Winter Weather — Lubbock, Texas

2015-03-04 · Lubbock, Texas

Wider weather episode

After a mild start to the day, a strong cold front brought frigid air to the region by mid-morning on the 4th. With a favorably timed upper level trough, widespread precipitation developed late this morning across the South Plains before expanding into the far southern Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains. The precipitation started as light to moderate rain, but as temperatures cooled, the rain changed to freezing rain through the morning before turning to sleet and snow thereafter. Freezing rain produced a thin coating of ice on trees, grass, cars, and eventually some roads. A particularly intense band of snow spread northeastward over much of the South Plains through the early to mid-afternoon hours. The heaviest sleet and snow gradually shifted eastward across the Rolling Plains during the late afternoon and evening hours before diminishing late in the evening.

Automobile accidents due to slick conditions were most pronounced west of Lubbock along Highway 114 near County Road 1100. Here, a 10-car crash resulted in several people being taken to area hospitals, all for minor injuries.

Total snowfall reports are as follows:

4.5 inches at Turkey (Hall County),

3.0 inches at Hart (Castro County), Memphis (Hall County), Paducah (Cottle County), and Tulia (Swisher County),

2.5 inches at Childress (Childress County), Jayton (Kent County), Olton (Lamb County), and Silverton (Briscoe County)

2.0 inches at Matador (Motley County) and the Muleshoe Wildlife Refuge (Bailey County),

1.1 inches at Lubbock International Airport (Lubbock County).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 557299. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.