A rich plume of mid to upper level moisture was across West Texas and southeast New Mexico along with an approaching upper level disturbance. This disturbance increased lift over the region, and plentiful moisture aided in the development of storms with heavy rainfall.
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 MAF wrote it up.
A rich plume of mid to upper level moisture was across West Texas and southeast New Mexico along with an approaching upper level disturbance. This disturbance increased lift over the region, and plentiful moisture aided in the development of storms with heavy rainfall. These conditions allowed for flash flooding and strong winds to occur in West Texas.
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 23, 5:27 PM CST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 627 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016 .AVIATION... 00Z TAF issuance. The main aviation concern for the next 24 hours is the threat for TS activity to continue the next 6 hours. Currently have thunderstorms training over CNM and just north of HOB terminals. This activity looks to continue and potentially shift to the south/southeast slightly over the next several hours, resulting in periods of low vis due to heavy rainfall as well as gusty/erratic winds. Storms could continue beyond midnight but confidence is too low attm to include mention of TS beyond 04Z for now. Will continue to monitor radar trends and amend if needed. Otherwise, VFR conditions will prevail with thunderstorm chances possibly returning Wednesday afternoon. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 149 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016/ DISCUSSION... A rich plume of mid/upper level moisture continues to stream across the area and early this morning was collocated with showers in the e and s. Looks like the atmosphere is attempting to make another run at redeveloping precip within said moisture axis, as light showers are farther w and convection is developing w of Valentine. We have been trying to discern shrtwv energy embedded within the moist flow aloft and have seen hints of shrtwv energy in satellite data. By 00Z/Wed GFS/NAM12 do indicate more definitive shrtwv energy in the heights and vorticity fields. Moisture anomalies of +1 to 2 standard deviations are indicative of heavy rain potential. However we are lacking a surface boundary and strong surface insolation. Seems appropriate to acknowledge the heavy rain potential and we will opt to mention local heavy rain. To get more widespread heavy rain concerns training cells would be needed and this is possible. GFS/ECMWF hint at this with precip overnight from NW PB-far se parts of SE NM-Upper Trans Pecos. As such we have edged PoPs up slightly, still mostly in the high end chance category. A slightly better chance for rain Wed as a mid level trough will be closer. Depending on what happens today/tonight a heightened potential for flood/flash flood may exist Wed? Thur the mid level ridging will build w some and a pocket of drier low level appears across parts of the PB. This will mostly confine precip chances to the wrn areas. Thereafter PoPs will slowly decrease and temperatures will increase, probably to back above normal. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Big Spring 72 91 70 93 / 30 20 40 10 Carlsbad 66 90 66 86 / 30 30 20 50 Dryden 71 93 71 94 / 10 20 30 20 Fort Stockton 68 90 67 91 / 30 50 40 30 Guadalupe Pass 62 83 62 78 / 40 30 10 50 Hobbs 67 84 64 84 / 40 30 40 40 Marfa 60 83 59 81 / 40 50 40 50 Midland Intl Airport 72 89 69 91 / 40 30 40 20 Odessa 71 88 68 90 / 40 40 40 20 Wink 70 90 69 92 / 50 60 40 30 && .MAF Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NM...None. TX...None. && 27/70
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 123 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-057>063-067>070-074-075- 079>082-258-241830- 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- 123 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016 /1223 PM MDT TUE AUG 23 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO...SOUTHWEST TEXAS AND WESTERN TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOME WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL, SMALL HAIL AND STRONG WINDS TO 50 MPH. HEAVY RAIN MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING OF ARROYOS, DRAWS, STREAMS AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS, ESPECIALLY FROM THE VAN HORN AND MARFA AREAS, NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE UPPER TRANS PECOS, FAR SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AND NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES WILL CONTINUE EACH DAY THIS WEEK, WITH AMPLE MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE PROMOTING HEAVY RAINFALL. ON WEDNESDAY, THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO SEE HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE THE DAVIS MOUNTAINS AND UPPER TRANS PECOS IN WEST TEXAS. THE EMPHASIS FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WILL SHIFT WESTWARD THURSDAY TO THE SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS AND HIGHER TERRAIN OF WEST TEXAS. RIVER RISES WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE RIO GRANDE, AND PECOS RIVER IN EDDY COUNTY. .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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
535 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0510 PM FLASH FLOOD 23 SW CARLSBAD 32.17N 104.52W
08/23/2016 EDDY NM FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
RANCHER REPORTED A 6 T0 7 FOOT WALL OF WATER DOWN DARK
CANYON DRAW AT CR 408.
&&
70SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 710 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016 TXZ067-068-075-240045- WARD TX-CRANE TX-PECOS TX- 710 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL CRANE...NORTHERN PECOS AND SOUTHEASTERN WARD COUNTIES UNTIL 745 PM CDT... AT 709 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR IMPERIAL RESERVOIR...OR 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRANDFALLS...NEARLY STATIONARY. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... IMPERIAL AND IMPERIAL RESERVOIR. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. 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 3116 10274 3119 10291 3139 10280 3135 10264 TIME...MOT...LOC 0009Z 190DEG 6KT 3124 10280 27
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX
813 PM CDT TUE AUG 23 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0800 PM FLASH FLOOD NNW WHITES CITY 32.18N 104.38W
08/23/2016 EDDY NM EMERGENCY MNGR
DARK CANYON ROAD/COUNTY ROAD 408 HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO
FLOODING.
&&
CMRThe Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:59 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
State Highway 18 was covered with two to three feet of water from 15 miles north of Fort Stockton to the Pecos River from heavy rainfall. Water rescues were also being performed during this time. Damage costs are a rough estimate.
A thunderstorm moved across Winkler County and produced wind damage in Kermit. A roof was blown off of a building. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A thunderstorm moved across Reeves County and produced a 58 mph wind gust at the Pecos Municipal Airport.
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: 653933, 654790, 654822.