 2024 was the WARMEST year on record for Lubbock! The warmth was punctuated by an exceptionally hot and dry second half of summer, with the heat lasting well into the fall. Impressively, 11 of the 12 months recorded above average temperatures, with only January finishing shy of normal. Over the course of the year, rainfall was plentiful, but it wasn't distributed evenly. Despite a promising start, the scorching second half of the growing season greatly impacted crops, and plants in general, particularly off the Caprock where the drought was most intense. Widespread heavy rainfall did return to the region in November during three distinct events. The rain came too late for most crops/plants, but did eradicate the drought from all of northwest Texas. Lubbock finished the year with 22.31 inches, nearly 4 inches above average and 29th wettest on record. The most impactful event of the year for the South Plains region was the result of straight-line winds from a severe thunderstorm that impacted Levelland shortly after midnight the morning of May 29th, and Tahoka around 3 AM. The winds, estimated around 110 mph, inflicted widespread damage on the northeast side of Levelland, with 95 mph winds measured 3 miles north-northeast of Tahoka. The year ended as the warmest on record at Lubbock (and globally), finishing with an average yearly temperature of 64.3°F, an astounding 1.0°F above the previous record set in 1934 and 2.9°F above the 1991-2020 30-year average of 61.4°F.  The graphic below highlights some of the more significant weather events that occurred across the area in 2024. Early January brought a couple of precipitation events, including a powerful winter storm to the central and southern High Plains on January 8th. This bulk of the snow (and blizzard conditions) stayed to the north of the South Plains, but the southwest Texas Panhandle did see accumulating snow (4 inches in Friona and 2 inches at Hart). Farther south, snow wasn't an issue, but the enter region did experience wind gusts of 50 to 60+ mph. The coldest air of the year followed the next week as Artic air invaded for a few days. Single digit lows were common the mornings of the 14th, 15th and 16th. February didn't bring as much cold as January, but it did have the most widespread and heaviest snowfall of the year, falling on Sunday the 11th. Despite rather "mild" temperatures, near the freezing mark, heavy wet snow blanketed the southern Texas Panhandle and northern South Plains. Lubbock officially measured 3.6 inches of snow and nearly a half an inch of liquid, but the epicenter of this storm was around Plainview, where 12 to 14 inches of snow fell. In contrast, late February brought warm and dry conditions on gusty westerly winds. Unfortunately, these conditions supported large and damaging wildfires over the north-central and northeast Texas Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma. The South Plains and Rolling Plains avoided significant wildfires, but did get a taste (and smell) of the smoke, which was carried southward behind a cold front the evening of February 27th. Late March a power storm system brought intense wind and widespread blowing dust. A peak wind gust of 77 mph was measured near Sundown, with numerous gusts near and above 60 mph measured across the Caprock and southern Texas Panhandle. Early April provided a solar eclipse on the 8th, followed by widespread rain and a few severe thunderstorms early on the 9th. May and early June saw several rounds of severe weather, as is common for the spring season. A couple of the most impactful events included overnight thunderstorms that caused extensive damage on the northeast side of Levelland, then the northern portions of Lynn County on May 29th. Wind gusts as high as 120 mph were estimated from the damage in Levelland, while a gust to 95 mph was measured 3 miles NNE of Tahoka. Just two days later, the south side of Tahoka experienced significant damage as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through. Although less impactful due to its remoteness, a supercell thunderstorm on June 2nd dropped record size (around 7 inch diameter!) hail near Vigo Park and two long-lived tornadoes north of Silverton. Widespread heavy rain and a few severe thunderstorms followed June 9th and 10th, before hotter and drier weather took hold. Independence Day was a scorcher, but the heat also triggered a cluster of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain that affected the 4th of July celebration for the southern and central South Plains. August brought the heat, with 16 days in the triple digits at Lubbock. The heat finally eased at the very end of August, with widespread rain also falling in early September. Much of the remainder of September returned to the hot and dry mode, with the exception of the 21st and 22nd, when severe thunderstorms and widespread rain accompanied a potent storm system. Thereafter, dry conditions prevailed through October, along with record warm temperatures (the month finished 8.8 degrees above average!). The spicket turned back on in early to mid-November, with three distinct rounds of widespread heavy rainfall: November 2nd-4th; November 7th-8th and November 17th-18th. Following the exceptionally wet first half of November, dry conditions returned for the rest of month and continued through December to conclude the year.
 Notable weather impacts to the region in 2024. Note that this is just a sampling of events, many more have been omitted due to space constraints.
A total of 7 supercell tornadoes were observed in the Lubbock 24-county service area in 2024, less than half of the long-term average of 18. Three of the tornadoes occurred on May 1st, when scattered severe thunderstorms erupted along a dryline. The most intense storm produced two brief tornadoes north of Turkey, while a third short-lived tornado was spotted north of Lorenzo. All three tornadoes occurred over open fields, inflicted no known damage, and received EFU ratings. Two days later (May 3rd) brought another brief tornado, this time an EFU north of Hale Center. The most significant tornadoes of 2025 occurred on June 2nd, when a very intense thunderstorm, which also generated a record large hailstone for Texas, tracked across the south-central Texas Panhandle. This storm produced two tornadoes, one that last 17 minutes and covered over 9 miles and a second that persisted 24 minutes and travel just under 9 miles. Both tornadoes were on the ground at the same time for 4 to 5 minutes. Thankfully, both tornadoes occurred over open country and inflicted no reported damage and incurred an EFU rating. The final tornado of the year to affect the South Plains region occurred on September 21st, in the form of a brief dusty tornado north of Nazareth that was also rated EFU.
|
As it typical, precipitation totals in 2024 generally increased from west-to-east across the South Plains region. Rainfall was most difficult to come by over the southwest South Plains into southeast New Mexico where annual totals of 10 to 15 inches were common. A couple of other pockets of lower amounts, near 15 inches, included southeast Castro County (in and around Hart) and southeast Crosby County. The healthiest rain totals in 2024 occurred from the eastern Rolling Plains into western North Texas. Amounts in excess of 25 inches were common from Paducah, Guthrie and Aspermont eastward. The Seymour West Texas Mesonet (WTM) measured an impressive 43.75 inches.
Lubbock International Airport officially recorded 22.31 inches of precipitation, 3.98 inches above the long-term average of 18.33 inches, or about 122% of average. This was fairly similar to many locations within the city of Lubbock, where totals ranged from around 19 to 23 inches.
The map below shows the 2024 precipitation as a percent of the long-term average or "normal". This image shows the driest regions (60-80% of average) favored much of the western and southern South Plains, north northern Permian Basin, the east-central South Plains, as well as pockets near Hart, Matador and the southeast Texas Panhandle. The central South Plains, around Lubbock, northward through the south-central Texas Panhandle, then southeast from there through Flomot and Northfield into the Highway 83 Corridor (from Paducah through Aspermont) all recorded above normal precipitation. Locations around Lake Alan Henry, as well as from Muleshoe through Friona also experienced slightly above average rainfall for the year.
|
|
The year began with moderate drought in place over the southwest Texas Panhandle and far northwest South Plains, while abnormally dry conditions existed immediately adjacent to this, as well as over the extreme southeast Texas Panhandle. The remainder of the South Plains and Rolling Plains were drought free to start 2024. Conditions didn't change much over the first four months of the year, with minor improvements noted in May and early June as a few bouts of widespread rain accompanied the severe weather season. The latter half of the summer into fall experienced a relative dearth of precipitation, which when coupled with hotter than average conditions, caused drought conditions to expand and intensify across the region. The drought peaked after a record warm/hot and very dry October. At the conclusion of October severe to extreme drought plagued the southeast Texas Panhandle into the northern and central Rolling Plains, with moderate to severe drought over much of the South Plains. Thankfully, a rare wet November, which featured three widespread and heavy rain events, eliminated the drought over all of the northwest Texas by the conclusion of the month, and 2024 ended with all of the South Plains, Rolling Plains and Texas Panhandle drought free. Other portions of the state weren't as lucky, especially Far West Texas, where little rain throughout the year yielded extreme to exceptional drought.
Area reservoir levels fell through the late winter and early spring, as precipitation was spotty and light. Lake Alan Henry did fill in June thanks to a couple of rounds of heavy rainfall within its watershed in spring, though responses were muted at other lakes. All reservoirs did fill some in November, thanks to a few rounds of late-season heavy rain. Over the course of 2024, area lake conservation levels had mixed responses, rising at Lake Alan Henry (from 91% to 100%), holding steady at Lake Mackenzie (at 9%) and falling at White River Lake (from 27% to 19%) and Lake Meredith (from 44% to 41%).
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024 will go down in the books as the warmest and 29th wettest year since records began in 1911 at Lubbock. The mean monthly temperatures were warmer than average for 11 of the 12 months, which isn't surprising for a record warm year. The only month that was cooler than average was January (-2.8°F). The warmest months, with respect to average, were October (+8.8°F), December (+7.5°F) and February (+4.6°F).
Precipitation was above average over the course of the year, but was not distributed uniformly. The first few months of 2024 each brought over one half inch of moisture, which isn't too shabby for the dry season. This included a shot of heavy wet snow on February 11th when 3.6 inches of snow was measured at the Lubbock Airport. Mid-May into mid-June provided several rounds of showers and thunderstorms, including an inch or more of rain on four occasions (May 15th and 21st and June 9th and 10th). Irregular rains continued through the remainder of summer and early fall, before a prolonged dry stretch from late September through all of October. Rains returned with vigor in November, punctuated by three heavy rain events. In a rarity, the wettest month of the year was November when 4.85 inches fell. May, June and September also recorded over 3 inches or rain, while October was the driest month with a mere 0.04 inches.
The year had only two day with measurable snow, February 11th, when 3.6 inches of snow was measured at the Lubbock Airport, and February 29th, when a tenth of an inch of snow fell.
The Lubbock Airport recorded a total of 22.31 inches of precipitation for 2024, finishing 4.70 inches above average. Four daily rainfall record were set in 2024: 1.49" on June 9th (previous record was 1.46" in 1923); 1.32" on August 8th (previous record was 1.18" in 1949); 1.65" on November 2nd (previous record was 1.15" in 2004); and 1.30" on November 17th (previous record was 1.17" in 2004). In addition, the 1.65" that fell on November 2nd also set a new daily record for the month of November, besting the 1.59" that fell on November 15th, 2001. The heavy rains in November propelled the month to the second wettest November on record. Only November 2004, which measured 6.65", had more rain than 2024 (4.85").
The hottest temperature in 2024 was 107°F, reached on August 23th. The high reached or exceeded 105°F on 4 other occasions, all in August. Temperatures reached the triple digits on 28 days, the 6th most on record, trailing only 2011 (48 days), 2023 (46), 2022 (34), 2020 (29) and 1934 (29), and well above the long-term average of 10. On the other side of the pendulum, the coldest temperature of the year was 5°F, experienced on January 16th and 17th. The temperature dropped to or below 20°F on 11 occasions for the entire year, mostly in mid-January, and three days in mid-February. Seventeen record highs were tied or set in 2024: 85°F on February 21st; 87°F on February 26th; 105°F on August 8th; 106°F on August 9th; 105°F on August 22nd; 107°F on August 23rd; 106°F on August 24th; 99°F on September 20th; 95°F on October 9th; 96°F on October 10th; 99°F on October 12th; 90°F on October 22nd; 93°F on October 23rd; 94°F on October 24th; 91°F on October 27th and 28th; and 82°F on November 24th. In addition, 22 record high minimum temperatures were set or tied in 2024, including August 22nd when the mercury only dipped to 82°F. The cold stretch in mid-January produced two cold records, a record low of 5°F on the 16th and record low maximum of 18°F on the 14th.
The upper section of the below graph shows the daily high and low temperature distribution for 2024 at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. A majority of the year yielded temperatures at or above average, with 11 of the 12 months finishing warmer than average. The warmest months, with respect to average, occurred in October (+8.8°F), December (+7.5°F) and August (+5.2°F), resulting in a scorcher for the second half of summer into early fall, and a warm/mild late fall and early winter. February (+4.6°F) and November (+4.0°F) as finished well above average. January (-2.8°F) was the lone month to finish cooler than average, and the only month to contain a daily record low (5°F on January 16th) in 2024. Outside of mid-January, near to above average temperatures dominated the year, with only a few short-lived excursions below normal.
The middle section of the chart above shows how much rain accumulated through 2024. Lubbock finished with a grand total of 22.31 inches, nearly 4 inches above the 30-year average. Rainfall the first four months of year was irregular, as it usually is, but sufficient to keep totals near average. More regular rains, coupled with a few heavier bursts, boosted rainfall a couple of inches above average my mid-June. Infrequent, but sufficient shots of rain through the rest of the summer and early fall held the year-to-date tally above average. The gap narrowed from late September through October when warm to hot and dry conditions dominated (Lubbock recorded a paltry 0.04" from September 23rd through November 1st). However, three heavy rain events in November, and the second wettest November on record, secured a wetter than average year. Despite the robust annual rain total, the hot and relatively dry second half of summer and early fall severely impacted crops across the region, especially off the Caprock where the heat and drought was most intense during the critical period.
Similar to the past couple of years, snow was tough to come by in 2024. The year saw a total of 3.7 inches of snow, including 3.6 inches of heavy wet snow which fell on February 11th. The only other day to record measurable snow was Leap Day (February 29th), when a whopping tenth of an inch fell.
The graph above displays the daily temperature as the departure from the "normal", or 30-year average temperature. The yellow line represents the 10-day running mean of the daily temperature departure and is used to smooth out the day-to-day extremes so that longer trends are easier to see. The cold second half of January really jumps out, though it is almost immediately countered by an extended warm stretch. Several other cool periods occur through the first half of the year, including two very cold, but short-lived, intrusions of Arctic air in mid-February. Late March and early April also experienced plenty of below average temperatures as well as roughly the first half of September. However, as would be expected in a record warm year, the bulk of the days were at or above average, with several prolonged stretches. Most notable is the nearly continuous warmer/hotter than average temperatures in August, and the lack of any lasting cooler-than-average temperatures from mid-September through the end of 2024. Overall, the average temperature of 64.3°F degrees for the entire year was 2.9°F above the 30-year average, and made for the warmest year in the historical record for Lubbock. |
|
|
| JANUARY through DECEMBER |
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on YouTube
LUB RSS Feed
