Hail — El Paso, Texas

2009-09-16 · near (elp)el Paso Intl Ar, El Paso, Texas

Event narrative

Numerous skylights and automobiles were damaged from ping pong ball size hail.

Wider weather episode

A back door front pushed southwestward into far west Texas while an upper level low was dropping southward into eastern Arizona. A veering vertical shear profile with sufficient low level moisture and instability led to 2 supercells forming in the El Paso area. These storms were prolific hail producers. The second supercell produced extensive golfball to possibly tennis ball size hail over a large area of commerce. The damage estimate of $150 million makes this easily the most costly hailstorm in the NWS El Paso County Warning Area since records began.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (31.7711, -106.3394)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 197008. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.