A strong upper level system moved across central portions of the United States. In response to this, a dryline that retreated westward the previous night, set up over combined Panhandles and provided sufficient lift and moisture for showers and thunderstorms to form the afternoon and evening of the 19th.
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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 AMA wrote it up.
A strong upper level system moved across central portions of the United States. In response to this, a dryline that retreated westward the previous night, set up over combined Panhandles and provided sufficient lift and moisture for showers and thunderstorms to form the afternoon and evening of the 19th. In the Texas Panhandle, scattered thunderstorms produced severe, straight-line wind gusts. Virga showers also produced rogue severe wind gusts.
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 19, 1:01 PM CST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 201 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 ...New KEY MESSAGES, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 200 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 - Thunderstorm chances return across the northern half of the Panhandles this afternoon through this evening. Storms may produce strong to potentially severe wind gusts in addition to lightning. - After a few dry days, shower and thunderstorm chances look to return Friday through next weekend. - Temperatures over the next week should remain around to slightly above average. && .SHORT TERM ... (This evening through Tuesday night) Issued at 200 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 An upper level low is currently over western SD with an associated trough dipping down into NM at this time, as seen on GOES water vapor imagery. The base of the trough is firing off some convection over central NM at this time. This activity is expected to make its way into the combined Panhandles later today into tonight. This system is expected to bring some slightly better moisture to the northern combined Panhandles where the highest chances to measure rain currently are. Further south into the TX Panhandle, the lower levels are expected to be too dry for precipitation to reach the ground. Therefore, this system along with upper level moisture may spark some virga showers late this afternoon into evening across much of the TX Panhandle. Rogue wind gusts in excess of 50 mph will be possible with this activity. Likewise, in the north, a dry surface especially ahead of an expected cold front may provide a potential for severe storms that would otherwise not be. This evenings showers and storms are expected to swing in from NE NM and SE CO this afternoon. The main wind threat will be with the initial leading edge of thunderstorm activity. DCAPE values are progged to be in the 1200 to 1400 J/Kg range before showers moisten the column and diminish the DCAPE, especially behind the front. MLCAPE is only looking to be 400 to 600 J/Kg with LCL's around 3km. Strong inverted "V"s can be seen in the forecast soundings ahead of the system. Tonight, winds will shift northerly behind a weak cold front blowing in the 15 to 20 mph range. The front is expected to keep temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s across the board tomorrow afternoon. Winds will gradually fall off and start returning to the south for tomorrow night. 36 && .LONG TERM ... (Wednesday through next Sunday) Issued at 200 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 Expecting a warming trend under a building ridge Wed through the weekend. Fri and Sat look to be the warmest days with highs in the lower 90s. Although there is a potential to actually come in warmer, with temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. Perturbations in the upcoming ridge aloft, along with the potential for hanging onto some higher Tds Fri into weekend, there will be some slight chances for thunderstorms each afternoon into overnight period. Slight to chance PoPs are favoring the eastern combined Panhandles at this time. The potential for widespread severe storms is not looking favorable at this time, but will keep watching model trends heading into Memorial Day weekend. 36 && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1155 AM CDT Mon May 19 2025 Generally VFR conditions expected to prevail through the TAF period. There is a slight chance that showers and thunder impact KGUY around 00Z Tue or there after. However, confidence is low enough to leave out of the TAF at this time. Virga showers will be possible near KDHT and KAMA later on around 00Z as well. These virga showers may produce some gusty and erratic winds. Otherwise surface winds are expected to be mainly southwesterly around 20 kts with maybe some gust up to 35 kts, especially around KAMA. Winds should eventually turn westerly around 00z then northerly around 06z Tuesday. 36 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 48 79 52 86 / 10 0 0 0 Beaver OK 47 81 46 85 / 20 0 0 0 Boise City OK 41 76 43 84 / 40 0 0 0 Borger TX 50 83 52 88 / 10 0 0 0 Boys Ranch TX 47 81 47 88 / 10 0 0 0 Canyon TX 47 79 49 86 / 10 0 0 0 Clarendon TX 52 80 53 88 / 10 0 0 0 Dalhart TX 41 78 42 85 / 20 0 0 0 Guymon OK 44 80 44 84 / 30 0 0 0 Hereford TX 46 80 48 87 / 10 0 0 0 Lipscomb TX 51 81 51 85 / 10 0 0 0 Pampa TX 50 79 53 86 / 10 0 0 0 Shamrock TX 53 81 54 88 / 10 0 0 0 Wellington TX 55 81 54 88 / 10 0 0 0 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && SHORT TERM...36 LONG TERM....36 AVIATION...36
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 206 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-200715- 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- 206 PM CDT Mon May 19 2025 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Thunderstorms are possible across the northern half of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles this afternoon and evening. The potential for severe thunderstorms is very low, but breezy to gusty winds will be possible with any storms. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Thunderstorm chances return Friday through Sunday across portions of the combined Panhandles. The potential for severe thunderstorms is low at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:43 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The mesonet station located one mile east of McLean observed a 60mph wind gust from a few showers that moved across the region.
The mesonet station located four miles east of Wheeler measured a 63mph wind gust from some showers that moved across the area.
Multiple wind gusts in excess of 58 mph occurred between 1934CDT and 2114CDT. Peak wind gusts of 67 mph occurred at 1939CDT under decaying thunderstorms.
The AWOS station located one mile north-northwest of Spearman measured a 61mph wind gust from showers and thunderstorms in the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2025
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: 1259179, 1259180, 1259182, 1259183.