Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of the 28th and persisted through the evening producing several severe storms despite weak background forcing. Strong instability developed while the atmosphere became uncapped which allowed these supercell thunderstorms to develop.
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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.
Scattered supercell thunderstorms developed on the afternoon of the 28th and persisted through the evening producing several severe storms despite weak background forcing. Strong instability developed while the atmosphere became uncapped which allowed these supercell thunderstorms to develop. A slow moving storm near Vigo Park produced a brief tornado over an open field. More widespread thunderstorms evolved late in the evening while tracking from west to east over much of the South Plains and Rolling Plains. In Lubbock, a tree hit by lightning fell on a vehicle. These widespread slow moving storms produced extensive flash flooding especially over Lubbock County. Several roads were closed due to flooding with numerous stranded vehicles. After the cluster of thunderstorms moved east of Lubbock, a heat burst was observed at Reese Center (Lubbock County) within a stratiform region. A peak wind gust of 67 mph was observed with this heat burst as well as a 15 degree temperature increase.
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 May 28, 1:22 PM CST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 222 PM CDT Sun May 28 2023 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Monday) Issued at 218 PM CDT Sun May 28 2023 Sunshine was back in full force today on top of continued moist SE winds. Visible satellite captured a well-defined outflow boundary draped from Palo Duro Canyon southeast to Paducah in the wake of an MCS chugging across southwest Oklahoma. This boundary and its breezy upslope flow is serving to maximize moisture convergence just north of Amarillo as shown by the steady uptick in agitated Cu as of 130 PM. This area of building Cu becomes increasingly capped farther southwest ahead of a surface trough that curls south into eastern New Mexico. However, with continued insolation and CIN becoming more negligible we should see at least isolated storms develop later this afternoon across NM before spreading slowly east within only 10-20 knots of westerly flow from H7 to H5, respectively. MLCAPE is sufficient for some severe events with a likely uptick in storm coverage this evening as a shortwave trough (currently over central New Mexico) passes through. CAMs generally favor the southern South Plains for a multicell line, with some potential for an MCS to drop southeast from the eastern TX Panhandle tonight and graze our far NE zones. NBM's PoPs were tailored to this signal as it seems the most plausible for now. Precip should quickly end from NW-SE late tonight in the wake of the shortwave progged to dig southeast ahead of an amplifying upper ridge for Memorial Day. This ridge will make for perfect grilling weather thanks to much warmer highs in the mid-to-upper 80s with little cloud cover. Feel the NBM is a touch too warm given all the recent and widespread rainfall, so its highs were nudged down a bit. && .LONG TERM... (Monday night through next Saturday) Issued at 218 PM CDT Sun May 28 2023 Upper ridging will continue moving overhead tomorrow night into Tuesday. This upper ridge will keep the weather on the quiet side through at least Wednesday afternoon. The ridge will also allow highs to reach into the mid 80s to low 90s by Tuesday and Wednesday. The upper ridge will be kicked eastward by Wednesday afternoon/evening as an upper low makes its way from northern California to the Four Corners. The upper low will gain a negative tilt as it approaches the Four Corners which will chance upper diffluence as well as provide decent shear for an increased severe potential. Models are in decent agreement with developing dryline convection each afternoon/evening Wednesday through at least Friday. The upper low is progged to become removed from the main upper flow by Saturday resulting in fairly weak upper flow. Models then hint a the possibility of a weak backdoor cold front by late Saturday that should provide enough lift for general thunderstorm development. Plenty of moisture will still be available and would reintroduce the chance for heavy rainfall. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1212 PM CDT Sun May 28 2023 Lingering MVFR and IFR CIGs at CDS are on track to clear out to VFR in the next hour or so ahead of diminishing easterly winds. Would expect at least ISO TS development later this afternoon west of LBB and PVW, with better potential for LBB to see some TS by this evening. A second area of TS in the eastern Panhandle may sweep south tonight and could impact CDS, although this probability appears low for now. Lastly, patchy fog could develop just about anywhere toward daybreak on Memorial Day before clearing out after a few hours. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...93 LONG TERM....51 AVIATION...93
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Lubbock TX 1140 AM CDT Sun May 28 2023 TXZ021>044-291645- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 1140 AM CDT Sun May 28 2023 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Thunderstorms are expected to develop once again this afternoon across eastern New Mexico and move into portions of the South Plains this evening. Additional storms may spread south from the eastern Texas Panhandle tonight. Any of these storms could produce heavy rain and localized flooding, with a few storms becoming severe. Hail to quarter size and damaging winds to 70 mph will be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Thunderstorms are expected to develop each afternoon and persist into the evening and overnight hours from Wednesday through Friday. Some storms may be severe with large hail and damaging winds. Heavy rainfall may also result in localized flash flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is possible later today.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:09 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 tornado, 1 hail, 1 flood, 1 lightning, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A video shared on social media showed a brief tornado southwest of Vigo Park in an open field. No damage was known to have occurred.
The Silverton Volunteer Fire Department reported hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls southwest of Vigo Park.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Denver City measured severe wind gusts from 1748 CST through 1814 CST. A peak wind gust of 79 mph was measured at 1758 CST.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Brownfield measured a severe wind gust of 58 mph.
Law enforcement in Terry County reported water over the roadway on US Highway 385 between county roads 210 and 230.
A slow moving thunderstorm over southern Yoakum County created flash flooding along Texas State Highway 83 west of Denver City.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Wolfforth measured severe wind gusts from 1938 CST through 1944 CST. A peak wind gust of 64 mph was measured at 1944 CST.
Local broadcast media relayed photographs of a tree that fell on a car from a lightning strike.
Numerous reports were received of flooded roads in the city of Lubbock and Lubbock County. Several roads were impassable and as a result were closed due to water over the roadway. Some vehicles became stranded in high waters.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Reese Center measured severe wind gusts from 2100 CST through 2101 CST due to a heat burst. A peak wind gust of 67 mph was measured at 2100 CST.
A slow moving thunderstorm moved over Motley County creating flash flooding in and around Matador. The Motley County sheriff's office reported water over the roadway on US Highway 70/62 in Matador.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2023Warnings in Texas, May 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: 1097473, 1097484, 1097485, 1097486, 1097491, 1097492, 1097487, 1097489, 1097490, 1097488, 1097493.