Exactly how windy did it get in West Texas Sunday?

Brandi D. Addison, Amarillo Globe-News
·2 min read
Amarillo Fire Department crews worked to extinguish a fire that spread to a tree due to a downed power line Sunday afternoon during a potent wind storm.
Amarillo Fire Department crews worked to extinguish a fire that spread to a tree due to a downed power line Sunday afternoon during a potent wind storm.

A monstrous wall of dust crawled across the region late Sunday, briefly transforming the High Plains into a vintage war movie scene, sepia tones and all.

As the dust storm strengthened early evening, locals quickly flooded social media with their photos and videos of the forceful winds and red-tinted skies displaying a hazy landscape that many joked could perfectly match that of Mars.

Eerie, high-pitched winds continued through the night but settled some early morning, though the storm had already left its mark.

So, exactly how windy did it get in West Texas on Sunday?

The Pacific front packed winds stronger than 100 mph in some places on the High Plains, leaving remnants of damage across the entire region.

From the northern Panhandle all the way to El Paso, more than 42,000 customers lost electricity as high wind speeds disturbed power lines. Happy ISD, even, cancelled school Monday.

Lubbock County officials reported a building behind the Dairy Queen in Idalou had lost its roof. A downed power line sparked a fire that set a tree ablaze in Amarillo, while Hockley County warned of large grassfires near Levelland and Yellow House Canyon Ranch and a 5,000-acre wildfire is ongoing in Oldham County.

Shown using a slow shutter speed, birds attempt to fly during a high wind warning, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Gusts are up to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Shown using a slow shutter speed, birds attempt to fly during a high wind warning, Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023. Gusts are up to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy amounts of dust particles and other debris filled the air down to zero visibility at times, the National Weather Service office in Lubbock confirmed, and all flights to and from Lubbock were delayed or cancelled for the evening.

The Texas Department of Transportation temporarily shut down Interstate 27 in Swisher County amid a surge in commercial vehicle crashes due to low visibility, and a 10- to 12-car pileup in the Oklahoma Panhandle killed a driver, FOX Weather reported.

Additionally, radar indicated a tornado in McLean, though the NWS office in Lubbock said it has not been confirmed.

And longtime West Texas forecaster Ron Roberts tweeted that he believes this was the worst dust storm he has seen since the 1990s — possibly longer.

The National Weather Service office in Lubbock confirmed a gust of 114 mph in Memphis, about 40 miles inward from the Texas-Oklahoma Panhandle, while the majority of the region reached gust speeds of up to 75 mph.

Lubbock recorded a gust of 77 mph around 7:30 p.m., and Amarillo recorded a gust of 75 mph. The highest sustained wind — averaging over two minutes — was 57 mph.

"(This) was certainly not the worst Lubbock has seen," said NWS Lubbock forecast Adam Adam Przepiora. "But this was definitely an unusually strong wind event."

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Exactly how windy did it get in West Texas Sunday?