Strong winds, dust and rain visit the region
10 October 2021

Sunday afternoon (10 October) brought strong winds and blowing dust to much of the South Plains. Wind gusts as high as 55 to 65 mph were common across the western, central and southern South Plains during the mid-late afternoon hours. A peak wind gust of 73 mph was recorded by the West Texas Mesonet (WTM) site near Amherst, where a thunderstorm passing by to the north enhanced the wind.

A compact but potent mid-level cyclone was the primary impetus for the winds. The most intense winds occurred as the cyclone emerged from New Mexico and raced across the Panhandles through the afternoon and early evening hours. In advance of the system, a cold front moved in from north during morning, then stalled over the northern South Plains. South of the front, strong daytime heating and deep mixing tapped into the low-level jet associated with the passing system. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph were common, gusting above 50 mph at times. The winds were further enhanced along and immediately behind a Pacific cold front that raced from west-to-east across the Caprock through the mid-late afternoon. The peak wind gusts at most locations occurred immediately behind the Pacific front, when several sites recorded gusts in excess of 58 mph. Although the most intense gusts didn't last long, they did loft copious amounts of dust, dropping the visibility as low as a mile for several minutes at the Lubbock Airport between 4:30 and 5 pm. 

The powerful system and cold fronts also resulted in an impressive temperature gradient across the region. Highs on Sunday only reached the 60s for portions of the southwest Texas Panhandle, while they peaked near 100 degrees in the southern Rolling Plains. At one point in the late afternoon a 49 degree temperature difference existed between Friona and Aspermont. 

The preliminary storm reports collected on this windy day can be found below.