Shortly after midnight CST, a line of severe storms pushed southeast through the far southeast Texas Panhandle. Severe hail with strong winds likely occurred over a larger area of this region than just the city of Childress, however the time of night hindered the availability of reports.
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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 LUB wrote it up.
Shortly after midnight CST, a line of severe storms pushed southeast through the far southeast Texas Panhandle. Severe hail with strong winds likely occurred over a larger area of this region than just the city of Childress, however the time of night hindered the availability of reports.
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 16, 10:38 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1138 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016 .AVIATION... Line of strong convection to slowly sag southward through the southeastern Panhandle should bring a period of thunder to KCDS by 08z or 09z. Spottier, weaker showers and storms in the vicinity of KLBB not expected to persist beyond 06z. Could see some redevelopment toward 09z as a cold front moves past both KPVW and KLBB, but confidence not high enough to place mention in either TAF. Lagging the initial front will be stratus, likely IFR category that is expected to persist through much, if not all, of Tuesday. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 1100 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016/ UPDATE... Given recent radar trends, with did increase PoPs significantly across the southeast Texas Panhandle for the remainder of the night as severe storms from near Claude to north of Clarendon appear poised to impact our far northeastern zones. Elsewhere, we have seen more isolated elevated convection recently developing south and southeast of Lubbock, with even a report of pea sized hail received from Post recently. Although we don't anticipate severe activity further south across the central/southern South Plains into the southern Rolling Plains, this activity could persist well into the early morning hours as indicated by recent HRRR and RAP solutions. Given this, we have expanded slight chance PoPs to include much of the remainder of the FA overnight. Other minor adjustments were completed to the grids to account for recent observations and trends. In addition, a severe mention was included over the northeastern zones. The updated forecast and products have been sent. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 847 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016/ UPDATE... As expected, convection so far this evening has illuded the CWA as the capping locally has been too strong for the dryline circulation to overcome. However, a couple of weak upper level disturbance, one to our north and another to our south have promoted convective development, with the most robust and widespread convection being across portions of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. This activity was translating east- southeastward as it was growing upscale, but should gradually turn more southeastward as it develops into a strengthening southerly LLJ which will still contain moderate to strong instability. This could bring the risk for strong/severe storms to our far northeast zones (around Memphis and Childress) late this evening into the very early morning hours of Tuesday. Damaging outflow winds and large hail will be the primary threats with the MCS as it translates southeastward late tonight. The ongoing forecast has a good handle on this, though PoPs may be increased further across the northeast zones if/when it becomes more apparent the activity will impact the northeast zones. Elsewhere, more isolated and increasingly elevated convection will be possible as an outflow aided cold front charges southward through the CWA through early Tuesday. No changes have been made to the current forecast ATTM. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 625 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016/ AVIATION... Of most immediate concern is the potential for thunder at KCDS later this evening, looking most like a window from 04z to 08z, as thunderstorms that formed in northeastern New Mexico and the northwestern Panhandle move to the east-southeast, then eventually more to the southeast. Still some question on both timing and coverage, and have opted to keep mention out of the TAF at this time. Will reevaluate as the evening progresses. Other issue is cold front timing and low clouds behind said front. Should see winds gradually back through east to north and northeast by 15z Tuesday with what will most likely be IFR conditions filtering in up to a few hours later. Potential exists for these low conditions to persist well into, if not through, the afternoon hours. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 327 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016/ SHORT TERM... Elongated upper level low spinning over the Great Basin into Colorado is evident on WV imagery with an area of subsidence moving in to the the western part of the CWFA. This is just south of an area of lift that is helping to fire convection across NERN NM. The dryline has largely stalled out just to the west of Lubbock. 18Z and AMDAR soundings to our north depict a stout dual-tiered capping inversion as expected and this is expected to inhibit convective development this afternoon. MCS should become established over the Panhandles later this afternoon and propagate southeastward into Southwestern Oklahoma. By in large, the bulk of the activity should remain northeast of the area though some westward expansion of the MCS could allow things to clip our northeastern zones. Elevated instability should be sufficient to allow for golf ball size hail with the system along with winds to 60 mph if it manages to work its way this far west. As the MCS propagates southeastward, a cold front will push into the region overnight. As with the last couple of frontal systems...isentropic upglide induced precipitation is looking likely. Though amounts do not look to be overly heavy...at least it will lead to a cool and cloudy Tuesday for most of us. LONG TERM... This forecast period picks up with the cold front continuing to push through the area, keeping chance PoPs across the CWA throughout Wednesday morning. Best lift appears to be across southern zones and into the Midland area for Wednesday afternoon from a bit of surface troughing, so shifted best PoPs to the west and southwest. Low level moisture looks to be in place at the right time, for once, over the next few days which will result in cloudy skies and much cooler than normal temperatures. Our next feature of interest will be an upper level low over AZ/NM late Wednesday that will open on Thursday as it advances towards West Texas. This will send a wave of energy in the form of a surface trough that, combined with the previously mentioned moisture, should give us some likely rounds of precip on Thursday. Highest rainfall totals will remain across the southern zones where Gulf moisture will be deepest. By late Thursday night, the upper trough begins to pass across the northern Texas Panhandle, and we start to dry out from west to east. Friday will be a flip of the switch back to "normal" May conditions as upper ridging quickly builds over the area, and we heat back to the 80s...just a few degrees shy of seasonal highs. No fear, though, Saturday we're right back where we should be, and we just keep warming throughout the weekend. We remain dry the first half of the weekend, though Sunday ahead of the next upper trough, we may see a sloshing dryline bring rain on Sunday. && .LUB Watches/Warnings/Advisories... None. && 07/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 854 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016 TXZ021>044-180200- PARMER-CASTRO-SWISHER-BRISCOE-HALL-CHILDRESS-BAILEY-LAMB-HALE- FLOYD-MOTLEY-COTTLE-COCHRAN-HOCKLEY-LUBBOCK-CROSBY-DICKENS-KING- YOAKUM-TERRY-LYNN-GARZA-KENT-STONEWALL- 854 PM CDT MON MAY 16 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE SOUTH PLAINS...ROLLING PLAINS AND THE FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE TEXAS PANHANDLE MAY IMPACT THE FAR SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE, AROUND MEMPHIS AND CHILDRESS, AFTER 11 PM. THIS COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED LATE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE.
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:28 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A swath of hail up to the size of golf balls fell over the city of Childress for about 15 minutes accompanied by strong winds at times. Damage was largely comprised of vehicle dents.
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, May 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: 625104.