The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| event_type | Dust Storm |
|---|---|
| ncei_event_id | 418,716 |
| episode_id | 69,445 |
| begin_utc | 2012-12-19T17:30:00+00:00 |
| end_utc | 2012-12-20T00:00:00+00:00 |
| state | TEXAS |
| cz_type | Z |
| cz_name | LAMB |
| deaths_direct | 0 |
| deaths_indirect | 0 |
| injuries_direct | 0 |
| injuries_indirect | 0 |
| damage_property | 0.00K |
| damage_crops | 0.00K |
| wfo_source | Public |
| episode_narrative | A historic dust storm engulfed much of the South Plains this afternoon resulting in dust storm conditions (visibilities at or below 1/2 mile in blowing dust) at the Lubbock International Airport for the longest duration since December 16, 1977. The culprit for this exceptional dust storm was a surface cyclone rapidly deepening in far southwest Kansas ahead of a vigorous upper level trough exiting the southern Rockies. Along the southern periphery of this trough, a deep layer wind maximum overspread the Texas South Plains during the afternoon behind a Pacific cold front. Initially, a layer of thick high clouds prevented these winds from mixing to the surface behind the front, but as the late morning and afternoon wore on, these clouds departed and allowed high winds with frequent gusts around 60 mph to stir up extensive blowing dust on the Caprock. The highest wind gusts as measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet developed in Lubbock and Floyd Counties where peak wind gusts of 66 and 72 mph were recorded, respectively. Visibilities fell abruptly to 1/2 mile or less in many rural areas, with near-zero visibility at times as documented by TV news reporters along Interstate 27 in southern Hale and northern Lubbock Counties. These conditions contributed to a deadly 25-vehicle pileup on I-27 just south of New Deal. One man was fatally injured and at least 17 others suffered injuries of varying severity. Law enforcement promptly closed the interstate in both directions for several hours. Also, a mobile triage unit from UMC Hospital was dispatched for the first time ever to assist with accident victims as flight-for-life helicopters were grounded due to the high winds. Several flights at Lubbock International Airport were grounded until wind and visibility improved by early evening. This significant dust storm was forecast exceptionally well by meteorologists at the Lubbock NWS who provided residents with just over seven hours notice that dangerously low visibilities from blowing dust were inevitable by midday. For some cell phone users in the region, the newly-developed Commercial Mobile Alert System alerted them for the first time of life-threatening weather.||A list of severe wind gusts measured by the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet and Automated Surface Observing Systems follows: ||66 mph at Lubbock International Airport (Lubbock County)...62 mph at Wolfforth (Lubbock County)...61 mph at Reese Center (Lubbock County)...60 mph at Denver City (Yoakum County)...59 mph at Lubbock (Lubbock County), O'Donnell (Lynn County), Roaring Springs (Motley County), and Memphis (Hall County)...58 mph at Abernathy (Hale County), Floydada (Floyd County), Turkey (Hall County), Silverton (Briscoe County), Olton (Lamb County), and White River Lake (Crosby County). |
| event_narrative | Event duration estimated using mesonet wind data. |
| year | 2,012 |
Provenance
This slot's source list is not carried on the manifest row; open the dossier below.
Storage: spine