Scattered thunderstorms once again developed during the afternoon on the 18th, mostly across the extreme southeastern Texas Panhandle. Several of these storms became severe producing strong wind gusts and numerous wildfire starts.
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 once again developed during the afternoon on the 18th, mostly across the extreme southeastern Texas Panhandle. Several of these storms became severe producing strong wind gusts and numerous wildfire starts.
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 Aug 18, 1:43 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 243 PM CDT Sun Aug 18 2019 .DISCUSSION... WV imagery shows the upper high moving slowly overhead while building. This has allowed temps at many locations to reach over 100 with some daytime heating still left. This should let us easily reach heat advisory criteria. Despite the heat thunderstorms will still be possible later this afternoon and evening. Coverage is not expected to be as great as yesterday as surface flow over much of the Caprock is divergent. The best divergent flow is located across the Rolling Plains and is favored for the best convective chances later today. Another noticable feature currently missing that was present this time yesterday is a CU field. The upper ridge will be at its strongest point tomorrow before it splits on Tuesday. This split will allow the possibility for thunderstorm development along the weakness in the ridge caused by the split. Coverage is not expected to be great and confined mostly to the Texas Panhandle, but it is still better than tomorrow's rain chances. Highs are also expected to be a couple of degrees cooler on Tuesday thanks to slightly lower thicknesses. By mid week models have, once again, diverged greatly on the handling of the upper ridge. The ECMWF pushes the upper ridge slightly westward compared to the GFS. While temps will be on the "cooler" side compared to current most rain chances are squashed. The GFS, as being the (sometimes) optimist, pushes the ridge further west to just west of the 4 corners region putting the FA under a somewhat northwesterly flow pattern. This would allow for greater cooler and better rain chances. One such example comes from a backdoor cold front late Thursday into Friday. For now the forecast will not stray far from blended solutions mid to late week. && .FIRE WEATHER... Saturday evenings high-based thunderstorms generated a number of apparent lightning-related fire starts from the eastern South Plains into the Rolling Plains along with enough strong wind gusts to invigorate a previous hot spot or two. Rainfall was spotty but no areas appeared to receive enough to lower fire danger for today. Another opportunity for high-based storms will occur this afternoon and evening, much as Saturday and prior days. The Red Flag Warning will remain in effect for the same concerns as yesterday of high-based thunderstorms with lightning starts with very high ERC values and a risk of spread from the outflow winds. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until midnight CDT tonight for TXZ024>026- 030>032-036>038-042>044. Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for TXZ021>044. && 51
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 331 PM CDT Sun Aug 18 2019 TXZ021>044-190845- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 331 PM CDT Sun Aug 18 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A Heat Advisory remains in effect through early this evening for the Texas South Plains, Rolling Plains, and extreme southern Texas Panhandle. High temperatures around 105 degrees are expected on the Caprock and around 110 degrees over the Rolling Plains, where Heat Index values also will be near 110 degrees. Isolated thunderstorms capable of producing wind gusts near 60 mph will be possible again from late afternoon into the evening. There is also a threat for dry lightning storms and potential for new fire starts and spread of existing fires. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through the evening for the southeast Texas Panhandle, Rolling Plains and adjacent eastern South Plains. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Hazardous weather is not expected. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated through tonight.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
413 PM CDT Sun Aug 18 2019
TXZ031-182145-
Motley-
413 PM CDT Sun Aug 18 2019
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN MOTLEY AND SOUTHEASTERN
HALL COUNTIES...
At 412 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located 9 miles northeast of
Matador, moving east at 5 mph.
Wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible with this storm.
This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of eastern Motley and
southeastern Hall Counties.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
LAT...LON 3394 10052 3393 10078 3417 10081 3432 10053
3431 10052
TIME...MOT...LOC 2112Z 255DEG 6KT 3409 10069
JGDThe Amarillo radar (KAMA), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:01 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site measured a peak wind gust of 76 mph near Lesley. Severe wind gusts lasted for two minutes from 1702 CST to 1703 CST.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Estelline measured a wind gust to 59 mph.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Paducah measured a peak wind gust of 69 mph. Severe wind gusts were measured for 15 minutes between 1900 CST and 1915 CST.
The Automated Surface Observing System at Childress Municipal Airport measured a wind gust to 62 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 2019
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: 842792, 842793, 842801, 842802.