Hail in Cotton County, Oklahoma

Multiple images showing ruler measurements were shared. The event time is estimated from radar observations.

Multiple rounds of hail-producing thunderstorms impacted portions of the WFO Norman Forecast Area on the 22nd. Morning convection was initiated by moist isentropic ascent in low to mid-levels. With sufficient elevated instability and wind shear already in place, a few transiently organized thunderstorms produced hail from south-central into north-central Oklahoma. Thunderstorm intensity gradually increased towards midday, culminating in the development of a more robust, right-moving supercell thunderstorm over Carter and Love Counties. This storm generated multiple reports of very large hail, thunderstorm wind damage and flooding.

Following a brief early afternoon lull, additional thunderstorms developed by late afternoon across southwestern Oklahoma and western-north Texas. This activity was initiated near convective outflow boundaries from prior thunderstorms and enhanced by strong surface heating. The resulting environment featured strong instability, steep lapse rates, and favorable deep-layer wind shear for organized thunderstorms. Multiple splitting supercell thunderstorms emerged in this regime, producing widespread reports of large to very large hail during the evening.