Power Outage in Wichita Falls, TX

Numerous storm chasers reported a tornado developing between Haynesville and Burkburnett at 6:11 pm CDT. This tornado was not always well defined visually as it moved slowly east and southeast. A few power poles were damaged on Prairie Cottage Road.

Powerlines downed.

Pictures on twitter of power lines down in Burkburnett.

Trees and power poles damaged. Reported near Wichita Falls.

Downed/snapped power poles were reported by the emergency manager.

Winds blew over a 12-inch diameter tree and snapped 10 power poles.

Power lines down at Holiday and Jacksboro intersection.

One telephone pole was snapped off near the top. Several other power poles were damaged. Monetary damages were estimated.

A couple of power lines were downed on Barnett Road just south of US Highway 277. Monetary damages were estimated.

The temperatures remained above freezing for much of the day, but finally fell below 32 degrees by late afternoon. Minor glaze accumulations were reported, with some sporadic power outages and automobile accidents. Another area of precipitation, mainly in the form of snow, moved over Wichita county during the morning and afternoon of the 29th. Around an inch of snow accumulated in some spots.

A power pole was blown down. Monetary damages were estimated.

Six power poles were blown down by an apparent microburst just west of intersection of FM 171 road and Rogers Lane. Monetary damages were estimated.

Several power lines and large trees were downed throughout town. A roof was blown off a mobile home on the north side of town. Monetary damages were estimated.

Power poles were downed at Southwest Parkway and Kemp Boulevard.

Power lines were reported down.

A damage path about 60 yards wide was reported in the area of the Kickapoo Airpark on the south side of the city. Six hangars were destroyed at the airport. These hangars were made of sheet metal and were old. Two aircraft were also damaged. Several power poles were downed with a few pulled out of the ground.

Roof and structural damage was reported on the west side of the city, with three homes destroyed. Many power poles and lines were downed. Many trees were also uprooted and snapped. A semi hauling an empty trailer was also overturned on the southbound overhead freeway near Holliday Road. The roof of a portable classroom at Rider High School was ripped off. Fowler Elementary also lost a corner of its roof.

Power poles were downed in the northwest portion of town. The steel roof of a business was peeled back. An air conditioning unit was also blown off the roof of an auto shop where it fell on top of a car, damaging the windshield and denting the hood. Some minor roof damage to some buildings was also reported.

Measured wind gusts associated with a heatburst ranged from 71 mph to 87 mph. Many power lines and street lights were downed and power poles snapped across this area, especially in Wichita Falls, Holliday, and Archer City. Numerous trees were also damaged along with some minor roof damage and damage to a couple of awnings in Wichita Falls. The length of the damage sustained in Wichita Falls was about 5 miles with a width of 0.5 miles.

A powerful storm system, with highly anomalous magnitudes of wind shear and moisture for late February, impacted north Texas on the evening of the 26th. A broken line of severe thunderstorms developed across the eastern Texas Panhandle and quickly swept across north Texas. Widespread severe-criteria wind gusts, including gusts near 70 mph, occurred. Behind the line of thunderstorms, a tight pressure gradient and a strong westerly low-level jet allowed widespread 50-60 mph winds gusts to continue through the late evening hours.

An unseasonably warm and moist airmass was in place across the region ahead of a powerful upper wave moving out of the 4 corners region. This led to the development of numerous severe thunderstorms across Oklahoma and Texas during the afternoon and evening of the 10th. Several severe wind gusts and large hail were reported with storms across western north Texas.

An multi-day early season ice storm impacted western north Texas beginning the morning of the 26th and lasting into the 28th. Highest ice accretion totals were found closer to the Red River, but power outages and downed power lines were reported in many areas.

A powerful cold front swept through north Texas early on the first, allowing a deep cold airmass to fill into the region. An approaching upper level wave brought sufficient lift to generate bands of light to moderate snow over much of western north Texas. Snow gradually ended late on the 2nd, but not before impressive storm total snow accumulations occurred.

A powerful winter storm began to take shape during the evening hours of the 31st and continued into the 1st of February. Most of the accumulating snow occurred on February 1, but thunder-sleet and snow did affect many locations in northern Texas after dark on the 31st, causing significant travel disruptions. Accumulations were minimal early on, but continued to deteriorate as the night progressed. A more thorough write-up is included in the February 2011 Storm Data entry.

A hot and humid air mass continued over north Texas during the afternoon. Lift associated with a mid-level disturbance traveling east from New Mexico contributed to thunderstorm development during the mid afternoon hours. As was the case for several days, most of the thunderstorms were more pulse-like, causing them to form, strengthen, and collapse over a short amount of time. However, the downburst associated with the collapsing storm produced winds exceeding 60 mph over some locations, along with extremely heavy rainfall. The strong winds caused some damage to trees, power lines/poles, and some structures.

A powerful cold front, combined with a strong upper level storm system allowed for rain to change to snow over parts of northern Texas. The snowfall did not last long, and wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph did not allow for the snow to accumulate easily. As much as two inches of snow accumulated near the Red River. No accidents were reported as a result of the snowfall.

A strong upper level storm system moved east through New Mexico and into the Texas panhandle during the day on the 8th. A complex of severe thunderstorms developed and quickly moved through western north Texas during the early afternoon hours. A wind gust to 60 mph was reported in Baylor county, with additional severe wind gusts reported in Wichita county near Pleasant Valley. Damage occurred to a double-wide trailer, and several power poles were blown down in Pleasant Valley.

A major winter storm impacted much of northern Texas from the morning of January 28th and continued through the day. The most significant impacts came with an extended period of freezing rain for Wilbarger, Hardeman, and Foard counties, which resulted in significant icing on trees and power lines. The day before the winter storm was unusually warm, as the high temperature at Wichita Falls was 67 degrees, which was 14 degrees above normal. However, that same day, a strong cold front was sweeping south down the Plains. On the morning of January 28th, the cold front pushed through western North Texas. Surface temperatures had fallen below freezing just north of the Red River and by mid morning, it had moved south of Wilbarger, Foard, and Hardeman counties. Temperatures farther east remained just above freezing, which included the Wichita Falls area. The cold front stalled to the south leaving a shallow cold air mass in place across much of the area to the north of the front. As an upper level low became better organized in the southwestern United States, it helped draw warm, moist air north from the Gulf of Mexico over the cold air at the surface. This contributed to the development of widespread precipitation during the early morning hours over northern Texas. The precipitation increased in intensity during the afternoon, and intense freezing rain moved through part of the area. Drier air swept in behind the precipitation and started clearing it out of north Texas by mid afternoon. Although only light freezing drizzle or sleet was reported for the rest of the evening, it only aggravated the already dire situation that occurred earlier in the day. Later that night, another area of precipitation had developed over parts of central Texas and moved north toward the Red River. The precipitation type was more snow with some embedded sleet, and accumulating snows occurred during the morning and afternoon of the 29th. Up to two inches of snow fell over mainly Wichita, Clay, and Archer counties. ||By the time the storm system moved east of the area, thousands of trees were heavily damaged over the western portions of north Texas. Hundreds of power poles were down, and thousands were without power. Monetary damage estimates were not available due to the extensive nature of the damage.

A powerful winter storm developed over parts of the Southern Plains, resulting in one of the most widespread and damaging blizzards to affect western north Texas in decades. Blizzard conditions affected northern Texas for at least 5 to 7 hours, with travel and commerce severely impacted. A surface low pressure center intensified rapidly, leading to severe, blustery winds. Rain began during the early morning hours, but quickly changed to sleet and freezing rain, and then to all snow, as temperatures never rose above freezing. By mid to late morning winds were sustained around 40 mph, with frequent wind gust of 50 to 60+ mph. Snowfall rates approached two inches per hour at times, and the visibilities were frequently less than 100 feet. Numerous accidents were reported, especially given the high volume of traffic the day before Christmas. Most area roadways were shut down for the day into Christmas morning, which included Interstate 44 north of Wichita Falls. Many people were stranded in their cars for several hours, with several abandoning their vehicles. The strong winds, combined with the below freezing temperatures, allowed for wind chill temperatures to drop to near zero. This made it even more dangerous for people that were abandoning their vehicles. Governor Rick Perry mobilized the military to assist the thousands that were stranded in the snow. In addition to the military, hundreds of tractors road up and down the roadways, assisting stranded motorists. By sunset, the snowfall had accumulated up to nine inches, with the highest totals over Wichita and Clay counties.

A powerful ice storm affected parts of western north Texas beginning on the 9th and continuing through the 10th. A cold front with below freezing temperatures moved through area during the morning hours of the 9th. At the same time, showers and thunderstorms were developing as a strong upper level storm system moved toward the area. The thunderstorms moving over sub-freezing air resulted in slick spots on bridges and other elevated surfaces. Also, tree limbs were downed as they could not support the weight of the ice accumulation. The freezing line pushed north into southern Oklahoma late in the day on the 10th. No accidents were reported on area roadways.

A strong storm system moved into the Midwestern United states, with a trailing strong cold front that moved through western north Texas during the early morning of the 24th. The strengthening storm system created a tight pressure gradient over the southern plains, resulting in very strong winds at the surface. The strong winds lasted through much of the afternoon over western north Texas before lessening during the early evening hours. |The strong winds caused sporadic damage over northern Texas. Most of the damage consisted of extensive tree and power line damage. The power line damage resulted in many losing power during parts of the afternoon.

A strong arctic cold front moved through western north Texas during the morning hours of the 12th. Precipitation from an upper level storm system overran the cold air in place, with a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet the main result. The ice and sleet accumulation made for a messy situation on the roadways, with numerous accidents reported. Also, sporadic power outages and road closings occurred due to the ice and sleet accumulation on tree limbs and power lines that were downed. Although there were a few indirect injuries reported, no fatalities were reported. Numerous schools and businesses had to be closed due to the winter storm.

A major winter storm developed across north Texas during the evening of the 25th, with significant accumulations of ice and snow beginning around 0300 CST on the 26th, and lasting through most of the day. Across Hardeman and northern Foard Counties, a mixture of sleet and freezing rain fell overnight on the 26th before changing to all snow during the day, with total ice and snow accumulations between 2 and 4 inches observed. Across the remainder of western north Texas, a mixture of sleet and freezing rain accumulated to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. Although damage to personal and public property and infrastructure was greater across portions of south central and southeast Oklahoma, approximately 25,000 residents lost power and schools were closed for 1 to 2 days. Hundreds of insurance claims were also received by local insurance companies for damage to property.