Winter Weather — Collingsworth, Texas

2025-01-09 to 2025-01-10 · Collingsworth, Texas

Event narrative

Collingsworth County received 1 to 3 with this storm system.

Wider weather episode

A dynamic upper level storm system moved across the combined Panhandles on January 9, 2025. The setup was uniquely favorable for a portion of the Texas Panhandle to receive prolonged snowfall as well as a multi-hour window during the afternoon and evening where heavy snowfall occurred. A slower system, better moisture quality, cold front temperature reinforcement, Canadian River Valley enhancements, and several other surface level and atmospheric factors culminated to provide several inches of snow for the Panhandles. The onset of the event began around 5AM for the southern Texas Panhandle and the system slowly progressed northward. By 7-8AM, multiple locations in the south-central Texas Panhandle, such as Amarillo, Pampa, and Canyon, were reporting snowfall between one to two inches with more well on the way. That morning, enough of a convective component was at play that there were also reports of thundersnow. There was a small lull in the activity in the late morning, around the 10AM-12PM timeframe, due to some drier air that intruded through the Texas Panhandle. Just after noon, the second band of snow began to traverse across the area as it moved in from the west and south. Locations in the south-central Texas Panhandle started to see heavy snow from then until around 7PM. Moderate to heavy snow continued for areas downstream of the Canadian River Valley during the evening. Snowfall eventually tapered off close to midnight, but light snowfall and flurries still continued until around 3AM. Strong surface winds initiated in the afternoon and lasted through much of the night. Wind speeds even gusted to 60 mph near Dalhart for a continuous, roughly 25 minute period. Other areas in the western Panhandles also witnessed gusts between 40-50 mph. Blizzard-like conditions developed intermittently for those areas, while blowing snow sharply reduced visibility in other locations despite sustained winds ranging from 15-25 mph. Final storm total snow amounts ranged from 6-12 inches for portions of the Texas Panhandle under the Winter Storm Warning. Areas to the north and south of the heaviest band received between 1-4 inches. Drifts were reported to be as high as 10 feet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1235831. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.