Thunderstorm Wind in Rusk County, Texas

Large tree was uprooted onto power lines near the intersection of Florence Street and Camp Street in Kilgore, causing power outages.

Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms, initially elevated, developed by late morning on April 18th as a cold front rapidly undercut a moist and unstable air mass across East Texas. Mid-level lapse rates averaged near 8 degrees C/km while effective deep-layer shear was on the order of 50-60 knots. Although the risk for large hail was generally the the primary hazard with the most intense thunderstorms, a localized risk for severe wind gusts also accompanied the strongest thunderstorm cores. As a result, numerous reports were documented with large hail across parts of East Texas while a few isolated reports of damaging wind gusts were also noted later in the event as surface-based thunderstorms began to evolve within a more linear convective mode.