A line of severe thunderstorms developed from the Texas Panhandle through the central South Plains as a strong cold front interacted with an unseasonably moist and unstable airmass. Several severe wind gusts were reported across the extreme southern Texas Panhandle.
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.
A line of severe thunderstorms developed from the Texas Panhandle through the central South Plains as a strong cold front interacted with an unseasonably moist and unstable airmass. Several severe wind gusts were reported across the extreme southern Texas Panhandle. Meanwhile, highly localized thunderstorm winds blew down a power pole along 82nd street near Alcove Avenue in Lubbock (Lubbock County). This caused a brief widespread power outage for the cities of Lubbock and Wolfforth.
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 Oct 6, 5:31 PM CST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 631 PM CDT Fri Oct 6 2017 .AVIATION... Tricky night ahead, as a Pacific front will be pushing through all 3 TAF sites with tstrms expected. Timing has become a little more narrowed as short term models are coming into better agreement. Tstrms may be able to produce some severe wind gusts. Expect northerly winds and calmer conditions by early morning. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 302 PM CDT Fri Oct 6 2017/ DISCUSSION... A sharp upper level trough currently over the Rockies will emerge onto the Plains this evening but not before creating some severe weather chances across West Texas. Most of the upper level divergence from this trough will be concentrated to the north of the region from the Texas Panhandle into southwestern Kansas. A surface trough/dryline west of the area in eastern New Mexico will be overtaken by a quick moving cold front this evening which will add to the available lift from the upper trough. Low level convergence will rapidly increase as the cold front enters West Texas during the evening. In the meantime, low level theta-e will continue to increase out ahead of the cold front/dryline. Mixed layer instability values will reach on the order of 1500-2000 J/kg within the next few hours. Weak capping is expected to be in place where instability is strongest. Currently, CIN is still between -50 and -100 across the entire area. The instability axis will be oriented from southwest to northeast with maximum values from the south-central Texas Panhandle into the eastern Panhandle. Furthermore, deep layer shear will continue to increase with the approach of the upper level trough. This will all support a severe weather threat mostly after 00Z and clearing the FA around 06-07Z. The primary threat from this activity will be large hail and strong damaging winds. Another trough will move into the inter-mountain west on Sunday. This will push the surface ridge out of the region and replace it with surface lee troughing along with lee cyclogenesis in eastern Colorado. As a result, winds and temperatures will be pumped up on Sunday ahead of a stronger cold front for Monday morning. Continued to side closer to the ECMWF solution of a faster cold front with a suspiciously slow GFS. Strong pressure rises behind the front will bring strong winds in its wake. Also, 850mb temperatures around 1-3C in the southwestern Texas Panhandle may bring a light freeze to these areas on Tuesday morning. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 99/99/74
Hazardous Weather Outlook...CORRECTED National Weather Service Lubbock TX 702 AM CDT Fri Oct 6 2017 TXZ021>044-070900- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 702 AM CDT Fri Oct 6 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains...Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms this evening generally north and west of a Morton to Lubbock to Childress line. A cold front will move through the South Plains area this evening. As this front moves into rich low level moisture scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to develop along it and move mainly in an east and southeast direction with the front. The amount of instability associated with the moist air mass in concert with favorable winds aloft will create an environment for some of the storms to become severe with hail to the size of golfballs and wind gusts to 70 mph possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be requested this evening.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Lubbock TX 930 PM CDT FRI OCT 6 2017 TXZ022-023-028-029-070300- Swisher TX-Castro TX-Lamb TX-Hale TX- 930 PM CDT FRI OCT 6 2017 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN CASTRO...NORTHWESTERN HALE...SOUTHWESTERN SWISHER AND NORTHEASTERN LAMB COUNTIES UNTIL 1000 PM CDT... At 929 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Earth, moving east at 55 mph. Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Plainview, Olton, Hart, Earth, Halfway, Edmonson and Springlake. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle. && A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect until 100 AM CDT for the Panhandle of and northwestern Texas. LAT...LON 3407 10245 3439 10244 3450 10181 3415 10172 TIME...MOT...LOC 0229Z 252DEG 47KT 3421 10232 JGD
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:57 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Tulia recorded a wind gust to 67 mph.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Silverton measured a wind gust to 63 mph.
A power pole was blown over from thunderstorm winds causing a widespread power outage across the cities of Lubbock and Wolfforth.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Northfield measured a wind gust to 64 mph.
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, October 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: 717827, 717828, 717830, 717829.