|
Giant hail and torrential rain target the Rolling Plains |
|
 |
|
|
Giant hail that fell near Afton on Sunday (25 May 2025) afternoon. The picture is courtesy of Colt Forney. |
|
|
Following a rare two-week stretch of quiet weather through the middle of May, the weather turned the dial back to spring mode, with a return to active thunderstorms roaming West Texas. The initial activity that broke the quiet occurred on Thursday afternoon (22 May), when enough moisture returned to the region, which when combined with intense heating, a dryline and outflow boundaries, kicked off scattered strong to severe thunderstorms near and east of the edge of the Caprock. Overall impacts from this activity were minimal, though several spots did receive welcome rainfall. A radar animation of Thursday's activity can be VIEWED HERE. |
|
 |
|
| "RGB-True Color" satellite loop valid from 12:01 pm to 6:41 pm on Sunday (25 May 2025). An infrared satellite loop, valid from 2:21 pm to 11:21 pm on Sunday, can be VIEWED HERE. | |
|
Thunderstorm coverage was more limited Friday evening (23 May), then expanded in coverage Saturday evening (24 May), with thunderstorms both days primarily confined to the Rolling Plains and far southeast South Plains. A few of the storms breached severe thresholds Saturday evening, with 100+ degree high temperatures followed by thunderstorm wind gusts in excess of 60 mph measured by the West Texas Mesonet (WTM) sites near Spur, Guthrie, Graham and Aspermont. A brief landspout tornado was also reported by a storm chaser west of Spur Saturday evening. |
|
 |
|
| Supercell thunderstorm near Afton on Sunday afternoon (25 May 2025). The image is courtesy of Gary Skwira. | |
|
The next day, Sunday (25 May), brought the most widespread and intense thunderstorm activity of the late May period. Moisture and instability levels were higher than previous days, and a frontal boundary and weak mid/upper level disturbance provided the upward incentive to trigger the activity. The first storm of the day started in the early afternoon northwest of Matador. Once the storm became rooted, it became very intense and moved slowly south and southeastward, producing very large hail and torrential rain along its track. |
|
 |
|
| LBB WSR-88D radar animation valid from 2:53 pm to 6:41 pm on Sunday (25 May 2025). An additional radar animation, valid from 3:21 pm to 11:28 pm, can be FOUND HERE. A regional radar animation, valid from 1:55 pm to 11:25 pm, can be VIEWED HERE. | |
| Locations from around Roaring Springs through Afton were particularly hard hit. Giant hail, many stones in excess of 4 inches in diameter, was observed in and around Afton. One hailstone, estimated as large as 6 inches in diameter (around the size of a baseball cap!) was found 2 miles northwest of Afton (see the image at the top of this page), | |
 |
|
| Large hail that fell in East Afton on Sunday afternoon (25 May 2025). The picture is courtesy of Tim Marshall and the ICECHIP experiment. | |
|
The giant hail-producing storm eventually weakened and turned more eastward over northern King County by early evening. However, strong winds surged out of the storm, knocking down a couple power poles along Highway 83 north of Guthrie. |
|
 |
|
| Downed power poles north of Guthrie on Sunday (25 May 2025). The image is courtesy of Luke Jacobsma. | |
| Unlike the previous few days, the thunderstorm activity wasn't confined only to the Rolling Plains. Additional thunderstorms erupted on the Caprock, with the most widespread and intense of this activity targeting the northern South Plains, in and around Anton and Olton. One rain-wrapped tornado was spotted about 6 miles north of Amherst at 7:37 pm, with the WTM site located immediately north of town measuring a peak wind gust of 81 mph shortly thereafter. Farther east, hail as large as 3 inches in diameter smashed a windshield 2 miles south of Olton. | |
 |
|
| A plot of the local storm reports for Sunday (25 May 2025). The image is courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). | |
| In addition to tossing giant hail, the slow-moving thunderstorms unleased torrential rainfall. The heaviest rain was concentrated in and around Roaring Springs, as well as over eastern portions of Stonewall County, where several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time. The excessive rain led to rapid runoff, swelling the nearby streams. | |
 |
 |
| Flooding that occurred near Roaring Springs, including Roaring Springs Ranch Club, on Sunday (25 May 2025). The pictures are from Facebook and courtesy of the Roaring Springs Ranch Club and Shonda Barton Elliott, respectively. | |
|
The drainages around Roaring Springs, including the often dry Tongue River, became a significant river for a short time. The flooding caused damage within the Roaring Springs Ranch Club where many campers had gathered over the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend. Water flowing over Highway 70 near the Dickens/Motley County line forced the closure of the highway too. |
|
 |
|
| 24-hour radar-estimated and biased-corrected precipitation ending at 8 am on Monday (26 May 2025). The 3-day rainfall measured by the West Texas Mesonet, ending at 3 pm on Tuesday (27 May), can be VIEWED HERE. | |
| The Memorial Day Weekend thunderstorm activity wasn't all bad. The storms brought welcome rainfall to many locations, and even some beautiful sights, like the rainbow shown below. | |
 |
|
| Pretty scene near McAdoo on Sunday (25 May 2025). The image is courtesy of Jen Walton. | |
| A list of the preliminary storm reports collected on May 25th can be found below. | |
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
524 AM CDT Mon May 26 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0204 PM Hail 8 SE Flomot 34.14N 100.89W
05/25/2025 E0.50 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.).
0207 PM Hail 7 NW Matador 34.09N 100.89W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
0208 PM Hail 7 NW Matador 34.09N 100.90W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Ping Pong Ball (1.50
in.).
0211 PM Hail 9 NW Matador 34.09N 100.95W
05/25/2025 M1.50 Inch Motley TX Public
0228 PM Hail 9 SE Flomot 34.13N 100.89W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Motley TX Public
0304 PM Hail 7 NE Dougherty 33.99N 100.98W
05/25/2025 E3.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Tea Cup (3.00 in.).
0304 PM Hail 6 ENE Dougherty 33.99N 100.99W
05/25/2025 M2.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Corrects previous hail report from 6 ENE
Dougherty. ICECHIP report.
0305 PM Hail 7 NE Dougherty 33.99N 100.98W
05/25/2025 E2.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Hen Egg (2.00 in.).
0310 PM Hail 7 WSW Matador 33.99N 100.94W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Motley TX Emergency Mngr
0310 PM Hail 6 ENE Dougherty 33.98N 100.99W
05/25/2025 E2.00 Inch Motley TX Public
ICECHIP report.
0311 PM Hail 6 NE Dougherty 33.99N 100.99W
05/25/2025 E2.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Hen Egg (2.00 in.).
0343 PM Hail 6 E Dougherty 33.90N 101.00W
05/25/2025 E2.75 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Baseball (2.75 in.).
0347 PM Hail 7 W Roaring Springs 33.90N 100.97W
05/25/2025 E2.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Hen Egg (2.00 in.).
0349 PM Hail 7 W Roaring Springs 33.90N 100.97W
05/25/2025 E2.50 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Tennis Ball (2.50 in.).
0349 PM Hail 6 ESE Dougherty 33.90N 100.98W
05/25/2025 E2.50 Inch Motley TX Public
ICECHIP report.
0356 PM Flood 1 S Matador 34.01N 100.82W
05/25/2025 Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: River/Creek overflowing;
Cropland/Yard/Basement Flooding.
0402 PM Hail 2 W Roaring Springs 33.91N 100.89W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
0404 PM Hail 2 W Roaring Springs 33.91N 100.89W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Motley TX Public
Report from mPING: Ping Pong Ball (1.50
in.).
0409 PM Hail 1 WNW Roaring Springs 33.91N 100.87W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Motley TX Public
ICECHIP report.
0415 PM Hail 1 NE Matador 34.03N 100.81W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Motley TX CO-OP Observer
0426 PM Hail 1 SW Roaring Springs 33.89N 100.87W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Motley TX Public
ICECHIP report.
0432 PM Hail Roaring Springs 33.90N 100.86W
05/25/2025 E1.75 Inch Motley TX CO-OP Observer
0438 PM Hail 2 NW Afton 33.79N 100.85W
05/25/2025 E6.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
Partially melted hailstone about the size of
a ballcap. Time estimated from radar.
0440 PM Hail 5 NNW Afton 33.83N 100.85W
05/25/2025 M2.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
ICECHIP report. Hail found on roadside after
storm. Time estimated from radar.
0440 PM Hail 3 NW Afton 33.80N 100.85W
05/25/2025 M4.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
ICECHIP report. Hail found on roadside after
storm. Time estimated from radar.
0445 PM Hail Afton 33.76N 100.82W
05/25/2025 E4.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
Corrects time of previous hail report from
Afton. Report from mPING: Grapefruit (4.00
in.).
0446 PM Hail 1 E Afton 33.76N 100.79W
05/25/2025 E1.75 Inch Dickens TX Public
Report from mPING: Golf Ball (1.75 in.).
0449 PM Hail 2 NNE Afton 33.79N 100.80W
05/25/2025 M4.50 Inch Dickens TX Public
Corrects time of previous hail report from 2
NNE Afton. Social media picture.
0450 PM Hail 1 E Afton 33.76N 100.79W
05/25/2025 E3.25 Inch Dickens TX Public
Report from mPING: Baseball+ (3.25 in.).
0452 PM Hail 2 E Afton 33.76N 100.78W
05/25/2025 E3.50 Inch Dickens TX Public
Report from mPING: Baseball++ (3.50 in.).
0452 PM Hail Afton 33.77N 100.82W
05/25/2025 M4.70 Inch Dickens TX Public
ICECHIP report. Hail found on roadside after
storm. Time estimated from radar.
0453 PM Tornado 7 E Afton 33.75N 100.70W
05/25/2025 Dickens TX Storm Chaser
Picture posted on social media.
0456 PM Hail 3 E Afton 33.76N 100.77W
05/25/2025 E4.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
Report from mPING: Grapefruit (4.00 in.).
0517 PM Hail 2 SW Dumont 33.78N 100.55W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Dickens TX Public
GR2 report.
0559 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 3 NE Aspermont 33.17N 100.20W
05/25/2025 M65 MPH Stonewall TX Mesonet
0604 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 3 NE Aspermont 33.17N 100.20W
05/25/2025 M66 MPH Stonewall TX Mesonet
0604 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 5 NNW Guthrie 33.70N 100.35W
05/25/2025 King TX Public
Power poles broken along US-83. Time and
location estimated from radar.
0614 PM Hail 3 S Mcadoo 33.68N 101.01W
05/25/2025 M0.75 Inch Dickens TX Public
Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).
0619 PM Hail 2 E Aspermont 33.13N 100.20W
05/25/2025 M1.75 Inch Stonewall TX Public
Report from mPING: Golf Ball (1.75 in.).
0621 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 SW Grow 33.76N 100.34W
05/25/2025 King TX Public
Report of multiple downed powerlines.
0628 PM Hail 4 E Mackenzie Reservoir 34.54N 101.38W
05/25/2025 E1.00 Inch Briscoe TX Public
0635 PM Hail 1 WNW Silverton 34.48N 101.32W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Briscoe TX Public
Social media picture.
0640 PM Hail 3 N Mackenzie Reservoir 34.59N 101.44W
05/25/2025 E1.50 Inch Briscoe TX Public
Report from mPING: Ping Pong Ball (1.50
in.).
0652 PM Flood 4 WSW Grow 33.78N 100.36W
05/25/2025 King TX NWS Employee
Reported water over roadway.
0717 PM Flash Flood Old Glory 33.13N 100.05W
05/25/2025 Stonewall TX Public
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding;
Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
0718 PM Hail 1 SE Old Glory 33.12N 100.05W
05/25/2025 E1.25 Inch Stonewall TX Public
Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).
0736 PM Hail 1 W Lubbock 33.59N 101.87W
05/25/2025 E0.70 Inch Lubbock TX Public
0737 PM Tornado 6 N Amherst 34.10N 102.41W
05/25/2025 Lamb TX Public
Rain wrapped tornado reported on GR2.
0738 PM Hail 2 W Lubbock 33.59N 101.87W
05/25/2025 E0.75 Inch Lubbock TX Public
Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).
0743 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 1 NE Amherst 34.02N 102.40W
05/25/2025 M81 MPH Lamb TX Mesonet
0815 PM Hail 2 S Olton 34.14N 102.14W
05/25/2025 E3.00 Inch Lamb TX Public
Delayed report from social media. Picture of
a smashed windshield was included.
0823 PM Hail 2 SE White River Lake 33.46N 101.08W
05/25/2025 E1.75 Inch Crosby TX Emergency Mngr
0828 PM Hail 1 W Ransom Canyon 33.53N 101.71W
05/25/2025 E0.88 Inch Lubbock TX Trained Spotter
Reported penny to nickel size.
0830 PM Hail Olton 34.18N 102.14W
05/25/2025 E2.50 Inch Lamb TX Public
Viewer gave report to media.
0832 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 6 S Olton 34.09N 102.12W
05/25/2025 M58 MPH Lamb TX Mesonet
0835 PM Hail 3 E Olton 34.17N 102.08W
05/25/2025 E2.00 Inch Hale TX Public
Corrects location of previous hail report
from 9 E Olton.
0848 PM Hail 4 NW Woodrow 33.49N 101.89W
05/25/2025 E0.70 Inch Lubbock TX NWS Employee
0855 PM Hail 9 E Olton 34.17N 101.99W
05/25/2025 E3.00 Inch Hale TX Storm Chaser
Social media photo shows several hailstones
about half the size of a dollar bill. Time
estimated from radar.
0856 PM Hail 3 N Woodrow 33.49N 101.84W
05/25/2025 E0.50 Inch Lubbock TX Public
Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.).
0927 PM Hail Slaton 33.43N 101.64W
05/25/2025 E0.75 Inch Lubbock TX CO-OP Observer
Follow us on X
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on YouTube
LUB RSS Feed
