Scattered thunderstorms developed along and near a surface trough/dryline boundary. Significant amounts of instability allowed some of these storms to become severe over the Rolling Plains producing downburst winds and hail.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along and near a surface trough/dryline boundary. Significant amounts of instability allowed some of these storms to become severe over the Rolling Plains producing downburst winds and hail.
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 Jul 8, 2:42 PM CST, 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 342 PM CDT FRI JUL 8 2016 .SHORT TERM... Sharp thermal contrast has set up across the south plains region this afternoon with a weakened outflow enhanced frontal boundary across our northwest zones, fairly thick mid and high level moisture southwest to northeast but favoring the northwest half of the area, and still nearly cloudless surface heating over the century mark again in our southeast. The short term solutions seem to be converging on favoring the outflow/frontal boundary as an initial focus for thunder chances over the next few hours, but still some chance the storms could initiate in a weak surface trough on the western edge of the strong surface heated area where CAPEs of 2000+ joules per kilogram have developed, while CIN has yet to totally erode just to the west and northwest. For this evening we have broad-brushed solid chance level mention for thunder from the central and eastern south plains into the Rolling Plains with an added likely mention favoring the eastern south plains and adjacent southern Rolling Plains. There seems a real chance in this weak upper flow for an MCS to develop this area with slow east-southeast progression expected. Storms will slightly favor high winds as their primary threat but large hail will be a close second owing to the hefty CAPE values today. Later tonight difficult to end thunder mention totally as the moist flow will remain and we have seen a number of late night thunder events recently. And continuing low chance mention of thunder many areas Saturday afternoon as well with temperatures similar to previously. RMcQueen .LONG TERM... Models continue with previous thinking of bringing the eastward edge of the area of high pressure back over the area on Sunday and keeping it there through the first part of next week. Surface flow will remain out of the south as opposed to the southwest so we still do not expect temperatures to get into the 105-110 degree range but will still be right around the century mark. Precipitation chances will also start to decrease after tomorrow as the ridge starts to redevelop and flow aloft becomes more westerly than northwesterly. Better monsoon moisture looks to remain over the area through Sunday before starting to decrease, and isolated coverage in the afternoon and evening hours remains in the forecast through Monday evening as a result. The ridge will slowly strengthen after the first of next week which will keep temperatures near the century mark. Precipitation chances are uncertain past Tuesday as the models do keep weak/poor monsoon moisture over the region. The ridge will be centered west of the forecast area resulting in flow aloft varying in the western half of the compass so that may allow a few storms to drift in from the higher terrain of New Mexico. Too early to tell if one day or another will be more favored so will keep forecast dry at this time. Jordan && .LUB Watches/Warnings/Advisories... None. && 05/14
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 449 AM CDT FRI JUL 8 2016 TXZ021>044-091000- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 449 AM CDT FRI JUL 8 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS...ROLLING PLAINS AND THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH INITIATION EXPECTED ALONG A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ON THE SOUTH PLAINS AND A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTHWARD INTO THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PANHANDLE. THESE STORMS WILL THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH. SOME STORMS...MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE...MAY PRODUCE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY DAILY CHANCES FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY. THESE STORMS COULD HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A NWS cooperative weather observer reported several telephone poles downed by winds.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Paducah measured wind gusts up to 76 mph for ten minutes.
The Paducah Fire Department reported several power poles downed from strong winds west of Paducah.
The Paducah Fire Department reported quarter size hail along US Highway 83 in King County. No damage was reported.
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: 636505, 636507, 636511, 636514.