Another round of wind, dust and wildfires (29-30 March 2022)

Another round of wind, dust and wildfires
29-30 March 2022

The approach and passage of a large and intense storm system brought another round of wind, dust and fire weather to West Texas in late March 2022. The winds really cranked up Tuesday afternoon (March 29th), as the system ejected from the central and southern Rockies into the High Plains. Southwesterly to westerly winds gusting to 55+ mph spread eastward over much of the Caprock during the afternoon and evening hours.

The strongest winds, in excess of 65 mph, affected the western South Plains into the south-central Texas Panhandle, generally peaking between 2 pm and 7 pm. Copious amounts of blowing dust were lifted by the winds and spread northeastward across the region.

The limited visibility from the blowing dust made travel hazardous in spots. Officially, the Lubbock Airport reported a visibility of 4 miles or less from 5 pm to 9 pm, thanks to the expansive blowing dust, while Plainview experienced similar conditions from 1 pm to 8 pm. However, the wind and dust weren't the only hazards. The warm and dry winds, in combination with the ongoing drought, supported the development and spread of several wildfires from Kansas into parts Oklahoma, Texas and eastern New Mexico. 

A few of the wildfires occurred in the NWS Lubbock area, including one that ignited near FM 1585 in southern Cochran County, as well as an intense wildfire that developed in Lea County, NM, but was pushed rapidly eastward across the TX/NM line before being extinguished. A radar cross-section of the Lea County fire/smoke can be viewed below.

Further east, where moisture was present, thunderstorms developed along a dryline across the far eastern Rolling Plains Tuesday evening. This activity clipped southeastern Stonewall County before shifting eastward and bringing widespread rain and isolated severe weather to North and Central Texas through the late evening and overnight hours.

A cold front moved followed late Tuesday night, providing a northerly wind shift and another bout of strong winds Wednesday morning. Wind gusts of 40-50+ mph were common behind the front Wednesday morning, before gradually easing through the afternoon hours. These gusty winds did kick up a little blowing dust too, but nothing like the previous day. In addition, a few rain showers spread southward from the southern Texas Panhandle into the South Plains Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, the rainfall was spotty and light, from a trace to several hundredths of an inch.

The preliminary storm reports collected over these windy days can be found below.