After benefiting from a couple of years of above-normal rainfall, the most recent dry spell was enough to push several North Texas counties into severe drought status.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 FWD wrote it up.
After benefiting from a couple of years of above-normal rainfall, the most recent dry spell was enough to push several North Texas counties into severe drought status.
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 20, 11:38 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1138 PM CST Mon Nov 20 2017 .AVIATION... /06Z TAFs/ Moisture is beginning to creep back northward from the Gulf late this evening on increasing low-level southwesterly winds. An associated area of mainly VFR stratus across the Mid-Upper Texas Coast is moving slowly northward, but rather veered flow around 925 mb should guide most of the better moisture/low CIGs to the east of the TAF sites overnight. As a result, we've maintained a VFR TAF at Waco, but we'll continue to monitor trends overnight as there is an outside potential of some very brief MVFR CIGs/VSBYs Tuesday morning as the western fringes of the better moisture graze the airfield. A cold front will move into the region Tuesday afternoon, and will result in an initially weak north-northeast wind shift at the Metroplex sites towards 21/20z, and a few hours later at Waco. Stronger pressure rises will not push through until later on Tuesday evening, at which point winds will increase to around 15 kts with some occasional gusts to around 25 kts overnight. Moisture will be in short supply with this front, so precipitation is not anticipated, although some virga and associated turbulence under FL150 will be possible Tuesday afternoon and evening. Carlaw && .SHORT TERM... /Issued 320 PM CST Mon Nov 20 2017/ /Tonight/ Tonight will be warmer with a slight breeze. Within continued northwest flow aloft, high clouds will stream across the region, increasing in coverage overnight. Ahead of the cold front that arrives on Tuesday, south winds of 5-10 mph will prevail at the surface, but a southwest 30-40 kt low level jet will occur around the H925 level. The atmosphere is expected to decouple overnight, so the strongest winds will stay above the surface, but they will advect warmer temperatures in the H925-850 layer. The south winds at the surface will continue to bring some moisture northward. Dewpoints will increase into the 40s across most of the region by 6 am Tuesday morning, and this will aid in the warmer overnight lows in the 40s and around 50 degrees. Some light fog may occur with this moisture advection across parts of Central Texas, but it's more likely we will see a low cloud deck across our southern and southeastern counties. In addition, a few sprinkles are possible in an area from Cameron to Palestine, but did not include this mention in the worded forecast. JLDunn && .LONG TERM... /Issued 320 PM CST Mon Nov 20 2017/ Unseasonably strong ridging near Baja will amplify through midweek, resulting in northerly upper flow above Texas. This will maintain a consistent supply of autumn cold fronts, the next of which will arrive on Tuesday, which will bring an end to our warming trend. The previous front on Saturday effectively scoured the Gulf, and the moisture return in advance of Tuesday's front will be insufficient for any precipitation. NAM guidance continues to hint at some postfrontal rain in our southeastern zones, but the moisture profile and the flow above the frontal layer doesn't seem to support this. As a result, we'll keep the forecast dry. A chilly north wind will continue Wednesday morning when temperatures dip into the 30s and 40s. High clouds may be dense enough to limit sunshine and keep temperatures in the 50s regionwide Wednesday afternoon. The surface high will finally transit the region Wednesday night, and where its axis coincides with the predawn hours, low-lying spots may see brief freezing temperatures. The upper ridge to our west will deamplify late in the week as a potent shortwave races through the northern tier of states, but northwest flow will remain above our heads. This could help a weak frontal boundary to move into North Texas on Thanksgiving Day, but even if it were to invade, it shouldn't significantly impact temperatures. High temperatures Thursday will be near normal along and east of the I-35 corridor, generally in the 60s. The greater potential for temperatures in the 70s will be west of the I-35 corridor. While this may appear unusually warm for Thanksgiving, Central Texas sees at least 70F on Turkey Day more than 40% of the time. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, 70s or 80s occur on Thanksgiving almost a third of the time. Another weak front will arrive on Saturday, but mild temperatures will prevail throughout the holiday weekend. The upper ridge will slide east early next week, and the unseasonably warm weather will continue. Although the occasional front will remind us of the season, above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are projected to dominate into early December. 25 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 50 68 42 58 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 Waco 48 72 44 61 37 / 5 0 10 0 0 Paris 41 65 38 55 35 / 5 0 0 0 0 Denton 44 67 37 57 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 McKinney 44 67 39 57 35 / 0 0 0 0 0 Dallas 49 68 42 58 40 / 0 0 0 0 0 Terrell 45 68 41 58 36 / 5 0 5 0 0 Corsicana 46 70 44 59 38 / 5 0 10 0 0 Temple 47 72 44 62 38 / 5 0 10 0 0 Mineral Wells 42 68 38 59 37 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 90/90
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 322 PM CST Mon Nov 20 2017 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-211200- Montague-Cooke-Grayson-Fannin-Lamar-Young-Jack-Wise-Denton-Collin- Hunt-Delta-Hopkins-Stephens-Palo Pinto-Parker-Tarrant-Dallas- Rockwall-Kaufman-Van Zandt-Rains-Eastland-Erath-Hood-Somervell- Johnson-Ellis-Henderson-Comanche-Mills-Hamilton-Bosque-Hill-Navarro- Freestone-Anderson-Lampasas-Coryell-Bell-McLennan-Falls-Limestone- Leon-Milam-Robertson- 322 PM CST Mon Nov 20 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions entered the southern part of Cooke County around November 21 and expanded to include the rest of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions entered the southern part of Grayson County around November 21 and expanded to include the rest of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought developed county-wide around November 21st and remained in place through the end of the month.
Severe drought developed county-wide around November 21st and remained in place through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions developed across the northern part of the county around November 21, then spread to the rest of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions developed across the northern part of the county around November 21, then spread to the rest of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions developed across the northern part of the county around November 21, then spread to the rest of the county through the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions developed across the northern part of the county around November 21, then spread to the rest of the county through the end of the month.
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, November 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: 727724, 727725, 727726, 727727, 727728, 727729, 727730, 727731.