Flash Flood — Parmer, Texas

2024-11-02 · near Farwell, Parmer, Texas

Event narrative

Rain showers and thunderstorms moving out of New Mexico early on the morning of the second repeatedly trained over Parmer County producing nearly four inches of rain within a few hours. Law enforcement in Parmer County as well as pictures from social media showed water over US Highway 60 between Farwell and Bovina as well as several other roadways. Additionally, law enforcement reported several vehicles were stranded in flood waters.

Wider weather episode

Several rounds of thunderstorms occurred throughout the day on the second. Lift from an approaching mid-level disturbance sparked rapid thunderstorm development as it overspread a moist and unstable atmosphere spreading back into eastern New Mexico. Several of these storms became strong to severe early on, while torrential rain led to areas of flash flooding. The thunderstorm activity in eastern New Mexico quickly expanded into a large complex as it spread into West Texas late on the first into early on the second. One stronger segment embedded in the initial line of storms moving across the South Plains early in the morning generated a wind gust as high as 68 mph in Lamb County. Another severe wind gust, peaking at 61 mph, was measured in Lubbock County as the line progressed eastward. However, much more widespread was the heavy rain that this activity provided to the region. Locations over the southwestern Texas Panhandle, in Parmer County, recorded rain totals near and above three inches with the first round of thunderstorms early in the morning. Roads quickly became inundated and several vehicles flooded out. Heavy rain advanced into the central South Plains mid-morning, bringing deluges to many spots, including in and around Lubbock. A quick one to three inches of rain produced widespread street flooding in Lubbock and quickly saturated the top soils. As temperatures warmed into the 70s and lower 80s south of an outflow boundary, a new round of robust thunderstorms formed over southeast New Mexico into the northern Permian Basin during the afternoon. This activity weakened as it moved over the much cooler air over the South and Rolling Plains during the evening but it did bring more heavy rain to the region.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.3426, -103.0435)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1216293. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.