Thunderstorm Wind in Hall County, Texas

A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site near Lesley measured severe wind gusts from 1704 CST through 1705 CST. A peak gust of 63 mph was measured at 1704 CST.

Despite the absence of large scale lift over West Texas, numerous severe thunderstorms were able to form on the afternoon of the 22nd. Strong surface heating existed along and east of a diffuse dryline roughly around the US Highway 385 corridor. Low level moisture return east of the dryline combined with steep mid level lapse rates to create an unstable atmosphere by mid-afternoon. Veering and increasing winds with height allowed some storms to become organized and produced large hail and damaging wind gusts. The initial activity developed over the south-central Texas Panhandle, with additional development farther southwestward into the western South Plains. Large hail up to tennis ball size and gusty outflow winds were common with the strongest storms. One particularly intense storm approached the Matador area (Motley County). This storm was rotating rapidly aloft but never produced a tornado.