Winter Weather — Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos, Texas

2004-02-12 to 2004-02-14 · Reeves County and Upper Trans Pecos, Texas

Wider weather episode

An upper level storm system took up residence over the border area west of El Paso late on the 11th, and persisted until it ejected east over West Texas during the overnight hours of the 13th and the early morning of the 14th. An arctic cold front swept south across the region in advance of the upper low. An extended period of weak isentropic upglide over the shallow surface cold dome resulted in a light freezing drizzle and snow flurries across much of West Texas. A thin sheet of ice (1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick) coated driving surfaces including bridges and overpasses. Numerous traffic accidents occurred across the area. Five fatalities and eight injuries were indirectly attributed to the icy conditions.The frozen precipitation began early on the 12th immediately behind the passing cold front. The onset of wintry weather just before rush hour resulted in approximately sixty-five traffic accidents on overpasses in the Midland/Odessa area. All overpasses on Loop 250 in Midland were closed by local authorities. In addition, parts of Interstate 20 near Stanton were closed due to a "major" traffic collision.Hazardous driving conditions from Pecos County to the Davis Mountains resulted in up to sixty weather related accidents during the evening of the 12th. Although no injuries were reported, several highways were closed including U.S. Highways 285 and 382 in southern Pecos County, and Highway 118 through the Davis Mountains. The Pecos Department of Public Safety office reported a total of 140 weather related accidents in their area of jurisdiction throughout the event. Freezing drizzle again spread northeast across the Upper Trans Pecos and the Permian Basin early on the 13th. A head on collision was reported on an icy overpass along the Andrews Highway north of Odessa in the pre-dawn hours. Dangerous conditions brought traffic to a standstill and caused up to twenty accidents along Interstate 20 between West Odessa and Monahans shortly after sunrise. One such accident included a school bus that rolled over just west of Penwell. Fortunately, no children were onboard and no injuries were reported.Authorities in Reeves County were forced to close Interstates 10 and 20 where they converge southwest of Pecos after several accidents occurred in that area. A temporary shelter was established in Pecos to house stranded travelers. The upper level storm system began to track east across West Texas late on the 13th. As it did, cooling associated with large scale deep layer lift resulted in light to moderate snowfall mixing with freezing drizzle. The already hazardous driving conditions on area roadways and highways deteriorated further. Numerous accidents were reported across the area, with the first indirect fatality of the event occurring around 2000 LST when a teenage girl lost control of her vehicle and rolled on U.S. Highway 62 in northern Gaines County. Three others were injured. Two fatal accidents occurred along Interstate 20 around 2100 LST. The icy interstate highway led to a single car roll over one mile west of Stanton that resulted in two deaths, and another single car roll over on the icy Rankin Highway overpass in Midland claimed one life.A fourth fatality accident occurred just as the lingering wrap around precipitation was moving out of the region around 0900 LST on the 14th. A single vehicle roll over on U.S. Highway 87 twenty miles north of Big Spring claimed one life and injured five others.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5386289. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.