Northwest flow brought thunderstorms to the Southern High Plains again on July 16th, 2009. These storms would weaken and move into the Texas South Plains after midnight on the 17th. The collapsing storms generated a widespread heat burst event into Lamb, Hale, Crosby, Hockley, and Lubbock Counties between 11 pm (July 16th) and 4 am CDT on July 17th. Several WTM stations recorded fifteen-degree temperature jumps during this period. The best temperature rises occurred in the Lubbock area well after the storms collapsed with only mid-level clouds in the area.

TTU WISE 200-meter Tower temperature (deg F) time history (for different levels) for the period 1:25 am to 4:25 am CDT on July 17th, 2009. Frank Lombardo, TTU.

WTM station plot data (9-meter AGL TEMPERATURE) overlaid on KLBB base reflectivity data for 1106 pm CDT on July 16th, 2009 (radar time). Initial heat burst is evident in Lamb County (Amherst mesonet station at 88 deg F @ 9-meters AGL) under weakening radar echoes. Image Credit: Pat Skinner, TTU.

WTM station plot data (9-meter AGL TEMPERATURE) overlaid on KLBB base reflectivity data for 129 am CDT on July 17th, 2009 (radar time). Heat burst hits Lubbock County with both the Reese Center and Lubbock 3W stations recording a temperature of 86 deg F (@ 9-meters AGL) with signifcantly lower dewpoints. Image Credit: Pat Skinner, TTU.

WTM five-minute data (9-meter AGL TEMPERATURE) overlaid on KLBB base reflectivity loop for 02-09:30Z on July 17th, 2009. Loop is large at 44 MB. Click here for radar loop: West Texas Mesonet OBS with KLBB radar.

TTU WISE 200-meter tower data from Reese Center for July 17th, 2009 (03Z-10Z). Values are 1-second averages. 1). Top Left: Station pressure in mb. 2) Top Right: Wind direction values from u-v-w anemometers. 3-4) Middle left and right: Relative Humidity values at different levels....u-v-w anemometer wind speed values at different levels. 5-6) Lower left and right: Temperature readings at different levels.....Vertical Wind Speed (u-v-w anemometers) at different levels. Image Credit: Pat Skinner. Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Infrared satellite image for 2:01 am CDT (approximately the same time as the heat burst hits Lubbock County). Click here for a nine-hour satellite loop: IR Satellite loop for 7 pm CDT (July 16th) to 4 am CDT on July 17th, 2009. Image Credit: UCAR.

WTM Reese Center (12W of Lubbock) boundary-layer profiler data for July 17th showing moderate winds with heat burst and the last outflow boundary that disrupted the heat burst over Lubbock County after 3 am (08 UTC). Image Credit: Dr. Sukanta Basu, TTU

Amherst 1NE data for July 16th, 2009. Please see the 5-minute data: CLICK HERE!

Reese Center data for July 17th, 2009. Please see the 5-minute data: CLICK HERE!

Lubbock 3W data for July 17th, 2009. Please see the 5-minute data: CLICK HERE!