Monsoonal moisture created showers and thunderstorms over the higher terrain in northeast New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. These storms moved into the northwest combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles where the dry conditions at the surface helped created gusty conditions from rain cooled air.
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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 AMA wrote it up.
Monsoonal moisture created showers and thunderstorms over the higher terrain in northeast New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. These storms moved into the northwest combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles where the dry conditions at the surface helped created gusty conditions from rain cooled air. Thunderstorms generated severe wind gusts across the western Oklahoma 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 Jul 20, 5:25 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Amarillo TX 625 PM CDT Wed Jul 20 2022 .AVIATION...00Z TAF... Mostly VFR conditions expected to prevail through the 00Z TAF period. The exception being the possibility of showers impacting the terminals for a short time, mainly KDHT between 00Z and 06Z where amendments may be needed. These may or may not reduce VIS for a short periods of time. There may also be some isolated thunder. However, confidence in the terminals being impacted is low enough at this time that there is no mention of the showers or thunder in the TAF for any of the terminals. There will be better chances for thunder toward the end of the this 00Z period and the start of the next 00Z period. Winds will be mostly out of the southeast, 5-15 kts, unless influenced by outflow boundaries. Hoffeditz && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 215 PM CDT Wed Jul 20 2022/ SHORT TERM...This afternoon through tomorrow night... The main story of the short term is the continued precipitation chances through most, if not all of, the short term. Showers and thunderstorms are possible area wide and a few storms could be strong to severe, with damaging wind gusts the primary hazard. Temperatures will be just above or near normal during this time frame. Rain showers and isolated thunderstorms are continuing across the central and eastern Panhandles early this afternoon. This is keeping temperatures cooler in the east, especially where rain is falling. Observed satellite imagery depicts clearing clouds in the western Panhandles, which is allowing temperatures to warm into the mid 90s so far today. H300 high pressure to the west of the forecast area will keep the Southern High Plains underneath northwest flow aloft through the short term. The first shortwave is expected to move over the higher terrain to the west and eventually make it to the Panhandles by this evening. Storms are forecast to form off of the higher terrain and will make it to the Panhandles later on today. Isolated severe wind gusts are possible with the storms, particularly before sunset, given inverted V forecast soundings. The aforementioned shortwave will push a weak surface cold front across the Panhandles tonight, which will switch winds to out of the north as it progresses through the area. Heading into tomorrow, 12z CAMs and other short term guidance are in fairly good agreement that showers and storms will begin to form early on tomorrow. The exact location of any convection differs from model to model, so have went with widespread low mentions of PoPs at this time. Another shortwave passes across the area Thursday evening, bringing along with it additional chances for precipitation, with the higher chances in the western zones. Temperatures today and tomorrow will remain mainly in the mid to upper 90s, with isolated areas near 100. Muscha LONG TERM (Friday through Tuesday)... Overview: The extended forecast is mainly hot and dry. While rainfall chances exist across a few different days, a majority of the Panhandles are going to unfortunately miss out. Summertime thunderstorms are very difficult to forecast regarding initiation, but at this time it does appear the northwest and north will be favored Sun/Sun night, Mon/Mon night, and again Tue/Tue night. As of now, it does appear thunderstorm activity should stay away from the Panhandles Friday and Saturday. Given the pattern and variables in place, widespread severe weather does not look likely, but it doesn't take much for a thunderstorm to cause damaging wind gusts in the summer here across the Panhandles. There is also a small chance for fire weather conditions to creep back into the mix on Saturday across those areas that have dried fuels. Further Details: Starting Friday, a 500mb high roughly over the Four Corners region will slowly start moving east over the Panhandles. The center of this H5 high could be centered over (or close to) the Panhandles through most of the weekend. This may suppress our precipitation chances through most of the weekend. By Sunday, the high could break down and move far enough east to allow for a shortwave to come into the region. A broad area of cyclonic flow at 500mb north of the Great Lakes will help bring these pieces of energy through the region. This will likely be the case the following couple days as the ridge of high pressure at 500mb stays broken down and far enough east to allow these shortwave pieces of energy to flow over the forecast area. All that said, we are lacking variables to make any of these precipitation chances truly noteworthy. Meaning a lot of areas will likely miss out on rainfall. Those that are lucky enough to get rain could get a decent amount as forecast soundings show PWATs around 1.00" or greater through this time period. This is in addition to weak mean flow, so storms will likely be very slow movers which means isolated flooding may become an issue for a few select areas. We may need to keep an eye on Saturday for fire weather concerns. This may be the first day in a while we have sustained surface winds around 20-25 mph across most of the area. We haven't seen too many breezy days this summer, and this is not a good combination for hot and dry conditions. Some areas could see those fuels become more receptive to fire starts. Not a huge concern at this time, but something worth discussing and watching. Guerrero && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && 36/77
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 218 PM CDT Wed Jul 20 2022 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-210730- 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- 218 PM CDT Wed Jul 20 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Thunderstorms are possible across the eastern Panhandles this afternoon, and then again tonight for another round across mainly the western Panhandles. Strong gusty winds and locally heavy rain will be possible, but widespread severe weather is not expected. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Thunderstorms are possible across parts of the Panhandles Thursday, and then again Sunday through Tuesday. Widespread severe weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 177 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:39 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Very high dewpoint and temperature spread at the surface led to gusty conditions as the line of storms moved in.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, July 2022
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: 1047430.