Several consecutive days of southwesterly flow aloft were capped off by a final day of severe convection on the 18th. A short wave moved from southwest to northeast over the region ahead of a large upper level low off the southern California coast.
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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.
Several consecutive days of southwesterly flow aloft were capped off by a final day of severe convection on the 18th. A short wave moved from southwest to northeast over the region ahead of a large upper level low off the southern California coast. Strong low level moisture was present in the region which created a very unstable atmosphere. Although convection was fairly unorganized, a few strong updrafts were able to generate very large hail. One of these thunderstorms developed over the southwestern portion of Lubbock County and tracked through Wolfforth (Lubbock County) and western portions of the city of Lubbock (Lubbock County). A swath of severe hail was reported through this track with a maximum hail size of 2.25 inches. A second severe thunderstorm tracked from the southeastern side of Childress (Childress County) northward up US Highway 83. This storm produced hail up to golf ball size.
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 18, 1:47 PM CST, 2 hours 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 247 PM CDT Wed Mar 18 2020 .SHORT TERM... Rain showers and severe thunderstorms remain a concern this evening into tonight across much of the area. GOES-East WV shows a low just off the CA coast with a strong shortwave trough rounding the eastern edge of the low aided by a strong upper level jet. As the afternoon progresses this shortwave trough will continue to move eastward as the parent low is absorbed by an upper level low over NV. Simultaneously the subtropical moisture plume will continue to draw moisture into the Desert SW and then into our region helping dewpoints slowly climb into the low 60s. Slowly increasing dewpoints will combine with diurnal heating to create an unstable environment. This instability will be met by broad upper level divergence ahead of the shortwave to create isolate to scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. CAMS models suggest this storm development will be somewhat disorganized at the start and favoring the warm sector, but precip/storm coverage will largely ramp up later in the evening, peaking overnight. Little change overall in the convective parameters.... MUCAPE values continue to be between 1300 to 2000 J/kg with deep layer shear values near 45 knots to as high as 55 knots. Low level wind shear however remains modest at best. This combination will support the potential for large hail and severe wind gusts with storms that do develop. Tornadoes will also be possible if LLWS values can increase through the utilization of residual boundaries. As the main upper low moves eastward the associated Pacific cold front will move through the region. The cold front will provide even more lift resulting in the possibility of another round of severe storms early tomorrow morning. The severe weather threat will quickly come to an end after the passage of the cold front tomorrow morning. Strong winds are expected behind the front through the day Thursday with values near Wind Advisory levels. For now will hold off issuing a wind advisory given the weather concerns for tonight. .LONG TERM... After all the busy weather Tonight and Tomorrow, things will settle down for the most part through the rest of the forecast. Behind the Pacific front and strong winds tomorrow will be a colder polar front which will arrive in the early morning hours Friday. We will probably see breezy conditions immediately behind the front but wind speeds should decrease as the frontal zone deepens over the area through the day. High temperatures will drop back into the upper 40s to lower 50s on Friday and Saturday with most of the Caprock seeing a freeze Friday morning and all but the far southeastern Rolling Plains with a freeze Saturday morning. Zonal flow will then set up for the rest of the forecast with a few weak disturbances moving over the region. We will warm back into the 60s for Sunday and then temperatures will warm back into the 70s for much of next week. The warm-up on Sunday will take place ahead of the strongest shortwave that will move across the area and southeasterly surface flow develops as surface pressure falls occur ahead of the shortwave. Unfortunately the best moisture return will take place late in the day and will only give the Rolling Plains a chance of showers before the lift is east of the area Saturday night. After that, we should remain dry as a weak sloshing dryline develops allowing moisture to mix east through the day and then attempt to mix back west as the boundary layer decouples. All in all, a relatively quiet week next week weather-wise compared to how this week has gone so far... && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 28/14
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Lubbock TX 811 AM CDT Wed Mar 18 2020 TXZ021>044-191315- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 811 AM CDT Wed Mar 18 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A couple of rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms, capable of producing locally heavy rainfall, will be possible from very late this afternoon through late tonight. Initially, isolated to scattered thunderstorms early this evening will be capable of producing 2 inch diameter hail, wind gusts to 60 mph and perhaps an isolated tornado. A second more widespread cluster or line of storms will race eastward across parts of the area late this evening. Damaging winds to 70 mph will be the great threat with this late evening activity, though ping pong ball sized hail and a brief tornado to two will also be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Strong westerly winds, sustained at 25 to 40 mph, are likely for much of the South Plains region on Thursday. These winds may also loft areas of blowing dust. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:28 UTC.
3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous reports of hail from off-duty NWS employees and social media were received as a severe thunderstorm tracked from south of Wolfforth to western Lubbock. Hail ranged in size from quarters to one report of tennis ball size. No damage was reported.
A swath of golf ball size hail fell from southeastern Childress to approximately seven miles north of Childress along US Highway 83. No damage was reported.
A picture on social media depicted half dollar size hail along US Highway 62/82 northeast of Wolfforth. No damage was reported.
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, March 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: 873741, 873743, 873742.