Hail — Hockley, Texas

2014-06-07 · near Sundown, Hockley, Texas

Event narrative

A left-moving supercell produced a swath of large hail generally from near Sundown northeast to Levelland. Trained spotters estimated the hail ranged in size from ping pong balls to as large as tennis balls. The worst hail damage was noted in Levelland where many vehicles suffered cracked or shattered windows, particularly at the Covenant hospital. Several homes in Levelland also sustained varying degrees of roof damage including some broken windows.

Wider weather episode

An outbreak of severe storms affected many locations on the Caprock late this day and through the overnight hours resulting in numerous instances of hail damage, destructive winds and flooding. Several of these storms were supercells and a few even developed organized low level rotation. However, official NWS storm surveys did not find conclusive evidence of tornadic activity, but instead discovered several swaths of intense rear flank downdraft winds that at one point were measured as high as 96 mph. Preliminary estimates indicate that several thousand acres of newly planted cotton and grain crops throughout portions of the South Plains would require replanting following torrential rains and soil erosion. Total property and agricultural losses from this event will likely approach $250 million.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.4600, -102.4900)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 511653. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.