Following heavy rains of one to two inches the prior day, an already strong surface cyclone strengthened even further in far southeast Colorado and western Kansas. This rapid intensification created a long-lived and widespread high wind event from Far West Texas north to Kansas.
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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 LUB wrote it up.
Following heavy rains of one to two inches the prior day, an already strong surface cyclone strengthened even further in far southeast Colorado and western Kansas. This rapid intensification created a long-lived and widespread high wind event from Far West Texas north to Kansas. The intense surface low set all-time record low pressure readings in some states such as New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado. Across the Texas South Plains, sustained westerly winds whipped up to 40 to 50 mph by mid morning, with gusts of 60 to 70 mph for several hours before finally subsiding by early evening. The sheer duration, coverage, and intensity of these high winds had not been seen across the region in decades. Widespread blowing dust accompanied these incredible winds, but fortunately the earlier heavy rains and lack of severe drought conditions dampened the severity of blowing dust as most locations saw visibility bottom out to around one to two miles - well above dust storm warning conditions. This moisture also eliminated the threat of wildfires and prevented what could have easily been a wildfire outbreak had soaking rains not occurred the day prior. Regional damage from this windstorm was scattered to widespread with around $2 million in property damage estimated in Lubbock County alone. Additional damage to trees, utility lines and poles, road signs, and traffic lights pushed combined losses across the region to an estimated $4.6 million.
Maximum wind gusts per county:
Castro County: 74 mph at Dimmitt|Swisher County: 74 mph at Tulia|Parmer County: 73 mph at Friona|Hockley County: 72 mph at Anton|Briscoe County: 70 mph at Caprock Canyons State Park|Cochran County: 70 mph at Morton|Hall County: 70 mph at Turkey|Motley County: 69 mph at Roaring Springs|Yoakum County: 68 mph at Denver City|Lubbock County: 68 mph at the NWS office|Bailey County: 67 mph at Muleshoe|Lynn County: 67 mph at New Home|Garza County: 67 mph at Post|Floyd County: 66 mph at Aiken|Childress County: 66 mph at the Childress Airport|Cottle County: 66 mph at Hackberry|Crosby County: 66 mph at Ralls|Lamb County: 65 mph at Amherst|King County: 65 mph southwest of Guthrie|Terry County: 64 mph at Brownfield|Hale County: 64 mph at Plainview |Stonewall County: 56 mph at Aspermont|Dickens County: 56 mph at Spur|Kent County: 55 mph at Jayton.
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 Mar 13, 5:30 AM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 630 AM CDT Wed Mar 13 2019 .AVIATION... Precip ahead of a powerful storm system has cleared the forecast area. Now its just the steady increase to strong W/SW winds as the storm system tracks from New Mexico to western Kansas. Sustained 30 kt winds look likely for about a 12 hour beginning mid to late morning. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 332 AM CDT Wed Mar 13 2019/ ..WIDESPREAD HIGH WINDS AND BLOWING DUST TODAY... DISCUSSION... Water vapor imagery showed an already vigorous negatively tilted upper trough undergoing further intensification from the Four Corners into the High Plains of Texas. The end result will be intense surface cyclogenesis today from the plains of Colorado into western Kansas underneath an equally impressive upper low. Farther south, this process will keep a broad band of stout 850 mb winds (40-50 knots) largely intact from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin, with generally 50-80 knots at 700 mb. These values remain well within a solid high wind event with no real cons to detract from an otherwise very windy and dusty day. Ironically, the heavy rains from last night are unlikely to deter blowing dust as the impact of large raindrops serve to make fine sand and dirt particles more vulnerable to becoming lofted in strong winds. However, we do not foresee the need for a blowing dust advisory given the lack of deep drought conditions and relative abundance of cured fuel stands to mitigate soil erosion from wind. Earlier wind events this season have also been comparably better dust-wise than the drought years of 2011 to 2013 when blowing dust advisories were par for the course in these events. Otherwise, high temps today were nudged up a good 2 to 5 degrees as a low level thermal ridge rotates east across the region and nets values warmer than yesterday for most locales. By this evening, the window for some rain showers in our NW zones that we previously advertised is no longer open given latest NWP trends which keep vertical stability too neutral underneath an otherwise respectable cold pocket. High sustained winds should scale below 40 mph late this evening as a Canadian front drops south ahead of cool and breezy conditions for Thursday. As the upper cyclone pulls farther away from the southern Great Plains tomorrow, a loitering upper trough axis will drift SE and help tug a weak vort max our way for the weekend. However, models have trended toward a more sheared wave as opposed to a closed low in older runs, so we've kept our dry forecast intact through the weekend and beyond. Milder southerlies return Saturday and build into early next week with less confidence in a cold front o/a Tue given increasing model spread underneath fickle semi-zonal flow. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 10 AM this morning to 10 PM CDT this evening for TXZ021>044. && 93/07
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 343 AM CDT Wed Mar 13 2019 TXZ021>044-132045- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale- Floyd-Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 343 AM CDT Wed Mar 13 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Strong westerly winds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts to 70 mph at times will envelop the region later this morning and continue through late this evening. A High Wind Warning is in effect from 10 AM until 10 PM. Blowing dust will also restrict visibility at times, especially near exposed fields and construction sites. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday No hazardous weather is expected at this time.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
436 AM CDT WED MAR 13 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1055 PM TSTM WND DMG O'DONNELL 32.97N 101.83W
03/12/2019 LYNN TX LAW ENFORCEMENT
*** 1 INJ *** TWO WAREHOUSES HEAVILY DAMAGED, UTILITY
POLES DAMAGED, AND SEMI BLOWN OVER ON HIGHWAY 87 CAUSING
MINOR INJURY TO DRIVER.
&&
EVENT NUMBER LUB1900122
MCZThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
22 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet in Caprock Canyons State Park.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Anton.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Aiken.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Denver City.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Dimmitt.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Hackberry.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Muleshoe.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Friona.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Turkey.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Ralls.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Roaring Springs.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Amherst.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet in New Home.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Morton.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet southwest of Guthrie.
Measured at the NWS office.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Tulia.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Brownfield.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Aspermont.
Measured by the Childress ASOS.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Plainview.
Measured by a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Post.
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, March 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: 802386, 802396, 802392, 802401, 802384, 802394, 802389, 802383, 802387, 802398, 802393, 802390, 802403, 802395, 802400, 802397, 802385, 802402, 802406, 802388, 802391, 802404.