Severe thunderstorms are the defining hazard at Alibates Flint Quarries, with Potter County logging 9 thunderstorm wind events and 6 hail strikes among 18 recorded incidents in recent years. These storms roll across the Texas Panhandle with little warning, capable of producing damaging gusts and golf-ball-sized hail in minutes. Two flash flood events round out a picture of fast-moving, terrain-amplified danger in an area where dry creek beds can surge quickly.
Check the NWS Amarillo forecast the morning of your visit and set a weather alert on your phone before leaving camp — cell coverage is limited once you're on the monument trails. Pack a hard-sided vehicle or a reinforced tarp shelter rated for hail, and identify the lowest, non-flood-prone ground near your campsite as a wind refuge before storms develop. If a funnel cloud appears, get horizontal in a low ditch away from your vehicle immediately.
Top recorded hazards in Potter County
County dataFrom NOAA Storm Events (2024). Counts of recorded incidents — not all occurred at this park.
- Thunderstorm Wind 9
- Hail 6
- Flash Flood 2
- Funnel Cloud 1
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About Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument
13,000 years ago, Alibates Flint was used by mammoth hunters as a source of flint for tools. Learn how important this site was to the survival, commerce, and culture of the people of the High Plains.
Weather
The Texas Panhandle experiences a wide variety of weather conditions throughout the year. Winters are cold and windy, and summers are hot and dry. It is usually a good idea to bring a jacket with you if you are planning on hiking to the quarries with a ranger because the mesa gets very windy, even in the summer.