NWS Lubbock, TX, April 14th Blowing Dust and Thunderstorms

Strong Winds with Blowing Dust, then Nighttime Thunderstorms: 14 April 2012

Saturday, while a serious severe weather event was unfolding across Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, the South Plains experienced gusty winds that caused blowing dust. Then in the evening, the dryline retreated west and collided with an incoming Pacific-type cold front. Thunderstorms erupted along this intersection, and formed a squall line which marched east through the early morning hours of Sunday April 15th.

Below are some images and information from this event.

Radar image from Lubbock at 10 pm Sunday night

A NASA Satellite image Saturday afternoon showing the thick plume of blowing dust across New Mexico and far west Texas. Click on the image to enlarge it.


Preliminary storm reports from the event. Click on the weather icons to view the full report. Rainfall reports are courtesy of the West Texas Mesonet. Hail size estimates are derived from radar data.
Toggle Storm Reports	Toggle Rainfall Reports	Toggle Hail Size

To download the KML (Google Earth) file of the preliminary storm reports CLICK HERE.

Base (0.5 degrees) reflectivity data from the Lubbock WSR-88D showing the developing storms at 10 pm on Saturday night. Click on the image to view a larger version.

Radar image from Lubbock at 11 pm Sunday night

Base (0.5 degrees) reflectivity data from the Lubbock WSR-88D showing the mature squall line at 11 pm on Saturday night. Click on the image to view a larger version.