Thunderstorm Wind in Dickens County, Texas

An NWS storm survey revealed a swath of high winds from a supercell thunderstorm from approximately three miles northwest of McAdoo, through McAdoo, and into Dickens. Most of the damage from severe thunderstorm winds was found in McAdoo. An old, abandoned grocery store was completely demolished, with cinder block walls collapsed to the outside of the building in a roughly symmetrical pattern. A farmer's coop building lost roughly 30 feet of the northern portion of the metal panel roof. Roof damage to several other structures was mostly observed as peeling of roofing material on the north and/or west sides of the structures. Additionally, the sheriff's office in Dickens reported multiple broken windows due to wind driven hail. All of the damage indicators supported severe straight line wind damage associated with a strong rear flank downdraft surge observed on radar imagery. A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site three miles northwest of McAdoo measured severe wind gusts from 2037 CST through 2042 CST. A peak wind gust of 90 mph was measured at 2039 CST.

The approach of an upper level storm system through the Four Corners, in combination with a gradual return of Gulf of Mexico moisture, a tightening dryline, and lifting warm front triggered scattered thunderstorms on the afternoon and evening of the 25th. The initial thunderstorm development was concentrated across the southwestern Texas Panhandle as well as the western South Plains, in close proximity to the warm front and dryline. The most intense storm of the day evolved from a cluster of thunderstorms over the southwestern Texas Panhandle during the late afternoon hours. Once the storm became organized it began rotating and took a right turn. The southeast track of the supercell brought the thunderstorm across Tulia (Swisher County), just northeast of Floydada (Floyd County), and eventually through McAdoo and Dickens (Dickens County) before finally weakening over far southeast Dickens County late in the evening. During its greater than six hour trek, the supercell thunderstorm was a proficient hail producer, tossing hail as large as baseballs, softballs, and even grapefruit size. The large to giant hail caused significant damage around the region, including Dickens, which took a direct hit. Windows were smashed out of homes and vehicles, while roofs and siding incurred large impact craters. The hail-producing thunderstorm occasionally generated intense straight-line winds too. A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near McAdoo measured a peak wind gust of 90 mph. In addition to generating very large hail and damaging winds, the supercell produced one brief tornado near Dougherty, in a rural area of southeastern Floyd County.