A dryline emerged over the Rolling Plains on the afternoon of the 31st. At the same time, a cold front was moving southward which generated strong thunderstorms at the intersection of these two features.
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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 dryline emerged over the Rolling Plains on the afternoon of the 31st. At the same time, a cold front was moving southward which generated strong thunderstorms at the intersection of these two features. This activity initially formed over the southeastern Texas Panhandle and moved southward into the Rolling Plains during the evening hours. These storms produced a mix of large hail up to golf ball size along with severe wind gusts up to 68 mph.
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 Mar 31, 4:50 PM CST, 16 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lubbock TX 550 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 545 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 - Storm chances this evening, mainly over the Rolling Plains. - Additional shower and thunderstorm chances Wednesday and Friday evenings, mainly off the Caprock. - Elevated-to-critical fire weather conditions continue through the end of the week. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Wednesday) Issued at 142 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 An upper shortwave will move over the area by the early evening and a dryline looks to set up south and east of the I-27 corridor. This will bring additional chances of showers and thunderstorms. MUCAPE is currently in the 1500-2000 J/kg range. However, the current synoptic setup and potential capping should keep these confined to the Rolling Plains and far SE Panhandle. As with last night's storms, the main threat would be strong winds. Latest CAMs indicate it ending slightly sooner than last night within the next few hours. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday through Monday) Issued at 1208 AM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 An upper trough and surface cold front moving through during the day Wednesday will lead to height falls and thus slightly cooler high temperatures, in the low-to-mid 80s on the Caprock. Forcing parameters will increase by late-afternoon as the trough axis moves through the area along with a potent low-level jet. Despite all this, dewpoints remain unimpressive for much of the area behind the aforementioned front and any storms should develop off the Caprock and quickly depart east of the CWA due to the fast westerly steering flow. Winds would likely be the main threat. Breezy sustained winds near 25 mph will bring elevated to near critical fire weather conditions to the western South Plains and far SW Texas Panhandle. Blowing dust is also possible, potentially leading to periods of reduced visibility. Zonal flow aloft and the absence of any upper waves will bring a lull in the active weather pattern on Thursday. Winds will turn westerly to southerly through the day and highs will generally top out in the mid 80s. However, given dry fuels, elevated-to-critical fire weather conditions are possible area-wide. The parade of upper troughs will continue on Friday and again lead to chances of showers and thunderstorms. As the trough looks to be quite positively tilted, its orientation would be such that these would generally develop off the Caprock. Uncertainty still remains and depending if the dryline were to set up farther west, then the PoPs would follow suit. A surface cold front will accompany the aforementioned trough as it moves over the area and winds will switch to the NE, bringing cooler and more benign conditions this weekend. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 545 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 Showers and thunderstorms will continue at KCDS for the next hour or two, with possible reduced visibilities and gusty and erratic winds within the storms. Otherwise VFR will persist at all sites through the end of the TAF period. Gusty westerly winds will develop Wednesday afternoon. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 1208 AM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 A Rangeland Fire Danger Statement is in effect this afternoon through evening for areas on the Caprock. Although westerly winds will only be sustained near 15 mph, RHs will be in the teens and fuels are favorable, as much of last night's precipitation occurred along and east of I-27 which was nonetheless not overly significant. There is also a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly over the Rolling Plains this evening. Strong and erratic winds along with lightning strikes are possible within these storms. Westerly Winds will increase on Wednesday, potentially reaching near 30 mph sustained along the TX/NM border. Temperatures will be about 5-10 degrees cooler than Tuesday, however given the continued favorable fuels, elevated to near critical fire weather conditions are possible the western South Plains and far SW Texas Panhandle. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for TXZ021>024-027>030-033>036-039>042. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM....19 AVIATION...19
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Lubbock TX 455 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 TXZ021>044-012200- Parmer-Castro-Swisher-Briscoe-Hall-Childress-Bailey-Lamb-Hale-Floyd- Motley-Cottle-Cochran-Hockley-Lubbock-Crosby-Dickens-King-Yoakum- Terry-Lynn-Garza-Kent-Stonewall- 455 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the South Plains, Rolling Plains, and the far Southern Texas Panhandle. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will continue off the Caprock through this evening. A few storms may be severe and will be capable of producing wind gusts up to 70 mph and hail up to the size of quarters. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 11 PM for the southeastern Texas Panhandle and northern Rolling Plains. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Showers and thunderstorms are possible Wednesday, mainly off the Caprock. The main threat would be strong winds. Elevated to critical fire weather is possible everyday through Friday, mainly on the Caprock. Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible Friday.
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:06 UTC.
4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm chaser and NWS cooperative weather observer reported quarter size hail north of Childress along US Highway 83 and northwest of Childress.
Several reports were received of a swath of hail approximately five miles southwest of Childress along US Highway 83 into the city of Childress. Hail ranged in size from quarters to golf ball size.
A storm chaser and NWS cooperative weather observer reported a swath of hail from the city of Paducah to approximately four miles northeast of Paducah. Hail ranged in size from half dollar to ping pong ball size.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Hackberry measured severe wind gusts from 1909 CST through 1912 CST. A peak wind gust of 68 mph was measured at 1910 CST.
A storm chaser reported hail ranging in size from quarters to golf balls south of the Cottle/King County line along US Highway 83.
An Automated Weather Observing Station near Guthrie measured a wind gust of 59 mph.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Guthrie measured a wind gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 2026
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: 1318552, 1318554, 1318559, 1318560, 1318561, 1318563, 1318564.