Winter Storm — King, Texas

2022-02-02 to 2022-02-03 · King, Texas

Wider weather episode

A broad fetch of Pacific moisture streamed over much of Texas ahead of a broad mid-upper level trough gradually approaching via the Rockies. Precipitation developed on the second as the moisture was lifted up and over invading cold air. Where temperatures were warm enough, rain changed to freezing rain, then sleet across parts of the Rolling Plains and points south and east from there during the day on the second. Farther west, where the cold air was more entrenched, areas of snow developed and spread northeastward across parts of the South Plains and Texas Panhandle. By the evening of the second, it was cold enough that snow was the dominate mode across all of the South Plains and Rolling Plains. Areas of snow continued, off and one, through the morning of the third. Temperatures continued to fall, bottoming out in the single digits and early teens early Thursday, which when combined with northerly winds sustained near 20 mph, made it feel like 0 to -15 degrees or colder. In addition to the cold, a band of light to moderate snow developed across the southwest Texas Panhandle and northwest South Plains on the morning of the third, then slowly spread southeastward through the afternoon hours, bringing additional light accumulations. The snow finally tapered off on the evening of the third, but not before dropping widespread one to three inch totals. The heaviest sleet and snow (including a glaze of ice early on) impacted the southern Rolling Plains, where three to five inches were common.

Highest snowfall amounts per County are listed below from NWS Cooperative weather observers:

5.1 inches at Matador (Motley County),

4.0 inches at Jayton (Kent County),

4.0 inches at Guthrie (King County),

3.5 inches at Floydada (Floyd County),

3.1 inches at Childress (Childress County),

3.0 inches at Paducah 15S (Cottle County),

3.0 inches at Dimmitt (Castro County),

2.8 inches at Aspermont (Stonewall County),

2.7 inches at Abernathy (Hale County),

2.5 inches at Turkey (Hall County),

2.5 inches at Tahoka (Lynn County),

2.1 inches at Spur (Dickens County),

2.0 inches at Silverton (Briscoe County),

2.0 inches at White River Lake (Crosby County),

2.0 inches at Denver City (Yoakum County),

1.9 inches at Slaton (Lubbock County),

1.8 inches at Tulia (Swisher County),

1.5 inches at Post (Garza County),

1.4 inches at Olton (Lamb County), and

1.3 inches at Levelland (Hockley County).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 996442. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.