Roof blown off a barn located 15 miles southwest of Perryton, TX.
...STRONG WINDS CAUSE DAMAGE IN SOUTHEASTERN HANSFORD COUNTY AND IN OCHILTREE COUNTY ON MONDAY NIGHT MARCH 26TH...
WINDS ESTIMATED IN THE 60 TO 70 MPH RANGE OCCURRED ACROSS SOUTHEAST HANSFORD COUNTY AND MOVED FROM
SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS OCHILTREE COUNTY. THE WINDS STARTED BETWEEN 9:00 AND 9:30 PM IN SOUTHEAST
HANSFORD COUNTY AND ENDED AROUND 11:00 PM INNORTHEAST OCHILTREE COUNTY. IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT EXACTLY CAUSED
THE STRONG WINDS...BUT PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ARE THAT THESE WINDSWERE THE RESULT OF STRONG WINDS JUST ABOVE
THE SURFACE BEING BROUGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND. THERE WERE SOME LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS OR VIRGA...VIRGA IS RAIN
THAT IS EVAPORATING BEFORE IT HITS THE GROUND...IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRONG WINDS. WHEN THE AIR IS COOLED
ALOFT DUE TO EVAPORATION THEN THE AIR TENDS TO SINK. THERE WERE SOME STRONG WINDS ABOUT 500 FEET OFF OF THE
GROUND ACROSS THE AREA. IT APPEARS THAT WHEN THE AIR COOLED ABOVE THIS AREA THAT IT BROUGHT THESE STRONG
WINDS DOWN TO THE SURFACE. HOWEVER...THESE STRONGWINDS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN CONSTANT AND THEREFORE MAY
HAVE COME DOWN TO THE GROUND IN THE FORM OF SMALL SCALE MICRO BURSTS. A SMALL HEAT BURST MAY HAVE ALSO
OCCURRED IN PERRYTON. A HEAT BURST IS A RARE ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON CHARACTERIZED BY GUSTY WINDS AND A
RAPID INCREASE IN TEMPERATURE AND DECREASE IN DEW POINT...OR RELATIVE HUMIDITY. HEAT BURSTS TYPICALLY OCCUR
DURING THE NIGHT AND CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECAYING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. HERE ARE SOME OBSERVATIONS
FROM PERRYTON ON THAT NIGHT:
TIME WIND TEMPERATURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY
9:55 PM S AT 20 MPH 67 45 PERCENT
10:15 PM S AT 26 G 36 MPH 68 43 PERCENT
10:35 PM S AT 44 G 56 MPH 74 30 PERCENT
10:55 PM S AT 24 G 41 MPH 70 40 PERCENT
11:15 PM S AT 26 G 35 MPH 68 45 PERCENT
ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF SPEARMAN...BETWEEN 9:00 AND 9:30 PM...THE SOUTH SIDE OF A COTTON GIN NEAR THE
INTERSECTIONS OF HIGHWAY 51 AND COUNTY ROAD 23 WAS REMOVED. TIN WAS BLOWN ONE HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILE
AWAY FROM THE GIN. SEVERAL POWERPOLES WERE KNOCKED DOWN AT THE SAME LOCATION.
ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PERRYTON...AROUND 9:30 PM...A BARN ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF AND KNOCKED OVER SOME
POWER LINES AT THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAYS 376 AND 759. SEVERAL OTHER POWER POLES WERE KNOCKED DOWN IN THIS AREA.
ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF BOOKER...BETWEEN 10:45 PM AND 11:00 PM...8 POWER POLES WERE KNOCKED DOWN.
THIS IS APRELIMINARY REPORT AND IS SUBJECT TO REVISION BASED ON ANY NEW OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE PICTURES AND THE TESTIMONIES OF THE STRONG WINDS.
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