A third consecutive afternoon of isolated thunderstorms developed across the region. Very hot temperatures allowed storms to initially develop in the central and southern Texas Panhandle and slowly move southeastward.
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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.
A third consecutive afternoon of isolated thunderstorms developed across the region. Very hot temperatures allowed storms to initially develop in the central and southern Texas Panhandle and slowly move southeastward. A dry sub-cloud layer allowed these storms to produce strong wind gusts as the surface. Some of these isolated storms became severe with several Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet sites recording severe wind gusts. A wake low developed within the stratiform region of departing thunderstorms and generated a severe wind gust of 59 mph near Friona (Parmer County) measured by the 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 Aug 16, 5:25 PM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 625 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Saturday) Issued at 204 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 The upper ridge has been slowly meandering eastward this morning and expected to be centered over New Mexico by this afternoon. Height rises and south southwesterly downsloping surface winds will help to give way to widespread triple digit heat across the forecast area. As convective temperatures are breached this afternoon, the chance for thunderstorms will increase along surface troughing across eastern New Mexico and into the Texas Panhandle. As of 1 PM CDT, the development of cumulus clouds can be seen on visible satellite imagery across eastern New Mexico into the Panhandle of Texas and Oklahoma in conjunction with a shallow layer of mid-level moisture. Not much buoyant air present today with SBCAPE values around or less than 1000 J/kg. However, bulk shear around 20 to 25 knots will suffice for supporting a few updrafts. Storms will be high-based with DCAPE values around 2000 J/kg. Thus, the main threats this evening will be strong wind gusts. Any storm that develops may produce locally heavy rainfall and flooding concerns. Storms will quickly diminish as the sun sets and the boundary layer decouples with the loss of daytime heating. Tonight, temperatures will mild and remain above normal in the upper 60s to 70s. The upper ridge will continue to move northeast into northeastern New Mexico. Southerly surface winds will prevail with continued widespread triple digit heat. Thus, a Heat Advisory for will be issued for tomorrow afternoon Noon to 8 PM CDT. Precipitation chances remain low tomorrow afternoon. However, if a storm or two were to develop the best chances would be across the far southern Texas Panhandle. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday night through next Thursday) Issued at 204 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 The heat will continue unabated through the forecast period as upper level ridging will remain overhead, although the center of this ridge will have some movement that will cause some relatively minor fluctuations in day-to-day temperatures. The relatively flat/zonal pattern over the CONUS with the subtropical ridge extending from southern California to the Gulf Coast today will amplify through the weekend with the ridge building northward over the entirety of the Great Plains while troughs over both coasts deepen. This will bring the center of the high over the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles before a modest retrograde westward over eastern New Mexico early next week. The highly amplified pattern over the eastern two-thirds of the CONUS could lead to some surface flow moving into the forecast area with the possibility of some cooling away from the more extreme temperatures of the weekend to early next week. However, 12Z extended MOS values are backing off on the cooling and approaching the warm end of guidance where NBM sits. Will make no change from the initialization while will lead to likely Heat Advisory criteria being reached off the Caprock each day through Wednesday and possibly beyond that into Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately the strength and positioning of the ridge do not favor precipitation across the forecast area at least through Wednesday and likely through the end of the period. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 624 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 A line of thunderstorms currently moving southward across the TX Panhandle and may make it to KCDS later this evening. Otherwise VFR and light winds will continue. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for TXZ024>026-031-032- 037-038-042>044. Heat Advisory from noon to 8 PM CDT Saturday for TXZ024>026-031- 032-037-038-043-044. && SHORT TERM...11 LONG TERM....07 AVIATION...19
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 207 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 TXZ021>044-171915- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 207 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. High temperatures of 105 to 109 degrees are expected today for locations along and east of the Caprock Escarpment. A Heat Advisory is in effect for this area until 8 PM CDT. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop over the far southern Texas Panhandle this afternoon and evening. Wind gusts up to 60 mph and brief heavy rain will be possible with the strongest of these storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. High temperatures of 105 to 109 degrees are expected Saturday for locations along and east of the Caprock Escarpment. A Heat Advisory has been issued for Noon to 8 PM CDT tomorrow. High temperatures of 105 to 109 degrees are likely for areas off the Caprock from Sunday through Wednesday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
631 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024
TXZ021>024-170000-
Briscoe TX-Swisher TX-Castro TX-Parmer TX-
631 PM CDT Fri Aug 16 2024
...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN
PARMER...NORTHERN CASTRO...NORTHERN SWISHER AND NORTHWESTERN BRISCOE
COUNTIES THROUGH 700 PM CDT...
At 631 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles south of Buffalo Lake, or 18 miles east of Hereford, moving
east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and half inch 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...
Tulia, Dimmitt, Silverton, Happy, Summerfield, Vigo Park, Easter,
Mackenzie Reservoir, and Nazareth.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
&&
LAT...LON 3475 10121 3446 10126 3456 10261 3475 10256
TIME...MOT...LOC 2331Z 285DEG 22KT 3476 10209
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
APThe Amarillo radar (KAMA), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:35 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Happy measured severe wind gusts from 1737 CST through 1739 CST. A peak wind gust of 65 mph was measured at 1737 CST.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Hart measured a severe wind gust of 59 mph.
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, August 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: 1193951, 1193953, 1193956.