National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Another round of severe weather for the South Plains
May 31, 2005

Picture of building storms taken by Erin Shaw on May 12, 2005
 
 

SUMMARY:

A couple of rounds of severe thunderstorms occurred across portions of the Texas Panhandle and the South Plains of West Texas on May 31, 2005.

The first round of severe weather brought early morning large hail, along with isolated severe wind gusts. The storms that produced the inclement weather moved from northwest to southeast, generally tracking along Highway 84, passing through Muleshoe at 2:48, and making it to southwest Lubbock around 5:30 am. Golfball-size hail was common with these storms.

Then, after skies cleared and temperatures heated up, the atmosphere again quickly destabilized. By mid-afternoon, storms redeveloped across the southwest Texas Panhandle. These storms, like their early morning predecessors, were efficient hail producers as they moved off to the south and east. Numerous golfball-sized hail reports were received across the southern Texas Panhandle, central and eastern South Plains, and Rolling Plains throughout the late afternoon and into the evening. A couple of extreme reports include softball-sized hail reported at Cedar Hill, in Floyd county, and tennis- to baseball-size hail reported at 16 mile northeast of Dimmitt, near Amherst, near Reese Center, and 5 miles east of Matador. Additionally, the event transitioned into a wind and hail event by evening over the Rolling Plains, with wind damage incurred at Dumont.

 

Note: The below information contains preliminary reports as they were received throughout the severe weather event. However, all reports are important to the National Weather Service and a sample of them can be seen below.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORTS:

  TIME            DATE        OFFICE    COUNTY           LOCATION               REPORT
 (CDT)   

*01:20 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) COCHRAN TX (10 N BLEDSOE) 2.00 INCH HAIL
*02:40 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) HOCKLEY TX (0 N SUNDOWN) 1.00 INCH HAIL
*02:48 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) BAILEY TX (0 N MULESHOE) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*03:33 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (0 N SUDAN) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*04:32 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) HOCKLEY TX (1 SE ANTON) 1.25 INCH HAIL
*05:00 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (0 N SHALLOWATER) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*05:25 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (4 S LUBBOCK) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*06:20 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (5 S LITTLEFIELD) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*06:55 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) GARZA TX (10 W POST) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*07:10 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) GARZA TX (5 SW GRAHAM) 58 MPH TSTM WND GST
*07:35 am 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (7 SW LUBBOCK) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*04:26 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (9 N NAZARETH) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*05:05 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) SWISHER TX (15 NE TULIA) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*05:05 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (1 N NAZARETH) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*05:05 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (1 W NAZARETH) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*05:07 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) PARMER TX (0 N LAZBUDDIE) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*05:12 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (4 E NAZARETH) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*05:32 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (4 N HART) 1.00 INCH HAIL
*05:45 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (11 ENE MULESHOE) 2.00 INCH HAIL
*05:50 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) BRISCOE TX (0 N MACKENZIE RESERVOIR) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*06:22 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) FLOYD TX (6 N LOCKNEY) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*06:30 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) BRISCOE TX (0 N SILVERTON) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*06:37 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) FLOYD TX (0 N CEDAR HILL) 4.25 INCH HAIL
*06:45 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) CASTRO TX (16 NE DIMMITT) 2.50 INCH HAIL
*06:45 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) COTTLE TX (8 W PADUCAH) 1.00 INCH HAIL
*06:47 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) MOTLEY TX (0 N MATADOR) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*06:48 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (8 N LITTLEFIELD) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*07:05 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (0 N SPRINGLAKE) 1.00 INCH HAIL
*07:15 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LAMB TX (1 S AMHERST) 2.50 INCH HAIL
*07:20 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) DICKENS TX (0 N MCADOO) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*07:44 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) MOTLEY TX (5 E MATADOR) 3.00 INCH HAIL
*07:45 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) HOCKLEY TX (0 N ANTON) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*07:50-0755 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) KING TX (0 N DUMONT) TSTM WND DMG
*07:53 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) KING TX (0 N DUMONT) 0.88 INCH HAIL
*08:05 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (1 E REESE CENTER) 2.50 INCH HAIL
*08:07 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (6 W LUBBOCK) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*08:14 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (6 SW LUBBOCK) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*08:15 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) DICKENS TX (0 N SPUR) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*08:22 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (8 S LUBBOCK) 2.50 INCH HAIL
*08:23 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LUBBOCK TX (8 SSW LUBBOCK) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*08:30 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) STONEWALL TX (0 N PEACOCK) 0.75 INCH HAIL
*08:35 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) KENT TX (1 S JAYTON) 62 MPH TSTM WND GST
*08:55 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) GARZA TX (8 W POST) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*09:01 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) LYNN TX (5 NE WILSON) 1.75 INCH HAIL
*09:11 pm 05/31/2005 (LUB) GARZA TX (4 W GRAHAM) 1.75 INCH HAIL