High Wind — Castro, Texas

2025-05-19 · Castro, Texas

51 MG

Magnitude

Wider weather episode

A strong upper level storm system approaching the area combined with strong surface winds to create severe wind gusts on the afternoon of the 19th. A Pacific cold front moved through the area early in the day bringing gusty westerly winds to the region. The approaching upper level storm system brought strong lift overhead but moisture was limited to the mid-levels of the atmosphere. As a result, virga showers developed underneath a deeply mixed boundary layer. These virga showers combined with the already strong surface winds to create isolated severe wind gusts across the region. Additionally, a dust devil moved over the Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet site at O'Donnell (Lynn County) creating a severe wind gust.

High wind gusts from the Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet are listed below:

70 mph at O'Donnell (Lynn County),

68 mph at Muleshoe (Bailey County),

61 mph at Aiken (Hale County),

60 mph at Memphis (Hall County), and

59 mph at Dimmitt (Castro County).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1245849. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.