Winter Weather — Lubbock, Texas

2012-12-10 · Lubbock, Texas

Event narrative

A 56 year old woman was fatally injured after her minivan encountered an icy patch along Highway 114 west of Reese Center, slid off the road, and rolled in the ditch. A passenger was moderately injured and transported to a hospital. Both occupants were wearing their seatbelts.

Wider weather episode

Following a strong cold front early on the 9th, a fast-moving upper trough in northwest flow passed over the South Plains late on the 9th and early on the 10th accompanied by a very narrow, but impressive band of moderate to occasionally heavy snow. Even with mild ground temperatures and the fast movement of the snow band, the season's first snow resulted in accumulations around 1/2 inch over much of the South Plains. Muleshoe received the most snow at 1 inch. From midnight through the early morning of the 10th, very cold temperatures in the lower teens and single digits above zero led to hazardous road conditions. Several vehicle accidents were reported by DPS officials, particularly in Lubbock. A fatal vehicle rollover occurred west of Reese Center on Highway 114 after a minivan encountered an icy patch and slid off the road.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 415901. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.