NM-
305 PM MDT MON AUG 1 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN LEA COUNTY UNTIL 345 PM
MDT...
AT 304 PM MDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8
MILES WEST OF CROSSROADS...OR 17 MILES NORTHWEST OF TATUM...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH.
HALF INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
CROSSROADS AND CAPROCK.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
&&
LAT...LON 3354 10305 3332 10306 3324 10377 3340 10377
3340 10372 3357 10372 3357 10307
TIME...MOT...LOC 2104Z 233DEG 8KT 3347 10347
67SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 434 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 TXZ074-012215- DAVIS/APACHE MOUNTAINS AREA TX- 434 PM CDT MON AUG 1 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN BREWSTER COUNTY UNTIL 515 PM CDT... AT 433 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER ALPINE-CASPARIS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...OR OVER ALPINE. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. HALF INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... ALPINE AND ALPINE-CASPARIS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. && LAT...LON 3033 10357 3020 10379 3041 10379 3056 10358 TIME...MOT...LOC 2133Z 205DEG 2KT 3038 10367 10
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 223 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:36 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm moved across Brewster County and produced a 62 mph wind gust near Alpine.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2016
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: 650413.