Tornado in Castro County, Texas

A long lived supercell tracked from Bailey County into Lamb County and then into Castro County producing periodic severe hail and a tornado from Lamb County into Castro County. Several funnel and tornado reports were received early in the morning of the 26th as WSR-88D data showed increasing and tightening low-level circulation east of Springlake. A photograph of a wedge-type tornado was taken by a storm chaser at 0135 CST southwest of Hart. No reports of damage were received.

Low level atmospheric moisture continued to increase for another consecutive day across the South Plains and Rolling Plains of West Texas on the afternoon of the 25th. Numerous outflow boundaries, a dryline, and a cold front provided a focus for thunderstorm initiation during the afternoon hours. Three rounds of severe storms affected the Texas South Plains region from the afternoon of the 25th to the early morning hours of the 26th. A supercell thunderstorm developed just east of the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (Bailey County) late in the afternoon. As the storm moved slowly southeast, it produced at least one tornado that passed just north of the small community of Bula (Bailey County). This first tornado, which lofted copious amounts of dust, was well-documented by storm chasers, with numerous photos and videos of it before it dissipated in southwestern Lamb County. The supercell thunderstorm continued to produce periods of strong low-level rotation as it inched southeast into northern Hockley County. The storm may have spawned additional brief tornadoes based on radar data, but there was no confirmation of any additional tornadoes. However, the slow-moving supercell dropped massive amounts of rainfall, particularly in northeast Hockley County. This resulted in flash flooding around Anton and Smyer in Hockley County resulting in numerous roads becoming impassable. This same supercell thunderstorm also produced very large hail up to four inches in diameter. Severe storms continued through the rest of the evening into the morning hours on Saturday producing very large hail. Another supercell thunderstorm tracked from Bailey County across Lamb and Castro Counties. This storm produced at least one tornado that narrowly missed the towns of Springlake (Lamb County) and Hart (Castro County). A photograph taken by a storm chaser west of Hart is the only definitive evidence of a tornado as no wind damage was reported. Lastly, a small complex of storms moved slowly across the far southeastern Texas Panhandle early Saturday morning producing extensive flash flooding and numerous road closures. Localized rainfall amounts were estimated to be between four and five inches over northeastern Hall County.