Isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of the 18th along remnant outflow boundaries from thunderstorm convection the previous evening. Strong low level shear along these boundaries and near thunderstorms were able to be stretched into landspout tornadoes.
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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.
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of the 18th along remnant outflow boundaries from thunderstorm convection the previous evening. Strong low level shear along these boundaries and near thunderstorms were able to be stretched into landspout tornadoes. A couple of brief landspout tornadoes were observed in Lubbock County.
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 18, 1:31 PM CST, 2 hours 34 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 231 PM CDT Sun Jul 18 2021 .SHORT TERM... Isolated, scattered showers have developed across the Rolling Plains and then southwestward to the northern Permian Basin along the remnants of an outflow boundary from an overnight MCS that moved across the western part of the forecast area and was in its dying phase in southeastern New Mexico. Regarding the bubbling showers across the forecast area this afternoon, shear is very weak and will definitely favor a very elementary 45 minute or so full life cycle with little in the way of outflow interaction being able to organize activity into anything more widespread. CAPE profiles and moisture levels favor the potential for a few strong updrafts on the upward bound, the downdrafts of which could produce marginally severe wind gusts and locally heavy rainfall in line with previous thinking. Much of the instability in the area of ongoing convection should get tapped out by early evening at which time the focus shifts to the north/northeast with the possibility of an approaching short wave trough bringing a round of isolated to scattered convection overnight. A slight increase in shear with the approach of the shortwave will bring a modest increase in potential for more widespread precip. One more upper trough during the day Monday combined with the modestly unstable and weakly-capped air mass will bring the chance for additional showers and storms mainly during the afternoon hours. With the limited potential for organized convection the lower MOS values for PoP's have been favored. Otherwise, no significant adjustments were made to the initialization. .LONG TERM... We pick up this period with flow aloft beginning to turn out of the northeast, typically setting up a cooler, but drier, pattern for us. The persistent western ridging will start to show signs of gradual weakening and flattening, allowing a trough to retrograde into TX by Tuesday afternoon. The start of this period, though, Monday evening into early Tuesday morning, will continue to see a chance for thunderstorms producing locally heavy rain across much of the CWA as a backdoor front/trough confronts PWATs well in excess of 1.3". Rain chances will quickly come to an end Tuesday morning from northeast to southeast as flow aloft continues to veer to the northeast, pulling in cool, dry air aloft. From here, a roughly 1020mb sfc high generally over MO sweeps out the rest of our moisture. For those who have been complaining of the humidity of recent days, Wednesday will be your best day this week as the drier air remains in place, but this will be fleeting. By Thursday, we start to see Gulf moisture advecting into the region, bringing back that uncomfortable and unusual late July sticky feeling. The aforementioned trough will cutoff over West Texas by Friday, and could bring a return of rain chances by next weekend. Models are still highly uncertain how far this low slips under the ridge by next weekend, so we have kept to slight mention PoPs for now. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 07/74
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 235 PM CDT Sun Jul 18 2021 TXZ021>044-191945- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 235 PM CDT Sun Jul 18 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop across the South Plains area, including the extreme southern Panhandle and the Rolling Plains. Heavy rain can be expected in the strongest storms with rain rates potentially upwards of two inches per hour which will lead to the potential for localized flash flooding. Isolated strong to damaging wind gusts between 50 to 60 mph will be possible as well, though the severe weather threat is low. Tropical showers and thunderstorms may persist into the overnight hours Sunday into early Monday morning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Rain and scattered thunderstorm chances will continue Monday into early Tuesday along with the risk for locally heavy rain and flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
LANDSPOUT. Near Woodrow: 33.420N, 101.840W. An off duty NWS employee observed a landspout tornado beneath a thunderstorm that had developed along an outflow boundary.
LANDSPOUT. Near Ropesville: 33.413N, 102.065W. Trained weather spotter observed a landspout tornado beneath a thunderstorm that had developed along an outflow boundary.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, July 2021
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: 966135, 966136.