West Texas
A few cities include: Big Spring, Childress and Lubbock.
Local tornado season: Peaks between May and early June.
Terrain: Plains west, some hills and canyons east.
Road network: Good in most areas away from the Caprock.
Radar coverage: Good, except limited near the Caprock.
West Texas is where many storms initiate in the southern High Plains. A surface dryline typically sets up from north to south across West Texas, with hot, dry air to the west and warm, moist air to the east. If the ingredients come together just right with favorable wind shear, supercell thunderstorms can explosively develop.
Large to very large hail is common with supercells in West Texas. Under the right conditions, some supercells in West Texas can be photogenic, low precipitation types. Tornadoes regularly occur during storm season, although long-track tornadoes are somewhat more common across the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. It is also common for dust storms (or haboobs) to cloud the landscape with a haze of dust if strong winds are sweeping through.
Terrain
Despite being in the heart of the southern High Plains, the terrain is not all flat in West Texas. The Caprock area is found over a broad section to the east of Lubbock. Hills and canyons dot the landscape and there are even some thick patches of evergreen forest in that area. Even though it can be challenging chasing here, due to the frequency of supercell storms originating near the Caprock, it is not a chase target to pass up on.
Farther west, most of the area near and west of Lubbock is relatively flat. Some spots are greener than others, while parts of the terrain are more desolate, taking on a desert-like appearance.
Road network
Road networks tend to be similar to the terrain, meaning the road network is more favorable west of Lubbock, while gaps and irregularities are found in the road network around the Caprock. Most of Texas is known for diagonal roads, but there is a mixture of diagonal roads and roads that follow relatively straight (north-south or east-west) paths in West Texas.
West Texas may not be covered with a perfect grid-layout for roads, but it is usually not too difficult to chase. The main exception is around the Caprock. If there is one storm and it is near the Caprock, be prepared for storm chaser convergence. With limited roadways, if a large crowd flocks to a storm, one might find themselves in a line of traffic.
I-27 is the main freeway in West Texas, as it connects Lubbock with Amarillo. I-20 cuts through south and southeastern portions of West Texas, bringing one toward Abilene (east) or Midland (west). Also keep in mind that parts of the Lubbock area are densely populated, so you may want to avoid this area while storm chasing. It might not be a bad starting point, but you do not want to have to deal with traffic and stop lights if you are actively chasing a storm.
Radar coverage
The dominant radar site that covers West Texas is KLBB. It offers radar coverage for most of the area. KMAF overlaps southern portions of KLBB’s coverage area, so if you are chasing south of Lubbock, you can often choose from either of those radar sites.
Radar coverage is a bit more limited to the east toward the Caprock. KFDR can offer some coverage out by Guthrie and Paducah, while KDYX extends toward the Aspermont to Snyder areas. Sometimes, if one is chasing down by I-20, KSJT can be used as well.
In summary, West Texas is a relatively good area to storm chase. While not perfect, the terrain and road networks are generally favorable. Radar coverage is good in most areas, but just be prepared for a little bit of tricky chasing if targeting the Caprock area.