Precipitation was associated with an upper level trough along the central TX/OK Panhandle border along with a second trough out to the west across NM with upslope flow with a residual outflow boundary. With the mean upper level steering flow out of the northwest, storms moved from NE NM in far NW TX Panhandle.
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 AMA wrote it up.
Precipitation was associated with an upper level trough along the central TX/OK Panhandle border along with a second trough out to the west across NM with upslope flow with a residual outflow boundary. With the mean upper level steering flow out of the northwest, storms moved from NE NM in far NW TX Panhandle. These individual cell congealed into a line as they moved into a weak CAPE and weak bulk shear environment. These line of storms produced severe wind gusts and some wind damage to tree branches in the NW TX Panhandle.
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 Jul 29, 4:46 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Amarillo TX 546 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016 .AVIATION... For the 00Z TAFs...VFR conditions are expected for the most part at all terminals. However, thunderstorms are still expected to move into our area from New Mexico and southeast Colorado. There is little confidence in what exactly the thunderstorms will do, but KDHT looks to have the best chance of getting something and perhaps even KAMA later on tonight. Therefore, have continued a TEMPO group for thunderstorms for KDHT and added a TEMPO group for KAMA. There also exists a chance for a brief wind shift to accompany any thunderstorms and should be out of the west or northwest. KGUY could see a scattered layer of low clouds around 2000 ft AGL in the early morning hours. Otherwise, some mid to high level clouds could linger through the day tomorrow with winds generally out of the south and becoming gusty in the afternoon hours. Lorenzen && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 331 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016/ DISCUSSION... Showers and some low topped thunderstorms continue to move southeast across the eastern Panhandles. The precipitation is associated with an upper level trough along the central TX/OK Panhandle border as seen with the latest visible satellite observations with Cu's in the eastern Panhandles and drier air aloft in the western Panhandles. Latest surface and 500 hPa observations shows a second trough out to the west across NM with upslope flow and a residual outflow boundary will slowly makes it way east into the western Panhandles. Some additional showers and thunderstorms are possible this evening into tonight across the Panhandles and will dissipate by Saturday morning. As we go into the second half of Saturday through mid next week, an upper level high pressure system will move back east into the region and bring tranquil weather conditions and very warm temperatures to the Panhandles. Some upslope convection across NM may bring an isolated thunderstorms to the far western Panhandles as we go into early next week but confidence is low at this time. Temperatures will be above average throughout the weekend into next week with high temperatures will range from the mid 90s to near triple digits. AVIATION... 18Z TAFs - On and off showers and thunderstorms will impact the TAF sites through the afternoon and evening hours. Have the best timing in there for now, but it will likely change as confidence is low in the persistence and scattered nature of coverage. Winds will generally favor an easterly to southeasterly direction and less than 15kts outside of convection. Medium to high confidence that VFR conditions will continue through tomorrow afternoon outside of convection too, although KGUY could see some MVFR cigs/vsbys early Saturday morning. Elsenheimer && .AMA Watches/Warnings/Advisories... TX...None. OK...None. && 10/15
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 343 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-301100- CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB- HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON- GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH- 343 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. A FEW STORMS THAT DEVELOP MAY BECOME STRONG WITH SOME GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MOST OF THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...AND THEN ACROSS NORTHWESTERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 131 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016 OKZ002-003-TXZ003-004-291900- BEAVER OK-TEXAS OK-HANSFORD TX-OCHILTREE TX- 131 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...SOUTHWESTERN BEAVER...NORTHWESTERN OCHILTREE AND NORTHEASTERN HANSFORD COUNTIES UNTIL 200 PM CDT... AT 131 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ADAMS...OR 17 MILES EAST OF GUYMON...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. HALF INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... HOOKER...HARDESTY...ADAMS AND BAKER. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. 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 3686 10134 3692 10092 3648 10081 3634 10109 TIME...MOT...LOC 1831Z 329DEG 28KT 3670 10116 CE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
539 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016
OKZ001-292330-
CIMARRON OK-
539 PM CDT FRI JUL 29 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CIMARRON COUNTY UNTIL 630 PM
CDT...
AT 538 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5
MILES SOUTH OF KENTON...OR 27 MILES WEST OF BOISE CITY...MOVING EAST
AT 20 MPH.
HALF INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BOISE CITY...KEYES...BLACK MESA PARK...FELT...KENTON AND WHEELESS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO
STATIONS AND AVAILABLE TELEVISION STATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
&&
LAT...LON 3699 10228 3669 10219 3650 10249 3657 10300
3700 10300
TIME...MOT...LOC 2238Z 277DEG 19KT 3683 10299
LGThe Amarillo radar (KAMA), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:00 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tree branches 4-6 inch diameter downed by strong wind gusts.
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, July 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: 653472, 653473.