National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Powerful Pacific System Impacting the West; First Significant Snow for Portions of the East

Power Pacific system will continue to bring significant impacts for Pacific Northwest into northern California the remainder of the week. Dangerous coastal affects, heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, and higher elevation mountain snow continues. Meanwhile, a storm across the east is set to bring the first accumulating snow to many higher elevations of the Catskills into the central Appalachians. Read More >

January 21-22, 2015 Winter Weather
 

A deepening upper-level low pressue system began to dig southward over Arizona on the morning of Wednesday, January 21st.  Ahead of this system, moist air was lifted over a cold front that stretched across the southern High Plains.  On Wednesday morning, enhanced lift ahead of the upper-level low generated a band of precipitation from northeastern New Mexico into the Oklahoma and northern Texas Panhandles.  As precipitation continued to fall, temperatures dropped to near freezing, and much of the rain changed to snow.  Locations including Clayton, NM; Boise City, OK; Dalhart, TX; and Dumas, TX received 5 to 10 inches of snow from this round of snowfall.  Showers continued through the day across the Panhandles, with the transition to snow occurring nearly everywhere by Wednesday evening.  A particularly heavy band of snowfall developed along the Interstate 40 corridor late Wednesday night and produced anywhere from 7 to 13 inches between the New Mexico and Oklahoma state lines.  During the period of heaviest snowfall, snow rates of 3 to 4 inches per hour were reported.  The 11.0 inches measured before midnight on the 21st in Amarillo set a daily snowfall record, and came in at number 11 on the list of all-time snowiest calendar days for the city.  The NWS office in Amarillo measured an offical 12.0 inches by the end of the snowfall Thursday morning.  Though heavy snow limited travel and closed many businesses and schools across the Panhandles, the rain and very wet snow were viewed as a blessing in a region plagued by ongoing drought concerns.

Event snowfall totals
January 21-22, 2015 snowfall totals from the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.
Early snow and slick roads near Romero. Courtesy of @lathemfarms Hwy 412 at NM state line (@stormchasetour) Snow on Hwy 152 East of Dumas (Brandon Woody)
Snow and slick road near Castleberry Ranch.
Romero, TX. 1/21/15 (@lathemfarms)
Snow on Hwy 412 at NM/OK line.
1/21/15 (@stormchasetour)

1/4 inch of snow on Hwy 152 East of
Dumas. 1/21/15 (Brandon Woody)

 

Heavy snow in SW Amarillo (Dianna Haley) Snow measurement in Amarillo (Lindsey Vaught) Fountain makes snow sculpture in Amarillo (Shana Reese)
Snow falling at 3+ inches per hour in Sleepy
Hollow neighborhood. Amarillo, TX.
1/22/15 (Dianna Haley)

Nearly 13 inches of snow measured at
10th and Georgia. Amarillo, TX.
1/22/15 (Lindsey Vaught)

Heavy, wet snow makes a sculpture out of
snow in this fountain. Amarillo, TX.
1/22/15 (Shana Reese)
Heavy snow in Canyon (Danielle Browning) Trees covered in snow in Miami (Lesha Lewellin) Snowy creek near Lefors (Jason Boggs)
Heavy snow in a Canyon, TX backyard. 1/22/15 (Danielle Browning) Snow stuck to trees and fences. Miami, TX. 1/22/15 (Lesha Lewellen)

Snow settles in a creek bed near Lefors, TX. 1/22/15 (Jason Boggs)

 

 
STORM REPORTS
LOCATION          STORM TOTAL     TIME/DATE   COMMENTS
                     SNOWFALL        OF
                     /INCHES/    MEASUREMENT
OKLAHOMA

...CIMARRON COUNTY...
   FELT                   6.0   925 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   BOISE CITY             5.0   925 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   6 N KENTON             4.0  1007 AM  1/22  TRAINED SPOTTER

...TEXAS COUNTY... 
   TEXHOMA                4.0   858 AM  1/22  STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL 
   GUYMON                 3.0   858 AM  1/22  STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL 
   HOOKER                 3.0   900 AM  1/22  STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL

TEXAS

...ARMSTRONG COUNTY... 
   CLAUDE                11.0   133 AM  1/22  911 CALL CENTER

...CARSON COUNTY... 
   E PANHANDLE           12.5   122 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   WHITE DEER             9.0   955 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   PANHANDLE              8.0   802 AM  1/22  PUBLIC

...COLLINGSWORTH COUNTY... 
   WELLINGTON             3.0   339 AM  1/22  911 CALL CENTER

...DALLAM COUNTY... 
   TEXLINE                9.3   700 AM  1/22  COCORAHS 
   DALHART                9.2   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER

...DEAF SMITH COUNTY... 
   HEREFORD              10.0   900 AM  1/22  EMERGENCY MNGR 
   DAWN                   9.0   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   5 SSE HEREFORD         5.8   629 AM  1/22  PUBLIC

...DONLEY COUNTY... 
   HEDLEY                 6.5   830 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   CLARENDON              6.0  1004 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE

...GRAY COUNTY... 
   MCLEAN                10.5   902 AM  1/22  PUBLIC
   GROOM                  2.5   900 AM  1/22  PUBLIC
   PAMPA                  9.0   855 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   4 WSW LAKE MCCLELLAN   8.0   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   1 NW PAMPA             4.4   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   LEFORS                 1.0   819 PM  1/21  TRAINED SPOTTER

...HANSFORD COUNTY... 
   SPEARMAN               3.5   930 AM  1/22  PUBLIC

...HARTLEY COUNTY... 
   DALHART                9.0   840 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   HARTLEY                7.0   827 PM  1/21  PUBLIC 
   ROMERO                 3.0   100 PM  1/21  PUBLIC

...HEMPHILL COUNTY... 
   15 SE CANADIAN         3.0   855 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   CANADIAN               2.0   853 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE

...HUTCHINSON COUNTY... 
   FRITCH                 6.0   957 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   BORGER                 5.7   850 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   1 W SANFORD            5.0   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   2 WSW BORGER           4.6  1200 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 
   4 N BORGER             4.0  1225 AM  1/22  TRAINED SPOTTER 
   3 N STINNETT           0.5  1057 AM  1/21  PUBLIC

...LIPSCOMB COUNTY... 
   LIPSCOMB               2.0   852 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   FOLLETT                1.0   730 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER

...MOORE COUNTY... 
   DUMAS                  7.0   845 AM  1/22  LOCAL POLICE

...OCHILTREE COUNTY... 
   PERRYTON               3.0   905 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE

...OLDHAM COUNTY... 
   VEGA                   8.0  1000 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   1 NNW BOYS RANCH       5.0   700 AM  1/22  CO-OP OBSERVER 

...POTTER COUNTY... 
   3 W AMARILLO          12.5   825 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   1 NW AMARILLO         12.0   317 AM  1/22  EMERGENCY MNGR 
   7 ENE AMARILLO        12.0   300 AM  1/22  NWS OFFICE 
   5 WNW AMARILLO        12.0   315 AM  1/22  PUBLIC
   2 W AMARILLO          11.5   354 AM  1/22  BROADCAST MEDIA 
   6 NNW AMARILLO        11.0   354 AM  1/22  BROADCAST MEDIA 
   1 W AMARILLO          10.0   349 AM  1/22  BROADCAST MEDIA

...RANDALL COUNTY... 
   CANYON                13.0   844 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   2 SSE AMARILLO        13.0   349 AM  1/22  BROADCAST MEDIA 
   6 SW AMARILLO         12.0   924 AM  1/22  NWS EMPLOYEE 
   1 NNW CANYON          11.5   700 AM  1/22  NWS EMPLOYEE 
   5 WSW AMARILLO        11.2   530 AM  1/22  NWS EMPLOYEE 
   7 WSW AMARILLO        11.0   600 AM  1/22  NWS EMPLOYEE 
   6 WSW AMARILLO         9.5  1139 PM  1/21  PUBLIC

...ROBERTS COUNTY... 
   MIAMI                  6.0   916 AM  1/22  POST OFFICE

...SHERMAN COUNTY... 
   15 S STRATFORD         6.0   911 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE 
   STRATFORD              5.5   735 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   TEXHOMA                2.5   915 PM  1/21  PUBLIC

...WHEELER COUNTY... 
   TWITTY                 6.0   845 AM  1/22  PUBLIC 
   WHEELER                5.5   853 AM  1/22  SHERIFF OFFICE