Tonight’s South Plains thunderstorm outlook

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - There is a slight chance thunderstorms may develop over the eastern viewing area this evening. Storms that do form will quickly increase in intensity as they move east into an atmosphere supportive of severe storms. The greatest severe weather threat will be large hail. See the graphic below.

The viewing area yesterday experienced its warmest day of the year so far. Lubbock hit 86°. That’s 16 degrees above the average and just four degrees below the record high for March 22.

Similar to yesterday, considerable high cloudiness will stream overhead today filtering the sunshine. Like yesterday, at times the cloud cover will be thin enough for blue sky to show through. The afternoon will be warm, though not as warm as yesterday.

Winds will not be as strong. In fact, this morning into the early afternoon winds will generally range from about 5 to 15 mph. After that it will become breezy mid-afternoon and then somewhat windy late afternoon through early evening. Speeds will increase to about 15 to 25 mph with gusts around 35 mph.

As noted, there is a slight storm chance this evening over the eastern viewing area this evening, mainly late evening.

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Otherwise tonight will be partly to mostly cloudy with gusty winds this evening, diminishing some after midnight.

Much cooler weather will follow through into early next week. Lows will drop into the 30s, with a possible freeze in the Lubbock area Saturday night (Sunday morning). Highs will be in the 60s, as much as ten degrees below average for the end of March.

La Niña and El Niño

The good news is, the La Nina weather pattern is over. Sea surface temperatures of the central and eastern tropical Pacific are considered neutral, neither La Nina or El Nino. This typically means near average precipitation.

March and April, however, are not typically very wet around the South Plains area.

More good news, an El Nino is possible. This weather pattern typically (but not always) trends wetter than average around here.

The bad news, drought conditions are not expected to improve through Spring in these here parts. The flip side of that, they are not expected to worsen (at least by much).

LUBBOCK CLIMATOLOGY

Lubbock’s temperatures yesterday ranged from a low of 52° to a high of 86°. The low this morning was 49° at the Lubbock Airport.

For today, March 23, Lubbock’s average low is 40° and the average high 70°. The record low is 13° (set in 1952) and the record high is 89° (set in 2018).

Lubbock’s precipitation total for the month is a trace. That is 0.75″ below the month-to-date average. The total for the year is 0.75″, which is 1.30 below the year-to-date average.

Lubbock’s snowfall total for the season to date is 7.2″. That is 0.4″ above the average to date.

Sunrise today was at 7:47 AM CDT, sunset is at 8:01 PM CDT. Sunrise tomorrow is at 7:46 AM CDT.

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