Thunderstorm Wind in Cochran County, Texas

A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Sundown measured severe wind gusts from 1601 CST through 1611 CST. A peak wind gust of 68 mph was measured at 1602 CST.

A cold front moved into the South Plains on Independence Day serving as a focus for rapid thunderstorm development during the mid to late afternoon hours. Thunderstorms initially developed near the Texas/New Mexico state line from the western South Plains into southeast New Mexico underneath a very hot near surface atmosphere. The hot, deeply mixed lower levels of the atmosphere also supported plenty of potential for evaporative cooling as heavy precipitation fell into the layer from above. The rain-cooled air accelerated downward, creating strong to severe wind gusts as the air hit the ground and spread out. The most intense wind gusts, as high as 80 mph, impacted areas south of Levelland (Hockley County) to north of Ropesville (Hockley County).