Lubbock National Weather Service Weather Events Page for Windy and Dusty February 28, 2014

Wind and Dust Wisk the South Plains
28 February 2014

A quick moving storm system brought strong winds and blowing dust to the South Plains region for the final day of February. The winds quickly ramped up early Friday morning, peaking mid- to late morning, before gradually decreasing through the afternoon hours. Wind gusts peaked in the 40-50 mph range at most spots, though a few locations across the central South Plains did experience gusts in excess of 50 mph. A peak wind gust of 59 mph was recorded by the West Texas Mesonet site 5 miles south-southwest of Graham. These strong winds also lofted blowing dust, with visibilities dropping as low as 1.5 miles between 10 and 11 am at the Lubbock International Airport.

Although the wind and dust made for an unpleasant day, temperatures were unseasonably mild, with highs in the 70s and lower 80s. The warm, dry and windy conditions also created a high fire danger, which supported several fires from the far eastern Texas Panhandle southward into the Big Country and Edwards Plateau. The day ended on a nice note, with warm temperatures and much lighter winds.


Toggle Maximum Wind Gust (mph) on February 28, 2014	Toggle Maximum Sustained Wind Speed (mph) on Feb. 28, 2014	Toggle High Temperatures for February 28, 2014

The above map shows the maximum wind gusts, maximum sustained winds, and high temperatures observed by the West Texas Mesonet sites around the region on February 28th.