Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed in the High Plains of eastern New Mexico this afternoon, before spreading northeast into the western South Plains of Texas accompanied by very large hail at times. Some of these storms acquired low-level rotation and resulted in small, brief tornadoes over open land.
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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.
Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed in the High Plains of eastern New Mexico this afternoon, before spreading northeast into the western South Plains of Texas accompanied by very large hail at times. Some of these storms acquired low-level rotation and resulted in small, brief tornadoes over open land. Also, repeated storms in portions of Bailey County resulted in several inches of rain through the evening. The ensuing flash flood forced the Texas Department of Transportation to close some rural roads, mainly south of Muleshoe (Bailey County) where water and mud flowing over roads made travel impossible.
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 9, 5:27 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 627 PM CDT Tue May 9 2017 .AVIATION... Moist low level southeast flow will precede thunderstorm chances developing later in the night as a strong upper level low pressure system over southern Arizona moves into western New Mexico. Low clouds are likely to redevelop by late evening or in the early morning hours, while best thunder chances spread through KLBB and KPVW between 09-12z and KCDS 11z-15z. These storms could become quiet robust so intensity and visibility may change if stronger storms approach. Drier southwest flow will develop mid morning KLBB and KPVW. RMcQueen && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 316 PM CDT Tue May 9 2017/ DISCUSSION... Severe weather and potential for heavy rain punctuate the near term today. The stationary upper low that has been over Baja California and the Sea of Cortez the last 36 hours or more finally appears to be picking up some eastward momentum. Diffluent flow has been supporting terrain-induced convection across northern New Mexico through the day. Thunderstorms have begun to fire further south down the spine of the Sacramentos and Guadalupes. However, steering flow remains pretty much oriented south to north, so for a while at least this activity should stay to our west. We will be looking for the potential for convection to build southeastward from Pecos River valley of southeast New Mexico along an axis of differential heating that has occurred on the interface of the mostly clear sky to the southwest with the stratus that has been in place through the day across the South Plains. It is that development that would have a better chance of impacting the western South Plains early in the period. Secondarily would be any supercells that are able to form across southeastern New Mexico. Progged Bunkers right-moving supercell motion is to the northeast at 30-35 kts. A tornado potential will exist with the backed winds across the South Plains. Later tonight will see the potential for another round of storms, probably more widespread than the evening round as the parent upper low ejects across northern Sonora toward southeastern Arizona. That piece may be what is appearing on water vapor imagery across western New Mexico to northern Chihuahua southwest of El Paso. Will maintain likely PoPs across roughly two-thirds of the forecast area overnight. Finally, precipitable water near an inch and a quarter and the potential for training with the nearly south-to-north flow aloft that backs a bit with time support the potential for heavy rain. Will monitor for the potential for a Flash Flood watch through the evening. The middle part of the forecast period still looks to be dominated by a transient upper level ridge. Temperatures early in this phase on Thursday and Friday will be in a post-frontal cool air mass while Saturday will see warmer temperatures fueled by a return of south winds and low level warm advection. This then leads to the latter part of the forecast period and the potential for a somewhat active sloshing dryline phase Sunday through Tuesday. Cyclonic flow over the western CONUS helps support this idea. This period is still too far out to work out the details (such as a short wave trough that may eject across the central High Plains Monday-ish) and have basically run with a slight chance wording that favors the eastern half of the forecast area each day. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 99/99/05
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1130 AM CDT Tue May 9 2017 TXZ021>044-101630- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 1130 AM CDT Tue May 9 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains...Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Scattered severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across the western South Plains mainly after 4 PM. This activity will increase in coverage as it spreads eastward over the remainder of the Caprock and into southeast Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains this evening through the overnight hours. Supercell storms early on may develop into clusters after sunset, with a squall line potentially racing eastward across much of the outlook area late tonight. The most intense storms will be capable of producing baseball size hail, wind gusts to 75 mph, a few tornadoes and locally heavy rain. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday The risk of scattered severe thunderstorms may persist across the southeast Texas Panhandle into parts of the Rolling Plains on Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be requested this afternoon into tonight.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
638 PM CDT TUE MAY 09 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0628 PM WALL CLOUD 4 SSE BLEDSOE 33.57N 102.99W
05/09/2017 COCHRAN TX STORM CHASER
ROTATING WALL CLOUD... HALF WAY TO THE GROUND.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LUB1700171
SCOBBThe Lubbock radar (KLBB), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:28 UTC.
7 hail, 3 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A swath of severe hail moved over Texas Highway 214, with hailstones estimated as big as tennis ball size. No damage was reported.
No damage was reported.
Storm chasers observed a very brief and narrow tornado over open land east of Enochs.
No damage was reported.
Multiple rounds of thunderstorms affected northeast Bailey County this evening and produced up to 3.78 inches of rainfall as measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet station near Muleshoe. Texas Department of Transportation closed some rural roads south of Muleshoe due to water and mudflows breaching fields.
A very narrow tornado was observed for a few seconds over a field.
No damage was reported.
A storm chaser observed a rope tornado illuminated by lightning.
Copious amounts of hail up to golf ball size caused various degrees of damage to vehicles and roofing shingles, mainly across southern sections of Muleshoe.
No damage was reported.
No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2017Warnings in Texas, May 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: 686973, 686974, 686968, 686975, 688341, 686970, 686976, 686969, 686977, 686979, 686980.