A front was across the Permian Basin. A dryline was across Southeast New Mexico and far West Texas.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 MAF wrote it up.
A front was across the Permian Basin. A dryline was across Southeast New Mexico and far West Texas. The front and dryline provided lift and a focus for thunderstorms to develop. The atmosphere was very moist and unstable. Wind shear was also high across the area. These conditions resulted in thunderstorms across West Texas that produced hail and strong, damaging winds as well as a tornado.
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 Midland/Odessa, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 28, 1:47 PM CST, 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 247 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021 .DISCUSSION... Quick update for Severe Thunderstorm Watch # 219. Updates out shortly. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 202 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021/ DISCUSSION... KMAF 18Z RAOB shows a cap still in place, but considerably less than the 12Z run. For some reason, the raob came in w/a sfc Td of 24C, yielding mucapes of over 7000 J/kg! After editing the sounding for a sfc Td of 19C, mucapes dropped to 3400 J/kg, which is still potent. Mid-lvl lapse rates of near 9C/km and a wet-bulb zero of 8600' call for very large hail, and dcapes of 1300 J/kg suggest damaging winds as well. Deep-lyr shear of 40 kts will help maintain supercells, as will a 35+kt LLJ this evening. Radar already shows the first cell going up nrn Brewster County, and this is in line w/the latest HRRR run, which develops additional convection Permian Basin late this afternoon, then SE NM this evening on a possible MCS moving SE out of NM. Saturday looks to be a little less active, w/the primary focus being orographic lifting on easterly flow to the higher terrain out west near the dryline. By Sunday afternoon, the west coast trough will be over Baja del Norte, sending a strong shortwave into West texas and Southeast New Mexico, w/Sunday night looking to be best chances for rain this forecast, w/a continued severe threat. Monday night looks wet/severe as well, as another shortwave calves off the trough. Chances drop off after Monday, but the trough remains parked over Baja, and moisture isn't going anywhere, so a chance of convection remains in play each day. It goes w/out saying that temps will remain below normal in this pattern, given expected convection/cloud cover each day. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Big Spring 63 81 67 79 / 50 30 20 30 Carlsbad 64 87 67 85 / 20 20 30 50 Dryden 67 87 70 84 / 40 10 30 30 Fort Stockton 64 87 68 84 / 30 20 20 30 Guadalupe Pass 60 85 62 82 / 10 30 40 40 Hobbs 61 82 65 79 / 40 20 30 50 Marfa 58 89 62 84 / 10 30 30 40 Midland Intl Airport 63 82 67 80 / 50 20 20 40 Odessa 63 84 67 81 / 50 20 20 40 Wink 65 88 68 86 / 40 20 20 40 && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...None. TX...None. && 88/44
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 159 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021 NMZ027>029-033-034-TXZ045>048-050>053-059>063-067>070-075-082- 270>282-291900- Guadalupe Mountains of Eddy County-Eddy County Plains- Northern Lea County-Central Lea County-Southern Lea County-Gaines- Dawson-Borden-Scurry-Andrews-Martin-Howard-Mitchell-Loving-Winkler- Ector-Midland-Glasscock-Ward-Crane-Upton-Reagan-Pecos-Terrell- Guadalupe Mountains Above 7000 Feet-Guadalupe and Delaware Mountains- Van Horn and Highway 54 Corridor-Eastern Culberson County- Reeves County Plains-Chinati Mountains-Marfa Plateau-Davis Mountains- Davis Mountains Foothills-Central Brewster County-Chisos Basin- Presidio Valley-Lower Brewster County- 159 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021 /1259 PM MDT Fri May 28 2021/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast New Mexico, southwest Texas, and western Texas. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight There is an enhanced risk of severe storms, capable of producing large to very large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Heavy rain may also result in flash flooding. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday There is a risk of severe thunderstorms through Monday. Any severe storms that do develop will be accompanied by large hail, damaging winds, and an isolated tornado. Heavy rain may also result in flash flooding Sunday and Monday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is anticipated. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state and CDC guidelines. This product, along with other watches, warnings, advisories, and statements issued by the National Weather Service Office in Midland, can be found on the internet at... https://weather.gov/midland
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX 141 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021 TXZ277>279-281915- Central Brewster County TX-Davis Mountains Foothills TX- Davis Mountains TX- 141 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN BREWSTER COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM CDT... At 141 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8 miles west of Marathon, or 18 miles southeast of Alpine, moving east at 5 mph. Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Marathon. LAT...LON 3005 10346 3023 10361 3046 10322 3014 10294 TIME...MOT...LOC 1841Z 248DEG 5KT 3021 10339 88
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Midland/Odessa TX
214 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021
TXZ075-277>279-281945-
Pecos TX-Central Brewster County TX-Davis Mountains Foothills TX-
Davis Mountains TX-
214 PM CDT Fri May 28 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN PECOS AND
NORTHWESTERN BREWSTER COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM CDT...
At 214 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 11
miles southwest of Marathon, or 20 miles southeast of Alpine, moving
southeast at 10 mph.
Nickel size hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible with
this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Marathon, Elephant Mountain and Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management
Area.
LAT...LON 3001 10355 3028 10356 3051 10322 3057 10303
3035 10290 3005 10322
TIME...MOT...LOC 1914Z 335DEG 7KT 3015 10342
88The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 239 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:54 UTC.
15 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm produced a tornado 13 miles south southwest of Marathon. The tornado lasted approximately five minutes. It occurred on private land in an open field and no damage was reported. It was rated as an EF-U.
A thunderstorm produced a 65 mph wind gust five miles west of Crane.
A thunderstorm produced a 61 mph wind gust ten miles south of Penwell.
A thunderstorm produced a 60 mph wind gust one mile west of Pleasant Farms.
A thunderstorm blew a powerline down on Highway 385 two miles north of Pleasant Farms. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A thunderstorm produced a 58 mph wind gust near Andrews.
A thunderstorm produced an estimated 65 mph wind gust four miles northwest of Midland. A three inch tree limb was broken. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A thunderstorm produced estimated winds of 60 mph resulting in small tree limbs being blown down seven miles west of Odessa. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A thunderstorm produced estimated 60 mph winds which knocked down power lines five miles north of West Odessa. The cost of damage is a very rough estimate.
A thunderstorm produced a 67 mph wind gust as measured by the Lomax mesonet.
A thunderstorm produced a 61 mph wind gust as measured by the mesonet by Big Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2021Warnings in Texas, May 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: 959588, 959589, 959590, 959775, 959591, 959779, 959592, 959593, 959783, 959785, 959594, 959797, 959595, 959596, 959800, 959597, 959598, 959599, 959718, 959719, 959720, 959753, 959755, 959949, 959758, 959760.