Scattered thunderstorms developed early in the evening on the 16th from the extreme south-central Texas Panhandle through the southern South Plains. Several of these storms became severe due to a very unstable atmosphere.
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 early in the evening on the 16th from the extreme south-central Texas Panhandle through the southern South Plains. Several of these storms became severe due to a very unstable atmosphere. Very heavy rains from a storm in Briscoe County caused a rock slide along State Highway 256 which caused the road to be impassable.
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 Apr 16, 5:13 PM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 613 PM CDT Sun Apr 16 2017 .AVIATION... Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible through the evening hours at all three terminals. During overnight hours, toward sunrise, as the atmosphere stabilizes we will see low CIGS move in with some patchy to possibly dense fog developing for all three sites as well. Thickest fog will develop near areas with most rainfall between now and sunrise Monday. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 247 PM CDT Sun Apr 16 2017/ SHORT TERM... There are a few more things going for convective development for this afternoon and evening. Although, a variety of solutions presented by models have not inspired confidence in the convective forecast for the rest of today. A weak short wave was currently moving overhead with another moving out of northern Mexico into southwestern Texas. This had already led to development of storms in the extreme southwestern part of the state. Upper level winds will continue to back in advance of this short wave. The southward advancing cold front has stalled or nearly stalled out bisecting the region from northeast through southwest. In response, surface winds have been backing to the southeast of the front. Although wind speeds are light, this has led to better low level convergence than seen in recent days. Mixed layer CAPEs are already pushing over 4000 J/kg with minimal capping in some spots. The cap will further erode over much of the area off the caprock by late afternoon. A low level theta-e axis has formed to the south of Lubbock which may lend some credibility to the NSSL-WRF forecast of developing convection in the southwestern South Plains. Deep layer shear is still relatively weak with wind vectors only about 25-30kt but this was enough to obtain strongly rotating storms a couple of nights ago. Given surface dew points from the lower to mid 60s, LCLs will also be relatively low. Low level helicities will increase towards 00Z briefly increasing a tornado threat. Furthermore, slow moving storms especially right movers will contribute to a flooding threat. By late tonight, models have been fairly consistent in dropping a complex of storms southward out of the eastern Panhandle into the Childress area. Convection will again be possible on Monday afternoon although chances are less than today under broad southeasterly low level flow. Convection chances are still highly uncertain given weak ridging building in overhead. However, the atmosphere will remain very unstable during the afternoon hours. LONG TERM... A subtle shortwave trough passing across the area Monday evening, may be able to support linger t-storm activity through the evening hours, slowly progressing into the Rolling Plains. Shortwave ridging, albeit not very strong, will build in from the southwest Tuesday, and should keep the atmosphere capped. Flow aloft turns westerly Wednesday as the next trough moves out of the Rockies and over the central and northern high plains. It looks like the dryline will be driven eastward by the westerly flow, leading to warm and dry conditions across most of the forecast area, with highs around 90. The dryline may hold up in the southern Rolling Plains, but even in that area we expect the cap to hold. By Thursday, we still anticipate a cold front to be moving through northwest Texas while the next upper trough approaches from the west. At this time, it appears that the frontal zone will be in or near to the forecast area setting up a isentropic upglide pattern late Thursday into early Friday. Morning guidance continues to suggest the preferred focus for coupled ascent will be located across northern portions of the South Plains into the southern Texas Panhandle, so our PoPs still favor our northern counties. A stronger front should push through the area Friday night into Saturday morning as a more energetic upper-level storm moves southeast from the Rockies and deepens in the central plains. There may be a window for precip chances along the front during this period, mainly in the Rolling Plains where the front intersects deeper moisture. Cooler temperatures for Saturday in the wake of the front. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 99/99/55
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 606 PM CDT Sun Apr 16 2017 TXZ021>044-172315- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 606 PM CDT Sun Apr 16 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains...Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Isolated to scattered severe thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon and evening with the highest chances favoring along and east a line from Silverton to Plains. The main severe threat will be very large hail up to the size of baseballs and damaging winds in excess of 70 mph. Isolated tornadoes will also be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible Monday afternoon and evening mainly to the east of the Caprock escarpment. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required this afternoon and evening.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 68 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:14 UTC.
6 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters and a NWS cooperative weather observer reported hail with sizes ranging from ping-pong balls to hen eggs. However, no damage was reported.
Hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in Brownfield. No damage was reported.
Quarter size hail was reported at the intersection of US Highway 380 and Farm to Market Road 1328. No damage was reported.
Quarter size hail was reported by a NWS cooperative weather observer. No damage was reported.
Golf ball size hail was reported at Mackenzie Reservoir. The hail broke windows on cars and campers.
Tennis ball size hail was reported near the Swisher/Briscoe County line. However, no damage was reported.
A funnel cloud was spotted near the Swisher/Briscoe County line.
A rock slide occurred along State Highway 256 near County Road 27 following very heavy rainfall. This made the road impassable for an unknown amount of time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2017
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: 681150, 681151, 681152, 681168, 681153, 681171, 681173, 681177.