A strong cold front moved south through the Texas Panhandle during the evening. The combination of strong low pressure pulling out of the area and high pressure surging into the area following the frontal passage led to a few reports of high winds across the northeast, north-central and east-central Texas Panhandle.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 AMA wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved south through the Texas Panhandle during the evening. The combination of strong low pressure pulling out of the area and high pressure surging into the area following the frontal passage led to a few reports of high winds across the northeast, north-central and east-central Texas Panhandle.
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 Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 16, 5:24 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 624 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2020 .AVIATION... VFR conditions expected throughout the 00Z TAF period. A cold front continues to work its way south as it has already gone through KDHT/KGUY with the winds shifting to northerly as it will pass through KAMA between 02-03Z Friday. Winds behind the cold front will be gusty at times sustained 20-25 kts with gusts above 30 kts at times. Winds will subside as we go past 12Z Friday with sustained values out of the north 15-20 kts and decreasing further to 10-15 kts past 18Z Friday to the end of the forecast period. Skies will remain at VFR levels throughout the TAF period. Meccariello && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 252 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2020/ SHORT TERM... At H5 there is mostly zonal flow aloft with a positively tilted shortwave trough down stream. The trough axis runs from about North Dakota southwest into northern Utah. The trough will continue to dig south as it moves of the Rocky Mountains. An associated cold front will move through the area tonight making Friday much cooler. Today, most of the area will see daytime highs reaching 70's to low 80's with the exception of the central to western Oklahoma Panhandle where a stationary front has decided to sit. Models have suggested a lee side low developing over the New Mexico/Texas state line that will hold the front until this evening. If the front does start to move the forecasted highs may be a little too warm. Winds will be around 20 mph out of the south to southwest ahead of the front. As the cold front moves through this evening, winds will pick up to around 25 to 30 mph out of the north. Some models are hinting at some thunderstorms popping off over the far northeast FA this evening with the front. It looks like the higher moister will remain to the east outside of the FA. Cannot rule out a storm starting in the area then moving east out of the Panhandles. Temperatures will drop to below freezing overnight with the exception of the far southeast Texas Panhandle, where temperatures may remain slightly above. By sunrise Friday morning, high pressure should have built over the area and the pressure gradient will relax bringing the winds down. Friday will be on the cool side with Max Temperatures around mid to upper 50s. Friday night lows should be a smidgen warmer with most of the area above 32 degrees but below 40. Hoffeditz LONG TERM...Saturday through Thursday A quick moving S/WV in fast zonal flow will approach the area from the west on Saturday. Strong H85 theta-e advection suggests significant low level moisture feeding into the area below a capping inversion which will promote morning low clouds and possibly a some light drizzle in the morning. The S/WV will push significant mid and high cloudiness across the area. There is a low chance for a high based storms across the north where strongest PVA exists in the late aftn and evening, although CAPE appears very limited attm and we have to get by that cap. SFC low will deepen across SE CO and NE NM causing a increase in SRLY flow before it kicks east pulling a trough and eventually a weak cold front across the area through Early Sunday. ECMWF is a bit stronger developing the SFC low to the east and therefore has a bit stronger wind field behind the front on Sunday, but it seems a bit of an outlier at this point. Will be something to watch. The split jet will persist into next week. A trough will develop in the NRN stream across the Great Lakes on Sunday as a strong relatively zonal jet remains in place across the SRN CONUS into TUE. Models are in a little better agreement WRT the next trough to impact the area around the Tue/Wed timeframe, although differences in strength and timing do remain. The ECMWF has trended a noticeably weaker with this system as previous runs had shown potential for a significant SVR episode given h5 closed low circling SRN NV. GEM is now the most aggressive with precip because it holds all energy in one stronger trough while the GFS and ECMWF bring across two distinct but weaker S/WVs. Operational GFS is weaker and faster than the GEFS ensemble mean which suggests it is displaying a typical dry bias as well. We can not rule out precip chcs lasting into Wed with potential for the system to slow and strengthen. NBM POPs are around 30% for both Tue night and Wed which looks reasonable given the timing differences. Of course these differences in the H5 pattern details will be key in TSTM character/strength. SVR storms can not be rule out by any means during this period but can't predict them occurring with any confidence either at this point. Forecast is very much seasonal for the end of the period. Gittinger Fire Weather... Currently forecast do not show elevated conditions occurring, but we will have to watch Saturday for a potential for stronger winds and lower RH than currently shown behind a trough which will bring dry air into the western Panhandles. Same will could be true across the west if the next system were to track a bit further north. Otherwise, no highlights are expected based on current forecasts. Gittinger && .AMA Watches/Warnings/Advisories... TX...None. OK...None. && 29/77
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 307 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2020 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-171100- Cimarron-Texas-Beaver-Dallam-Sherman-Hansford-Ochiltree-Lipscomb- Hartley-Moore-Hutchinson-Roberts-Hemphill-Oldham-Potter-Carson- Gray-Wheeler-Deaf Smith-Randall-Armstrong-Donley-Collingsworth- Palo Duro Canyon- 307 PM CDT Thu Apr 16 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Isolated thunderstorms are possible across far eastern sections of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles late this evening. If storms form, they are expected to remain below severe levels, but gusty winds will be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Thunderstorms may develop Saturday evening across the eastern half of the Oklahoma Panhandle as well as parts of the northeast Texas Panhandle. If storms develop, gusty winds will be possible, but the overall severe storm threat remains very low. Additional thunderstorms will be possible late Tuesday through Wednesday across most of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. Severe storms can not be ruled out at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The West Texas Mesonet station 1 mile northwest of Palo Duro Reservoir measured sustained winds in the 40 to 42 MPH range during this time period. The highest sustained wind of 42 MPH occurred at 20:15.
The West Texas Mesonet station 6 miles east of Canadian measured sustained winds in the 40 to 50 MPH range during this time period. The highest sustained wind of 50 MPH occurred at 20:34.
The West Texas Mesonet station 1 mile north-northwest of Stinnett measured sustained winds in the 40 to 46 MPH range during this time period. The highest sustained winds of 46 MPH occurred at 20:20 and 20:50.
This gust was measured at the West Texas Mesonet station 6 miles east of Canadian.
The West Texas Mesonet station 2 miles northwest of Lake McClellan measured sustained winds in the 40 to 48 MPH range during this time period. The highest sustained wind of 48 MPH occurred at 21:38.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2020
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: 877924, 877916, 877926, 877920, 877922.