Scattered thunderstorms developed across the South Plains this afternoon and proceeded to move slowly eastward through the evening. A deep layer of dry air beneath these thunderstorms enhanced wind gusts with several of these storms and even resulted in a few destructive downbursts.
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 across the South Plains this afternoon and proceeded to move slowly eastward through the evening. A deep layer of dry air beneath these thunderstorms enhanced wind gusts with several of these storms and even resulted in a few destructive downbursts. Some severe hail also accompanied the more organized storms.
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 17, 2:32 PM CST, 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 332 PM CDT Thu May 17 2018 .DISCUSSION... Initial convective development is occurring along the state line within a zone of weak convergence along the surface trough/dryline. The latest indications are that this activity will progress pretty much closely previous projections, gradually growing upscale with greater coverage as it progresses east. MLCAPE values around 1500 to 2500 and deep-layer shear of 40 kts or so are more than sufficient for sustained updrafts and a severe wind/threat. A couple supercells are also possible as well with the threat of very large hail. The upper trough out west will move into the southern and central Rockies Friday, with strengthening and veering mid-level taking the dryline farther east during the day. The dryline is expected to be located near the edge of the Caprock by peak heating and scattered t-storm development will be possible in the Rolling Plains, with more severe weather potential. The trough swings northeast into the central plains Saturday while the next trough digs quickly into the Great Basin. A cold front will move south behind the first wave with a pretty good push to it. There are still some timing differences between the guidance with the front, and t-storm chances across the area will depend highly on the front's location by mid-afternoon. A shortwave will be approaching West Texas late Saturday and could keep storm chances going on through the night depending on how far south the front goes. By Sunday, the front should be well to our south, and we expect a cool day and likely pretty stable, with low thunder chances. However, in the face of strengthening southwest flow aloft as the upper low stalls and deepens to the southwest, the front should start to retreat pretty quickly back to the north and we could see shower and t-storm activity pick up Sunday night in the developing isentropic upglide regime. Thunderstorm chances should continue Monday and Tuesday with the slow-moving upper low to the west, and plentiful low-level moisture residing across the region. Through this whole period, some pockets of heavy rainfall are possible, as we could see several rounds of thunderstorm activity track across similar areas. The pattern may become less conducive for t-storm activity by midweek as the upper low weakens with substantial energy racing northward while broad troughiness lingers off the coast of California. This could result in a building ridge over the southern Rockies and West Texas. && .FIRE WEATHER... Dry lightning is possible this afternoon across the western South Plains where isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop. Fire weather concerns are expected on Friday to the west of the dryline, which may be found near the edge of the Caprock by afternoon. RH values across the western areas will fall to around 5 to 10 percent with wind speeds in the 15 to 25 mph range in the afternoon. Recent rainfall in the southwest Texas Panhandle and the possibility of rain this afternoon and evening create some uncertainty regarding the extent of the threat. Fire weather concerns are also possible Saturday afternoon across western and southern portions of the South Plains in dry southwesterly flow to the south of a cold front inbound from the north. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 33
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1135 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018 TXZ021>044-180445- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 1135 AM CDT Thu May 17 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon across the western South Plains, before growing into a larger complex of storms as they spread eastward through the early evening. In addition to heavy rain and some flooding at times, very large hail to baseball size and downburst winds to 75 mph could occur. Locally thick blowing dust may accompany some storms as well, especially on the Caprock. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday Elevated to critical wildfire weather is possible on Friday afternoon across the western South Plains. A few severe thunderstorms may develop on Friday and Saturday east of the Caprock Escarpment, before this threat expands over much of the region by Saturday night through Sunday. This unsettled weather pattern will continue through much of next week with daily chances for severe thunderstorms. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed this afternoon.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 24 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:16 UTC.
8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A swath of hail up to quarter size moved northeast from Wolfforth into west Lubbock. The hail was described as soft which may have contributed to the lack of damage reports.
No damage information was available.
No damage information was available.
No damage information was available.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
No damage information was available.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
Visibility was near zero in blowing dust. No hail damage information was available.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
A series of downbursts caused a swath of light to moderate damage from Post southeast to Lake Alan Henry. In Post, the metal roof to the city maintenance building was peeled back causing some water damage to the materials and electronics inside. Farther southeast near Lake Alan Henry, very minor damage to boat storage facilities was noted in addition to a damaged road sign.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
Damage information was not available.
A downburst tore the roof from a patio. The roof proceeded to strike a nearby garage causing damage to the garage door and a pickup truck inside.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2018
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: 747384, 747390, 747391, 747392, 747398, 747393, 747399, 747394, 747395, 747401, 747406, 747404, 747405, 747396, 747425.