An upper level storm system became nearly stationary, centered close to El Paso, which allowed extremely moist air to continue to be pumped up into West Texas on the 31st. The near record moisture levels, along with the nearby upper level low, and weak daytime heating, initiated a round of westward-moving showers and thunderstorms that dumped torrential rain in spots adding to the already…
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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.
An upper level storm system became nearly stationary, centered close to El Paso, which allowed extremely moist air to continue to be pumped up into West Texas on the 31st. The near record moisture levels, along with the nearby upper level low, and weak daytime heating, initiated a round of westward-moving showers and thunderstorms that dumped torrential rain in spots adding to the already saturated soils. A number of area roadways become inundated with water stopping traffic and causing some vehicles to be washed off the road. In addition to causing flooding in and around Lubbock (Lubbock County), Brownfield (Terry County), and Post (Garza County), a couple of the tropical showers generated brief funnel clouds. These tropical-type funnels did no known damage.
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 Aug 31, 11:45 AM CST, 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1245 PM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today and tonight) Issued at 244 AM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 Early morning water-vapor imagery continues to depict the center of the upper-level low positioned over far southeastern New Mexico. A plume of moisture continues to be advected northward into the forecast area and this plume is expected to remain over the forecast area through the day today as the low continues to slowly drift WSW. This will allow showers to continue across the region through the morning hours but with limited instability no thunder is expected. With the recent rainfall, light winds, and abundant moisture, some patchy fog and low clouds may develop around sunrise however dense fog is not expected to be widespread. Late this morning and into the afternoon a vort max is expected to lift NNW from central TX which should reinvigorate showers and thunderstorms with the main focus being across the southern half of the forecast area. With very high PWAT values across the region, the main concern today will be localized flooding due to efficient heavy rainfall with the stronger showers and thunderstorms. The persistent cloud cover should keep instability values generally at or below 1000 J/Kg and with a saturated column no severe weather is anticipated today. The persistent cloud cover will also keep high temperatures below normal today generally ranging from the mid 70s to the mid 80s. With the loss of daytime heating, thunderstorm activity should begin to wane. However, with the vort max and moisture plume over the forecast area light to moderate rain showers may continue through the overnight hours. /WCI && .LONG TERM... (Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 244 AM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 Unsettled weather will continue on Thursday for most of the CWA as a shortwave trough departs to the east of the region. Meanwhile, the expanding anticyclonic flow over the Great Basin, in tandem with the position of the departing shortwave trough, will send a mid-level cold front southward over the CWA and therefore shunt shower and thunderstorm potential to the south and southeast throughout the course of the day Thursday. Dense overcast will encompass most of the forecast area during the morning hours and gradually scour out as the drier air advects overhead, with conditions clearing altogether near sunset Thursday across the CWA. Despite the presence of weak, southerly flow, the dense overcast will inhibit insolation with temperatures peaking in the lower 80s area-wide. Temperatures will increase a few degrees on Friday into the middle-upper 80s with benign weather as the anticyclonic flow aloft noses into the region, and blended PoPs were removed as dry air/northerly flow within the 700-300 mb layer continues to advect overhead. PoPs return on Saturday as a high-level shortwave trough pivots into the southern Great Plains with the possibility of a compact 500 mb cutoff low over North Texas. This will send a cold front southward into the region by Saturday morning, shifting winds to the north initially post-FROPA before transitioning to the east by late afternoon. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are forecast to develop during the afternoon hours, perhaps in the form of a loosely-organized complex. Precipitable water content is forecast to remain well below the 99th percentile on Saturday, and a generally brisk storm motion out of the north-northeast will preclude a pertinent flooding risk despite the recent rainfall across the region over the last few weeks. The CWA is forecast to remain along the eastern periphery of the mid/upper-level ridge centered over the Great Basin for the remainder of the weekend into early next week while the sub-tropical ridge over the western Atlantic Basin remains locked over the southeastern U.S., potentially maintaining the position of the weak cutoff low over North Texas. Regardless if a mid-level circulation is present or not, low PoPs have been maintained through the end of the forecast period as a few subtle shortwave perturbations rotate along the downstream portion of the mid/upper-level ridge to the west of the region. Sincavage && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1238 PM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected in the vicinity of all three terminals through the remainder of this afternoon and evening with coverage and intensity to lessen after sunset and shift south of KCDS, but persist near KPVW and KLBB. Periods of MVFR/IFR visibility and ceilings will be possible when this activity is overhead of the terminals. Low clouds and patchy fog development will also be possible early Thursday morning. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...58 LONG TERM....09 AVIATION...55
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 243 AM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 TXZ021>044-010745- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 243 AM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be possible across portions of the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and far southern Texas Panhandle this afternoon and evening. The strongest storms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall that may lead to localized flooding in addition to gusty winds up to 50 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible on Thursday across the region, decreasing in coverage from north to south throughout the day. Rain shower and thunderstorm chances return on Saturday for the region, with locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds expected with the strongest storms. Low chances for showers and thunderstorms will also continue into early next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Lubbock TX 121 PM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 TXZ021-022-027>029-033>036-039>043-312030- Parmer-Castro-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby- Yoakum-Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent- Including the cities of Friona, Bovina, Farwell, Dimmitt, Hart, Muleshoe, Littlefield, Amherst, Olton, Plainview, Hale Center, Morton, Whiteface, Levelland, Sundown, Lubbock, Wolfforth, Slaton, Ralls, Crosbyton, Denver City, Plains, Brownfield, Meadow, Wellman, Tahoka, New Home, ODonnell, Post, Lake Alan Henry, and Jayton 121 PM CDT Wed Aug 31 2022 ...Tropical-type funnel clouds have been sighted across the Lubbock area this afternoon in association with bands of heavy rain showers... At 111 PM CDT, Doppler radar showed several westward moving bands of showers and thunderstorms stretching from Parmer County in the northwest to Stonewall County in the southeast. Atmospheric conditions this afternoon are favorable for funnel cloud or landspout formation. Occasionally, funnel clouds can briefly reach the ground and become a landspout. If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building if a landspout is observed.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 26 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:28 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Photographs on social media showed that a portion of US Highway 87 near Farm to Market Road 41 was flooded.
A photograph on social media showed a vehicle that had drifted off the road at a low water crossing in Brownfield. The Brownfield police department confirmed that there were several flooded out vehicles throughout town. Additionally, heavy rainfall led to several flooded out buildings in town.
The Texas Department of Transportation reported that a portion of US Highway 84 was underwater due to heavy rainfall and a large backup in traffic occurred due to the flooded roadway.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, August 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: 1044372, 1044373, 1044374.