High based thunderstorms developed within a deeply mixed boundary layer during the afternoon of the 13th across the extreme southwestern Texas Panhandle. A dryline was able to enhance vertical stretching beneath these high based storms creating a brief landspout tornado near Lariat (Parmer County).
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The episode as NWS LUB wrote it up.
High based thunderstorms developed within a deeply mixed boundary layer during the afternoon of the 13th across the extreme southwestern Texas Panhandle. A dryline was able to enhance vertical stretching beneath these high based storms creating a brief landspout tornado near Lariat (Parmer County). The landspout remained over an open field and caused 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 Apr 13, 11:29 AM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1229 PM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (Today and tonight) Issued at 306 AM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 Early morning water vapor imagery continued to show a wealth of dry air and subsidence atop the region west of a cutoff low near the LA coast. As this low finally mobilizes eastward through the day, stronger SW flow and modest height falls will overspread much of West TX. Surprisingly, 00Z RAOBs from MAF-AMA sampled near normal PWATs with values 130-150% of normal farther upstream from ABQ to EPZ. This moisture was largely found from 700-500 mb and will advect across our area this afternoon. At the surface, gusty southerly winds by midday unfortunately won't bring any additional moisture to the the table due to surface ridging remaining parked along the TX Gulf Coast. This lack of boundary layer moisture will breed deep mixing and strong heating with CINH being compromised by 1-3 PM near the NM border along a surface trough. Roughly 15-20 knots of steering flow will carry convection northeastward through the early evening. Overall consensus from CAMs is for ISO-SCT storms with the best clustering generally along and north of HWY 70 on the Caprock near the tail-end of a shortwave trough. Tall inverted-V profiles with LCLs around 10k ft normally don't offer much hope for precip, but with relatively slow cell motions and above normal PWATs, a longer residence time of downdrafts should allow rain to survive its journey through an otherwise arid sub-cloud layer. CAPE remains meager (generally AOB 500 J/kg) while DCAPEs are progged to flirt with 1000 J/kg at times. The latter supports keeping some severe wind mention in the grids. Showers and storms should quickly decay around sunset as winds veer SW overnight. NBM high temps were nudged higher across the board today with no changes to mild lows tonight. && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Wednesday) Issued at 306 AM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 The base of a broadening upper trough will track east across our area beginning Friday into Saturday. Dry, breezy surface winds will peak around 25 MPH on the Caprock Friday afternoon. High temperatures will be in the low to mid 80s for most locations with RH values in the single digits, with Near Critical to Critical fire weather concerns likely, along with the potential for some periods of patchy blowing dust. A surface cold front will quickly fill in behind the trough axis shifting east of the Rolling Plains overnight. Temperatures near or even slightly below normal for this time of year will highlight Saturday and Sunday with relatively light breezes and plenty of sunshine. Temperatures appear to climb back up into the 80s for most of next week with a weak signal for some potential dryline convection Monday and Tuesday evening, but no widespread precipitation. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1228 PM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 VFR conditions expected through much of the next 24 hours. Elevated showers this afternoon will being the potential for virga for areas on the Caprock. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...93 LONG TERM....55 AVIATION...10
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1123 AM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 TXZ021>044-141630- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 1123 AM CDT Thu Apr 13 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon across the western South Plains and far southwest Texas Panhandle. This activity will spread northeast over the remainder of the outlook area through the evening with a threat for locally damaging winds around 60 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. Elevated to critical fire weather conditions will be possible across portions of the Caprock tomorrow due to dry and breezy southwesterly winds. There is a slight chance for severe thunderstorms from Tuesday through Wednesday next week.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
LANDSPOUT. Location: 34.315N/102.876W. A New Mexico State Patrol officer took a photograph of a brief landspout tornado in an open field near Lariat.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2023
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: 1081292.