Severe thunderstorms occurred across the Texas Panhandle from during the late afternoon through late evening hours on May 22nd through May 24th. 75 inches across parts of the southern Texas Panhandle.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Severe thunderstorms occurred across the Texas Panhandle from during the late afternoon through late evening hours on May 22nd through May 24th. On the 22nd the environment was such that a few isolated storms were able to produce hail between one inch and 2.75 inches across parts of the southern Texas Panhandle. On the 23rd, thunderstorms produced straight line winds in excess of 58 mph across the central to northern Texas Panhandle. Additional severe wind gusts also occurred on the 24th. Several landspouts also occurred during this time period. An additional landspout also occurred on May 26th in the southwest Texas Panhandle.
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 22, 4:40 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 540 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1155 AM CDT Fri May 22 2026 - Thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with a low to medium chance (15%) for severe storms that can produce large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. - Saturday further thunderstorms are forecasted for the afternoon and evening with a low chance (5%) for severe storms that can produce large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. - Low chances for even more thunderstorms Sunday and Monday. Chances of thunderstorms increase to medium mid next week. && .SHORT TERM... (This afternoon through Saturday night) Issued at 1155 AM CDT Fri May 22 2026 A surface low has developed to the north of the panhandles this morning. This feature has moved a surface boundary/cold front across the northwest portions of the panhandles. The upper portion of the weather system in the northern plains is shifting to the east today. This will bring a more west to east zonal flow across the southern plains allowing for a subtle wave to move across the region. The interaction between the current surface low and the subtle wave will be the key features that dictate the how the later afternoon to evening thunderstorms unfold for the panhandles. The surface boundary/cold front will separate the more unstable environment to its south and more conditional unstable environment to its north. The area south of the boundary will have instability ranging from 1500 to 3000 J/Kg of CAPE which will occur early in the day. For the areas north of the boundary instability will range from 1000 to 2500 J/Kg with it forming later in the day and into the overnight. Shear in both sectors remains modest at 20 to 40 kt with the shear being stronger towards the later afternoon to evening hours. As for forcing the subtle wave will create forcing mainly towards the southern panhandles when it passes through during the afternoon to evening hours. The northern panhandles will likely see the main weather system clip it this evening and overnight bringing stronger forcing. What all this means is that thunderstorms are expected in the panhandles with them occurring earlier for the southern panhandles and later for the northern panhandles. The timing of the southern thunderstorms will be as early as 4 to 5 PM but more likely from 6 to 11 PM. The northern storm timing will be later starting as early as 7 to 8 PM with most likely 10 PM to 4 AM. The more unstable conditions in the southern panhandles would normally yield more and stronger thunderstorms. However, the amount of forcing is in question with a stronger wave being able to provide for more forcing and thus greater activity. Conversely a weak wave would lead to less forcing and less thunderstorms activity. Now a wild card that has shown on the 18z sounding is that there is a stronger than forecasted cap over the panhandles. If this cap hold strong it can have a negative impact for all the potential convection today. The most likely mode of convection in the southern panhandles is that of multicells to linear thunderstorms. If the wave is potent enough then supercell could also occur, but this is a very low chance given current conditions. In the northern panhandles the storms also favor more linear convection but multicells can occur. The severe potential is better in the southern panhandles where the more unstable conditions will be located. There is a low to moderate chance (15%) for severe storms in this area with large hail and damaging winds being the main threats. In the northern panhandles the threats remain the same at large hail and damaging winds but the chances drop to low (5%). A further threat from all the storms will be heavy rainfall which will be higher the stronger a storm becomes. This can be an issue on the many recent burn scars which are more prone to flash flooding. Once all the thunderstorms end this evening or overnight a low bank of clouds can settle across the panhandles once again. It is unlikely that this will lead to any overnight fog or drizzle. Saturday the southern portion of the weather system passes across the southern plains as the whole of the weather system ejects to the northeast. This will provide the forcing needed to spawn rain showers and thunderstorms in the panhandles. However, the environment will be becoming less unstable as the weather system will be departing. This would bring a more modest instability of 1000 to 2000 J/Kg of CAPE to the panhandles. The shear likewise will see a downtrend to 15 to 30 kt across the panhandles. Overall this better environment for the thunderstorms will be in the western panhandles with conditions becoming a little less favorable to the eastern panhandles. This setup would most likely start thunderstorms in eastern NM to the western panhandles during the afternoon. The earliest time for start is around 4 to 5 PM with storms being most likely 7 PM to 1 AM. Once the storms get going they would generally pass west to east across the panhandles. While the environment is less capable compared to previous days it will still have a low chance (5%) of spawning severe thunderstorms. The main threat from severe storms will once again be large hail and damaging winds. These storms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall that can pose a flash flood risk to the fresh burn scars. This can be most troublesome for the burn scars in Randall and Potter Counties as the current guidance still favors this region for heavier rain. This threat will come to an end going into Sunday morning as the weather system departs and the thunderstorms fully come to an end. && .LONG TERM... (Sunday through next Thursday) Issued at 1155 AM CDT Fri May 22 2026 Sunday and Monday still has a high chance of a dirty ridge sitting across the southern plains. This would bring a down tick in the in the daily rain showers and thunderstorm chances. Still there will be enough moisture and instability to form afternoon and evening rain showers and thunderstorms. The next weather system is still looking favorable to arrive in the Great Plains for mid next week. The passage of the weather system will most likely bring the next round of more organized convection. Given the time of year this system will be capable of producing strong to even severe thunderstorms. After this system moves through the pattern is currently favoring higher pressure to move across the southern plains. This would bring another down tick in any chances for rain showers and thunderstorms going into later next week. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 528 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 Primarily VFR conditions should prevail through at least 10Z or so. The caveat to this is the chances for impacts from showers and thunderstorms. There is some uncertainty to the timing to any storms impacting the terminals, but KAMA and KDHT has a chance to be impacted within the first few hours of the period. There is a some probability to thunderstorms impacting KAMA after 06Z. However, thunderstorm activity could stay east of the KGUY/KAMA after 06Z. However, will be monitoring for the potential for low clouds and or fog going into the early Saturday morning. && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && SHORT TERM...98 LONG TERM....98 AVIATION...03
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Amarillo TX 126 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-230630- 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- 126 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. There is a low chance for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with large hail and damaging winds being the main threats. Heavy rainfall may occur with the stronger storms that can lead to localized flooding. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. Another round of rain showers and thunderstorms are forecasted for the afternoon and evening of Saturday. There is a low chance for severe storms with large hail and damaging winds being the main threats. Further rain showers and thunderstorms can potentially occur each day Sunday through Wednesday of next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
725 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026
TXZ016-017-230045-
Randall TX-Deaf Smith TX-
725 PM CDT Fri May 22 2026
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHWESTERN RANDALL AND
SOUTHEASTERN DEAF SMITH COUNTIES THROUGH 745 PM CDT...
At 725 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Buffalo Lake, or 14 miles southwest of Canyon. This thunderstorm was
nearly stationary.
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...
Dawn, Umbarger, and Buffalo Lake.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for
the Panhandle of Texas.
&&
LAT...LON 3475 10219 3495 10229 3502 10200 3475 10191
TIME...MOT...LOC 0025Z 244DEG 1KT 3486 10214
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
CORThe Amarillo radar (KAMA), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:56 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A swath of hail fell starting to the south of Bushland, with around quarter size being observed at these locations. Golfball size hail fell about two miles west of Bushland and baseball size hail (2.75 inches) fell about one mile east northeast of Bushland.
Hail started around 2000CDT and would continue for about 15 minutes. Accumulating hail occurred as well. Hail started small but would eventually peak at the size of quarters.
Landspout. Location: 36.400, -102.940. A brief landspout was observed about five miles east-northeast of Texline.
The mesonet measured a gust of 58 mph at 2021CDT with an increasing gust to 75 mph at 2023CDT.
A lot of small tree limbs, with a few 3 inch diameter branches, were blown down in the neighborhood after storms went through.
An anvil wind gust occurred at the mesonet site located one mile east-northeast of Mclean. The wind gust measured was 60mph and occurred behind a line of decaying showers.
Landspout. Location: 34.820, -102.410. A landspout occurred in Hereford as a weak storm developed over town. No damage occurred with this landspout.
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, May 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: 1335766, 1335768, 1338084, 1335770, 1335771, 1335772, 1335773, 1335776, 1335769, 1335777, 1338106, 1338107.