Winter Weather — Swisher, Texas

2013-12-21 · Swisher, Texas

Wider weather episode

In advance of an upper low in the Desert Southwest, a very rich feed of subtropical and Gulf moisture overspread much of west and northwest Texas by the afternoon of the 20th resulting in a widespread rain event. In Childress County and into parts of the Rolling Plains, marginally freezing temperatures following a weak cold front from earlier in the day resulted in several hours of light to moderate freezing rain. Roughly 16 hours of freezing rain fell in Childress from the afternoon of the 20th before ending late in the morning on the 21st. Although ground temperatures remained above freezing through the event, exposed objects such as trees, power lines and fences in Childress County ended up with 0.1 to nearly 0.3 inches of ice. The ice buildup on power lines resulted in over 700 residents in Childress losing power, but fortunately area roads remained warm enough through the event and Christmas travel was not seriously impacted.

Light freezing rain was also observed farther south in Cottle and Dickens counties, and the wintry precipitation was able to form a light accumulation on trees, power lines, and vehicles. Near the end of the event, precipitation fell as snow across the extreme south-central Texas Panhandle. A cooperative weather observer reported 2.0 inches of snow in Dimmitt (Castro County) and law enforcement reported 3.0 inches in Happy (Swisher County). One motorist fatality was reported due to slick roads on Interstate 27 near Tulia.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 482425. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.