Several rounds of severe thunderstorms developed from the afternoon of the eighth into the late morning hours of the ninth. A slow moving closed off upper level low pressure system moved across Arizona and New Mexico on these days.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 LUB wrote it up.
Several rounds of severe thunderstorms developed from the afternoon of the eighth into the late morning hours of the ninth. A slow moving closed off upper level low pressure system moved across Arizona and New Mexico on these days. This system brought broad large scale lift over the region aiding in thunderstorm development. A slow moving cold front tracked southward through West Texas during the daytime hours of the eighth creating sufficient low level convergence for thunderstorms. Moisture streamed northward from the Gulf of Mexico in advance of the approaching upper level storm system. Strong instability developed underneath steep mid-level lapse rates despite a total solar eclipse briefly preventing solar insolation. This instability combined with strong deep layer shear produced storms with rotating updrafts promoting stronger updrafts and large hail. Most reports of hail ranged from sizes of quarter to golf ball. Relatively high cloud bases also promoted strong downdraft thunderstorm winds. The afternoon and evening thunderstorm activity quickly shifted to the east of the Rolling Plains and diminished after midnight. However, more widespread showers and thunderstorms rapidly redeveloped across eastern New Mexico and the western South Plains in the predawn hours of the ninth as the primary lift emerged across the southern High Plains. Isolated severe thunderstorms continued through the remainder of the morning hours of the ninth. One area of non-thunderstorm wind gusts were observed near Floydada (Floyd County) as light rain showers moved over a Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet.
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 8, 1:07 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 207 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Tuesday) Issued at 207 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 The main concern for today is the chances of severe thunderstorms starting off the Caprock this afternoon with chances redeveloping westward through midnight. A front will continue to move through this afternoon bringing low level convergence and moisture aiding in thunderstorm development. The more robust low level moisture should remain south of the FA resulting in high storm bases. The main threats for this afternoon's thunderstorms are large hail possibly up to baseball size and gusty winds. The upper level low now south of the Great Basin has closed off and will continue to move eastward across Arizona and New Mexico towards West Texas through tomorrow afternoon. Broad upper level divergence will create some weak lift to assist in the thunderstorms expected to develop this afternoon. Two surface lows will develop with one in southern New Mexico and the other in the Big Bend region separated by a dryline. Low level moisture ahead of the surface lows will most likely keep the dryline from moving too far east. Following tonight's convection, large scale lift in the form of height falls will increase considerably Tuesday afternoon resulting in widespread chances for showers and thunderstorms. There is a low chance for severe storms as the primary threat shifts to heavy rain and minor flooding given PWATs rising to 0.7" near the TX-NM border and to just over 1" in the Rolling Plains. && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday night through next Sunday) Issued at 207 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 The southern-stream, neutrally-tilting trough will pivot over the southern Great Plains on Tuesday evening while the mid-level circulation remains closed. Sharply cyclonic and difluent flow will be present overhead as the closed low rotates over West Texas, with the left exit-region of the high-level jet translating eastward into central North Texas by Tuesday night. The surface- and mid-level circulations will also begin to vertically-stack, with an expectation for mid-level frontogenesis to intensify as the axis of dilatation sharpens along the apex of the closed low. Deformation banding will occur, with locally enhanced rain rates possible across portions of the Caprock and Rolling Plains on Tuesday night as a weak, but tall, elevated mixed layer (EML) near 500-750 J/kg remains intact over the Rolling Plains ahead of the NVA advecting in on the backside of the mid-level low. The 10/00Z sounding climatology from the AMA RAOB site indicates a record precipitable water (PWAT) value of 0.77", and guidance is in agreement with record PWAT territory becoming realized as the belt of strong, mid-level theta-e advection advects westward along a well-defined axis of dilatation with PWATs between 0.80-1.00" possible within the moist sector. This, combined with the skinny EML, should galvanize the locally heavy rain potential and is, therefore, reflected in the official forecast for Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning. Localized flooding will be possible in low-lying and poor drainage areas, especially across the Rolling Plains. The base of the neutrally-tilted trough is forecast to pivot east of the CWA by sunrise Wednesday, with the axis of dilatation becoming more-diffuse and the mid-levels warm following the advection of NVA. This will cause the EML to erode entirely with only light rain showers expected to linger through the late morning and early afternoon hours. Total QPF from this event may have significant variability depending on locale; however, confidence continues to increase in a large footprint in beneficial rainfall with the official forecast reflecting between 0.75-1.50" with upwards of 2.00" in some areas across the CWA. By Wednesday afternoon, conditions will rapidly improve as northwesterly flow emerges over the region with full insolation occurring. Temperatures were lowered a few degrees to be within the 12Z MOS guidance envelope due to the wet ground despite efficient boundary-layer mixing and brisk, northerly winds post-frontal passage. Winds will slacken after sunset on Wednesday with a weak anticyclone drifting into the CWA. Return flow will eventually become established across the Caprock by Thursday as the surface anticyclone drifts into the Upper Red River Valley beneath a crystal clear sky. A gradual warming trend will follow by the end of the week as shortwave ridging builds into the region from the west, with very warm to even hot temperatures forecast in response to the rise in geopotential heights. Sincavage && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1221 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 Chances of severe thunderstorms in the region this evening but only expect to occur at KLBB. A cold front will move through this evening shifting winds from the north to east/northeast. MVFR conditions expected early Tuesday at all three TAF sites from low stratus clouds behind the front. There are also chances of showers Tuesday with slight chances of heavy rain and thunderstorms but confidence of timing and location is low at the moment. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...10 LONG TERM....09 AVIATION...10
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 544 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 TXZ021>044-092245- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 544 PM CDT Mon Apr 8 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop this afternoon across the Rolling Plains and portions of the central and eastern South Plains. These storms will be capable of producing wind gusts to 60 mph, very large hail up to the size of baseballs, and a tornado or two. The severe thunderstorm threat is expected to diminish after midnight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Thunderstorm chances continue into Tuesday and Wednesday across the entire area. Strong to marginally severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon may produce small hail along with periods of heavy rain leading to flooding concerns Tuesday afternoon through early Wednesday morning across the Caprock and Rolling Plains. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed.
The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:28 UTC.
8 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An off-duty NWS employee reported hail up to golf ball size east of Post along US Highway 380. No damage was reported.
A report was received of quarter size hail just to the north of Lake Alan Henry.
Local broadcast media relayed a report of quarter size hail in Slaton.
A public report was received of quarter size hail in Aspermont.
A trained spotter reported hail up to the size of half dollars in Slaton.
A porch awning and storage shed were heavily damaged near Shallowater.
An NWS cooperative weather observer reported that several power poles were blown over after a thunderstorm moved through the area.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Lake Alan Henry measured severe wind gusts from 0548 CST through 0549 CST. A peak wind gust of 69 mph was measured at 0548 CST.
A public report was received of quarter size hail on the north side of Lake Alan Henry.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Spur measured a wind gust of 59 mph.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site at Caprock Canyons State Park measured severe wind gusts from 1029 CST through 1030 CST. A peak wind gust of 88 mph was measured at 1029 CST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 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: 1162709, 1162711, 1162712, 1162713, 1162714, 1162715, 1162716, 1162717, 1162718, 1162719, 1162720, 1162721, 1162722, 1162723.