Thunderstorm Wind in Hopkins County, Texas

A NWS survey team determined a combination of straight line winds and microbursts caused damage in and around the Como area of Hopkins County. Notable damage was first observed west of Como on FM 1567 where two homes sustained minor roof damage and notable tree damage was observed. Scattered tree damage continued southeast into and east of Como. An embedded microburst is believed to have caused more significant damage to metal buildings at a county-owned facility on Highway 11 and to the Como-Pickton ISD facilities. Maximum estimated winds in the area were determined to be around 95 mph at the ISD facilities. A local weather station also reported a 87 mph wind speed to the east of Como. Local officials reported that the monetary damage to the ISD facilities was near $28 million.

A late spring cold front pushed south into the area on Monday June 12, and became stationary near the I-20 corridor. The front provided focus for thunderstorm development as it meandered across the region for most of that weak, with multiple upper level disturbances providing added lift for development. Several consecutive days of strong to severe storms was the result, with many areas receiving large hail (storms each day produced hail over 2) and some locations receiving damaging downburst winds between 75-95 mph. A new record hailstone for North Texas occurred on June 15th in Sanger, TX when a 5.9-inch diameter hailstone was measured.