During the afternoon and evening hours of the 12th, abundant moisture and instability had set in place over the combined OK/TX Panhandles. 00 .
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 AMA wrote it up.
During the afternoon and evening hours of the 12th, abundant moisture and instability had set in place over the combined OK/TX Panhandles. As an upper level disturbance moved across it sparked some quick moving storms across the TX Panhandle that became severe and dropped hail stones between 0.75 and 1.00 . In the OK Panhandle storms had a bit more of an environment to work with allowing for a couple of storms to move slower and produce hail stones upwards of 1.75 , specifically in Texas County.
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 May 12, 12:01 PM CST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 101 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .SHORT TERM ... (This evening through Monday night) Issued at 1235 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 .SHORT TERM... A weather system is currently passing over the southern plains today generating a surface low in the panhandles as it does so. This system has pushed ample moisture across the panhandles for the last few days leading to the extensive cloud cover and earlier rain showers and thunderstorms. This system is causing increasing instability with its passage with a corridor of 500 to 1800 CAPE. This will allow further rain showers and thunderstorms to flair up this afternoon starting in the central and northern panhandles. Further rain showers and thunderstorms are then likely to form in the western panhandles as the low center passes through. All this activity will move eastward as both the system and the instability it is causing moves east. This system is causing some shear across the panhandles during its passage which will allow for some of the storms to organize and potentially become strong to severe. The primary threat from any of these strong to severe storms remains large hail and damaging winds. The chance for tornados is extremely low but a landspout cannot be fully ruled out as the upper low passes across the region. The chance for any strong to severe storm will strongly depend on how much heating will occur in the breaks of clouds. The more clearings and the longer duration of heating the higher the chance that a strong to severe storm will be. Conversely if the current cloud cover stick around longer then chance for a severe, much less any thunderstorms, becomes less. Rainfall accumulations from the rain showers and thunderstorms could be over an inch. However this will take either multiple showers and thunderstorms passing over the same area. It is almost as likely a spot will be missed by all the rain showers and thunderstorms and see no further accumulations of rain from this system. The passage of the surface low will act as a weak cold front shunting the bulk of the moisture to the east this evening. This will cause most of the rain showers and thunderstorms to end across the panhandles. There could still be a few light showers under the upper low mainly in the northern panhandles this evening to overnight during its passage. Monday will see the weather system still impacting the panhandles this time with some wrap around moisture. While low the moisture should prove sufficient to cause further isolated rain showers and thunderstorms. These have the best chance of occurring in the northern TX panhandle and OK panhandle as the moisture will be higher there. The rest of the TX panhandles will have a very low chance of seeing any further rainfall. Even areas that see more rain are unlikely to see much accumulation as these will be light rain showers. Winds will stay out of the north through the day and become gusty as the gradient from the weather system becomes tighter. Once the system pushes further eastward late in the day the winds will weaken again and become fairly light. SH && .LONG TERM ... (Tuesday through next Saturday) Issued at 1235 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 Ridging looks to be in control on Tuesday, resulting in temperatures peaking in the 80s to near 90 in some spots. Southerly winds will bring some moisture back to the area through the afternoon and evening hours, which could help a stray storm or two develop when a few models hint a potential impulse impedes the ridge. This is a low confidence scenario though, as models are quite split on the existence of this hypothetical impulse. Therefore, POPs remain <20% on Tuesday. Models agree active weather promptly returns to the Panhandles Wed- Thu, when showers and storms could be in play once again. The overall setup for storms looks rather messy, as a stalling cold front and upper level shortwave situate atop the Panhandles. The position of this front is still a point of contingency amongst guidance, as well as quality of moisture return and deep layer shear. If conditions culminate favorably though and more aggressive guidance comes to fruition, strong to severe storms with a wind and hail threat would be possible. As the aforementioned front gradually slides south, the parent trough situated over the southwest CONUS will translate eastward towards the Plains by Thursday, providing lift for additional showers and embedded storms. Anomalously high PWATs around 0.75-1.25" should exist throughout this time frame, supporting more chances at beneficial spring rains through Thursday night, even if the thunderstorm threat doesn't pan out. There's still ample time for this outlook to trend one way or the other, so please check back for updates as we get closer. We transition back to benign weather Friday as the system exits and dry air surges in. After cooler temps on Thursday in the wake of the front and under the influence of heavy cloud cover/rain, above average temperature come right on back by the weekend. Harrel && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 913 AM CDT Sun May 12 2024 A weather system continues to impact the entire panhandles and all terminals with rain showers and thunderstorms today. This system is causing low clouds decks this morning of MVFR to IFR levels which will then rise to VFR by the afternoon. However heavier showers and thunderstorms are expected during the afternoon to evening which can lead to MVFR to IFR conditions briefly. There will also be a small chance for strong to severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging winds this afternoon and evening. These storms could from over the airfields of KAMA and KGUY but are more likely to the east of the airfields. A surface low that is forming over the area will bring changing wind directions. Winds start off from the S and will shift to the W during the afternoon before finally shifting to the NW by the evening. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 50 78 48 86 / 20 10 0 0 Beaver OK 51 75 46 85 / 60 20 0 0 Boise City OK 47 76 44 84 / 50 10 0 10 Borger TX 54 81 49 90 / 40 10 0 10 Boys Ranch TX 50 81 47 89 / 20 10 0 0 Canyon TX 50 79 47 86 / 20 10 0 0 Clarendon TX 53 78 50 83 / 30 10 0 0 Dalhart TX 46 77 42 85 / 50 10 0 10 Guymon OK 49 76 45 86 / 50 10 0 10 Hereford TX 50 81 47 88 / 10 10 0 0 Lipscomb TX 52 75 48 84 / 70 20 0 0 Pampa TX 52 76 49 85 / 40 10 0 0 Shamrock TX 54 78 50 83 / 60 10 0 0 Wellington TX 55 79 51 84 / 60 10 0 0 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && SHORT TERM...98 LONG TERM....38 AVIATION...98
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 101 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-130615- 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- 101 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Another round of thunderstorms is expected this afternoon. Some thunderstorms may become strong to severe with the primary hazards of large hail and damaging winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Thunderstorms are possible Wednesday and Thursday. The probability for severe thunderstorms appears low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
119 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024
TXZ003-008-121845-
Hutchinson TX-Hansford TX-
119 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN HUTCHINSON AND
SOUTHWESTERN HANSFORD COUNTIES THROUGH 145 PM CDT...
At 118 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Morse, or 18 miles southwest of Spearman, moving northeast at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Morse and Pringle.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3616 10122 3590 10151 3594 10162 3596 10162
3627 10149
TIME...MOT...LOC 1818Z 211DEG 18KT 3609 10149
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
SHThe Amarillo radar (KAMA), 183 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:34 UTC.
6 hail, 2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Landspout. Location: 36.76 N/102.18 W.
Landspout. Location: 36.76 N/101.90 W. A landspout occurred near the intersection of highways 64 and 95 near the four corners region of Texas County just south of Eva.
Hail covered the highway at the intersection of highways 64 and 95. Most hail was about nickel size with the largest being golf ball size.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2024
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: 1188482, 1188483, 1184787, 1184788, 1184789, 1184790, 1184783, 1184791.