Last Map Update: Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 4:16:24 am CDT






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Local Weather History For March 10th...
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1977 (11th-12th): After a significant region-wide wind and dust storm in late February 1977, a similar event transpired by
the morning of the 10th in the western Trans-Pecos before expanding northeast over the remainder of West Texas on the 11th before finally subsiding by the afternoon of the 12th. Extensive blowing dust with visibilities frequently of 1/2 mile or less engulfed the region for many hours straight. In Ralls, near-zero visibility caused two school buses to collide resulting in one minor injury. Fender benders and other minor auto accidents were common on the South Plains due to near zero visibilities at times. Peak wind gusts at the Lubbock Airport only reached 58 mph, but with a vast coverage of exposed farm fields, visibilities were below 1/2 mile for the entire afternoon on the 11th! Much farther north, the northern Texas Panhandle received hurricane-force winds with gusts estimated at 100 mph in Stratford. The Amarillo weather service office recorded a peak gust of 76 mph with zero visibilities common from noon to 9 PM on the 11th. Property damage was minimal on the South Plains, however the Panhandle was not so fortunate. Approximately 25% of the regional winter wheat crop was destroyed...a value of at least $25M. It is worth noting that poor farming practices and no conservation reserve program at the time likely contributed to significantly worse dust storms than have been experienced in more modern times. |