Thunderstorm Wind in Dickens County, Texas

A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet near Spur measured a severe wind gust to 64 mph.

A storm system approached the region from the southern Rockies and Desert Southwest. In addition, rich Gulf of Mexico moisture spread northward into the South Plains. As lift from the disturbance reached the moisture, scattered thunderstorms developed across the southwest Texas Panhandle and western South Plains on the afternoon of the 30th. The thunderstorms grew upscale into clusters and eventually a line of storms as they propagated eastward through the late afternoon and evening hours. Torrential rainfall accompanied the most intense activity, which led to flooded roadways in areas. One band of concentrated heavy rain became anchored from north-central Hockley County to southeast Lamb County, north of Levelland (Hockley County) to southeast of Littlefield (Lamb County). Several inches of fell in over the course of a couple hours, making travel difficult to impossible for a time along US Highways 84 and 385. Additional heavy rain was more transient in nature, but still created at least minor flooding in spots, including parts of Lubbock (Lubbock County). As the thunderstorm coverage and its associated rain cooled outflows grew in size, wind gusts increased. A couple of locations in the Rolling Plains recorded severe wind gusts.