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Lubbock, TX

Weather Forecast Office

Severe storms, widespread rain, winds and a tornado near Anton, March 12-13, 2019.

Weather.gov > Lubbock, TX > Severe storms, widespread rain, winds and a tornado near Anton, March 12-13, 2019.
 
National Weather Service Lubbock Significant Weather Events
March 12-13, 2019: Severe storms, widespread rain, winds and a tornado
Home damaged by a tornado just east of Anton on Tuesday evening (March 12, 2019). Image was taken the next morning by Marissa Pazos.
Home damaged by a tornado just east of Anton on Tuesday evening (March 12, 2019). Image was taken the next morning by Marissa Pazos.

 

An intense and slow-moving upper level storm system brought a few rounds of showers and thunderstorm Monday into Tuesday (11-12 March 2019). Initially, low-level moisture was lacking and this resulted in only spotty and light rain amounts along with gusty and erratic winds Monday evening. However, as the moisture improved, the showers and thunderstorms became more robust. Eventually, an intense line of thunderstorms that developed across central and eastern New Mexico swept across the South Plains and Rolling Plains late Tuesday evening into the predawn hours of Wednesday (12-13 March). These storms generated gusty winds, and a few of them became severe. In addition, an embedded area of rotation produced a brief tornado as it passed just east of Anton. Unfortunately, the tornado did strike one homestead where it caused a considerable amount of damage.

GOES 16 Infrared satellite loop valid from 7:37 pm to 8:37 pm on 12 March 2019. Note the impressive storm system churning across the Desert Southwest, with strong lift in advance of it producing widespread clouds, showers & storms.
GOES 16 Infrared satellite loop valid from 7:37 pm to 8:37 pm on 12 March 2019. Note the impressive storm system churning across the Desert Southwest, with strong lift in advance of it producing widespread clouds, showers & storms.

 

The above satellite loop shows the strong storm system as it approached from the Desert Southwest. As the lift with this system emerged over a relatively moist atmosphere across the southern High Plains, thunderstorms erupted. This activity spread rapidly from west-to-east across the South Plains region through the evening and overnight hours (12-13 March). 

 

Lubbock radar animation valid from 10:23 pm to 10:57 pm on 12 March 2019.
Lubbock radar animation valid from 10:23 pm to 10:57 pm on 12 March 2019.

 

Widespread moderate to briefly heavy rain accompanied these thunderstorms. In addition, a few of the thunderstorms turned severe. In general, the most intense activity tracked across the central and southern South Plains into the Rolling Plains, where the best instability existed. However, one small circulation embedded in the line of thunderstorms did support the development of a short-lived tornado that tracked north-northeastward about one mile east of Anton.  

 

View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos. View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos.
View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos. View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos.
View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos. View of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The picture was taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos.
Several views of the tornado damage that occurred to a homestead just east of Anton on the evening of 12 March 2019. The pictures were taken the following morning by Marissa Pazos.

 

Unfortunately, the tornado did track directly across a single-family residence where it did significant damage. The tornado damaged the house, destroyed a large metal building, snapped tree limbs and power line poles and caused damage to a couple of center pivots. The extent of the damage resulted in a preliminary damage rating of EF-1.

 

Lubbock radar animation valid from 10:23 pm to 10:57 pm on 12 March 2019.
Lubbock base radar imagery captured around the time of the tornado near Anton (10:36 pm on 12 March 2019). UL - Storm relative velocity; UR - Reflectivity; LL - Velocity; and LR - Correlation Coefficient. The red dot is the approximate location where the significant damage to the homestead occurred. A wider view of the same data can be VIEWED HERE. 

 

Radar data captured around the time of the tornado is shown above. The data contain a Tornado Debris Signature (TDS), that is the combination of tight rotational couplet in velocity data, relatively high reflectivity values and a distinct minimum in correlation coefficient. The TDS is the result of radar sampling debris lofted into the air by a tornado. 

 

Aerial picture of the homestead that was damaged by the tornado east of the Anton on 12 March 2019. The imagery was captured on 14 March by Caprock Aerial and Survey. 
Aerial picture of the homestead that was damaged by the tornado east of the Anton on 12 March 2019. The imagery was captured on 14 March by Caprock Aerial and Survey. A long south-southwest to north-northeast view of the damage path, also courtesy of Caprock Aerial and Survey, can be VIEWED HERE.

 

To view the complete damage survey results go to the NWS Damage Assessment Viewer (DAT). Once on the DAT page select "Lubbock" for your Office ID. Then select a begin date of 03/11/2019 and an end date of 03/15/2019 toward the top right of the page and click "Filter". At this point the relevant damage survey points east of Anton should be visible. You can then zoom in and select the points to view more details and images. A kml file with the information can also be DOWNLOADED HERE.

 

Regional radar animation valid from 9:18 pm to 10:28 pm on 12 March 2019.
Regional radar animation valid from 9:18 pm to 10:28 pm on 12 March 2019. Additional regional animations can be found from: 9:48 pm to 10:58 pm on 12 March 2019; and 3:08 am to 4:18 am on 13 March 2019.

 

On the positive side, the thunderstorms did bring the first widespread rainfall of 2019 for the region. Rain totals of 0.75" to 1.25" were common for the event. A few localized spots recorded totals near 1.50", including near Spur, Paducah and Earth. Officially, Lubbock recorded 1.09" during the mid-March event. This was the first meaningful precipitation of 2019, boosting the yearly rain total from a paltry 0.07" to a more respectable 1.16". During this same event, Childress recorded 0.97", lifting their yearly total to 1.23".   

 

Snow totals observed around the South Plains region for the 7-8 December 2018 winter storm.
48-hour radar-estimated and bias-corrected rainfall totals ending at 8 am on 13 March 2019. The first shade of green represents 3/4"+, with the second shade of green representing 1"+. A regional view can be ACCESSED HERE. The rain totals measured by the West Texas Mesonet sites can also be SEEN HERE.

 

O'Donnell did also experience very strong straight-line winds with the advancing squall line, measured to 72 mph by the nearby West Texas Mesonet. The wind damaged a couple of large buildings, flipped a semi and knocked over trees and power lines around O'Donnell. Pictures of damage that occurred in O'Donnell are displayed below. 

 

Damage caused by severe straight-line winds in O'Donnell on the evening of 12 March 2019. Damage caused by severe straight-line winds in O'Donnell on the evening of 12 March 2019.
Damage caused by severe straight-line winds in O'Donnell on the evening of 12 March 2019. Damage caused by severe straight-line winds in O'Donnell on the evening of 12 March 2019.
Several views of the straight-line wind damage that occurred in O'Donnell on the evening of 12 March 2019. 

 

Those that escaped the winds on Tuesday didn't the following day. As the storm system pulled away to our north it intensified rapidly. This resulted in widespread southwesterly winds that gusted from 60 to 70+ mph for a prolonged period of time. The severe winds did cause additional damage and also lofted a lot of blowing dust. Officially, Lubbock measured a peak gust of 67 mph, while the visibility fell to as low as 1 mile during the afternoon because of the thick blowing dust.  

 

isible satellite image captured on 9 December 2018. The white stretching across the South Plains into the Rolling Plains is the broad snow pack left on the ground after the previous day's storm.
Maximum wind gusts recorded across the South Plains region on Wednesday, 13 March 2019. The data are courtesy of the West Texas Mesonet (WTM) and the National Weather Service. A plot WTM Maximum Wind Gusts and Maximum Sustained Wind Speeds for the 13th are also available by clicking on the relevant links.

 

The below radar animation shows a strong cold front moving southward through the Texas Panhandle Wednesday evening. Ahead of the front plumes of dust and smoke can also be seen. 

Regional radar animation valid from 6:48 pm to 7:58 pm on 13 March 2019.
Regional radar animation valid from 6:48 pm to 7:58 pm on 13 March 2019.

 

A list of the preliminary storm reports and the tornado damage survey for March 12th can be viewed below. Also included are the severe wind gusts and resultant damage reports for the ridiculously windy Wednesday (13 March).

 

Anton Tornado Damage Survey

 

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
201 PM CDT Wed Mar 20 2019

...Updated NWS Damage Survey for the Anton Tornado on March 12...

Updates reflect changes to the tornado`s path length, width,
duration, and damage given further assessment of all available data.

.Anton Tornado...

Rating: EF-1
Estimated Peak Wind: 110 MPH

Path length: 3.4 Miles
Path width: 125 Yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0

Start Date: March 12, 2019
Start Time: 1035 PM CDT
Start County: Hockley
Start Location: 0.93 miles SE of Anton, TX
Start Lat/Lon: 33.800624 / -102.154940

End Date: March 12, 2019
End Time: 1040 PM CDT
End County: Lamb
End Location: 5.5 miles SSE of Spade, TX
End Lat/Lon: 33.847404 / -102.135941

A rain-wrapped tornado moved north-northeast at approximately
45 mph from extreme northeast Hockley County before ending in far
southeast Lamb County. This tornado inflicted significant damage
to a single family residence just southeast of Anton, completely
destroyed an adjacent large metal building, snapped large tree
limbs, damaged at least six utility poles, and damaged two large
center pivots. After evaluating additional data, the length of
this tornado was increased to 3.4 miles, while the tornado width
was reduced from 200 yards to 125 yards. The Lubbock radar
indicated a TDS to just over 5000 feet at times from structural
debris.

EF Scale:  The Enhanced Fujita Scale Classifies Tornadoes into
the following categories.

EF0...Weak......65 to 85 MPH
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 MPH
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 MPH
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 MPH
EF4...Violent...166 To 200 MPH
EF5...Violent...>200 MPH

Note:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS
Storm Data.

 

 
 

 

 

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