This week’s storm outlook

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - It should be a familiar pattern. Warm to hot and humid afternoons, with isolated thunderstorms developing mid- to late afternoon then becoming more widely scattered in the evening. Wash, rinse, repeat. All through the Memorial Day Weekend.

Some of the storms are likely to become severe. Today the main threat is expected to be strong wind gusts which may hit around 70 mph. Some heavy rain also is likely with the storms each day which may result in localized flooding.

Typically, rain coverage each day will be spotty.

Outside of storms skies will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy. Winds generally will be light. Temperatures will peak in the 80s.

Use our free KCBD Weather app to keep up with the latest forecast and any watches or warnings which may be issued. Turn on notifications. If a watch or warning is issued for your location the app will alert you. Even if it is not running (if you give it permission). Notifications are under Settings in the app menu (three horizontal bars in the upper left).

Watches and Warnings

In advance of anticipated severe weather, the National Weather Service (NWS) may issue a WATCH. In the case of a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch, this will cover a large area, many counties and perhaps portions of multiple states, and a long time, generally from one to six hours.

A WATCH is your heads up that the type of weather noted is possible during the watch time. Make a plan for you and your loved ones. Plan what you can do to prepare for the possible weather and what will you do if it heads your way.

Once severe weather is imminent or occurring, the NWS typically issues a WARNING. In the case of a severe thunderstorm or tornado, it will cover a small area, a portion of one or several counties* for a short amount of time, generally from 20 to 60 minutes.

A WARNING is your call to action. Put your plan into action. You need to have that plan before the weather turns severe. There likely won’t be time to make a plan and execute it once severe weather is on your doorstep.

*This is why you need to know what county you are in and the counties around you, and in what direction.

Rain Reports

Sunday evening and night, while some areas of Lubbock received aound an inch and a half of rain, the Lubbock airport recorded 0.36″. The total for May is now 2.56″, which is 1.16″ above the average through today. The total for 2023 is 3.42″, which is 1.71″ below the year-to-date average.

Rain totals (inches) in and near the KCBD viewing area for the 24 hours ending at 8:00 AM Monday:

1.86 Tulia

1.51 Lubbock Southeast

1.44 Lubbock All Saints

1.37 Welch

1.05 Aiken

1.00 Reese Center

0.82 Slaton

0.79 Lubbock Christian University

0.79 Lubbock Northwest

0.78 Smyer

0.64 Dimmitt

0.52 Lubbock East

0.51 Plains

0.50 Anton

0.44 Brownfield

0.42 Hobbs

0.29 Friona

0.27 Abernathy

0.15 Hart

0.14 Earth

0.14 Ralls

0.13 New Deal

0.11 Morton

0.12 Sundown

0.11 Happy

0.11 Shallowater

0.11 South Plains 3ENE

0.09 Floydada

0.08 Northfield

0.08 Plainview

0.08 Seagraves

0.07 Clarendon

0.06 Muleshoe

0.07 Olton

0.07 Silverton

0.04 McAdoo

0.02 Denver City

0.02 Paducah

0.01 Graham

0.01 O’Donnell

0.01 Post

0.01 Seminole

0.01 Tatum

Source: West Texas Mesonet and National Weather Service Lubbock

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