Scattered thunderstorms developed in the central South Plains on the afternoon of the 28th and quickly raced east. One of these storms became severe as it moved over Lockney (Floyd County) causing widespread wind damage within the town.
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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 in the central South Plains on the afternoon of the 28th and quickly raced east. One of these storms became severe as it moved over Lockney (Floyd County) causing widespread wind damage within the town.
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 Jul 28, 5:23 PM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 623 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020 .AVIATION... Scattered TSRA moving west to east across the forecast area this evening will affect KLBB and KPVW early with focus then shifting to KCDS. May see additional TS move out of the Panhandle toward KCDS later tonight, too, so will keep a TS mention there through the night. Away from TS prevailing VFR conditions are expected. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 242 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020/ SHORT TERM... The area will remain under the influence of an upper high system centered over the Desert Southwest. This will result in sustained northwesterly flow over the area for the short term. Tonight, decent moisture at all levels of the atmosphere will help keep chances of precipitaion in the forecast. With little change expected in conditions across the area this afternoon, storm initiation will likely be west and north of the area and then storms will move SE into the CWA. A few storms may make it as far south as Lubbock, but the best chances remain across the extreme southern Texas Panhandle where better moisture resides. For areas south of Lubbock we have kept a slight chance given dewpoints near or above 50, but the truth is storms are less likely to make it that far south. As we saw this morning, convective activity could last through tomorrow morning. Northwest flow aloft will continue tomorrow. However, the flow around the high will include a drier mid level flow resulting in the transport of warm dry continental air aloft. As a result the air mass will become more dry and we will see a downward trend in precipitation chances. Another side effect will be high temperatures in the upper 90s for much of the area tomorrow. LONG TERM... Drier mid-upper level air advected into the region the second half of Wednesday will tend to limit overall rain/storm chances during the evening/night. However, this may change on Thursday as an upper level ridge amplifies over the Intermountain West. This will cause the disturbance currently traversing the northern Rockies to dip southward over the central High Plains, while an associated cold front is progged to move into the CWA during the day Thursday. Although the bulk of the upper support will remain to our northeast, the frontal zone, combined with daytime heating, should prove sufficient to generate isolated to scattered convective development during the afternoon and evening hours. A modest uptick in instability and shear within the frontal zone could support a few strong to marginally severe storms too. Our upper flow will then turn more northerly late week and continue in that configuration through the remainder of the forecast as the western ridging holds firm. A secondary surge to the front is expected on Friday, and depending on where the front is by peak heating (potentially to our south), it will provide a focus for additional storm development. In addition, we'll have to watch for convection originating on the higher terrain of NM/CO making a run at the FA each evening/night. Currently the steering flow looks more northerly vs northwesterly, which would mean it may be difficult for this higher terrain activity to make it very far eastward. Thus, we have generally favored mentionable PoPs over our western/northwestern zones beyond Friday. However, there may be one or more disturbances embedded in the northerly flow that could perhaps boost rain chances over more of the region, though if/when/where this occurs is not clear at this point. In addition, we will have to keep an eye on another front that may drift toward the South Plains by late weekend, potentially enhancing rain chances, if it can make it. Otherwise, temperatures will dip below average behind the front late week before trending back upward over the weekend into early next week. Overall, minimal adjustment made to the extended forecast this go around. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 07
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 423 AM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020 TXZ021>044-290930- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 423 AM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
724 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020
TXZ030-290100-
Floyd TX-
724 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2020
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FLOYD AND NORTHEASTERN HALE
COUNTIES UNTIL 800 PM CDT...
At 723 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Aiken, or 12 miles northwest of Floydada, moving east at 30 mph.
Half inch hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this
storm.
Locations impacted include...
Floydada, Lockney, Dougherty, Aiken and South Plains.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm, and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
&&
LAT...LON 3389 10105 3386 10156 3427 10157 3431 10154
3431 10105
TIME...MOT...LOC 0023Z 258DEG 27KT 3410 10150
07The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:26 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported widespread wind damage in Lockney from a thunderstorm. Large tree limbs were downed and numerous fences were damaged.
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, July 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: 904234.