Hail — Wise, Texas

1998-05-08 · near Decatur, Wise, Texas

Event narrative

Large hail struck three car dealerships in Decatur, causing an estimated $2 million in damage.

Wider weather episode

A significant severe weather episode occurred across north Texas during the evening hours of May 8th. Severe thunderstorms developed between Abilene and Childress along a dryline late in the afternoon and moved east into north Texas. The most severe weather occurred along a corridor roughly along and 40 miles to the south of US 380 from west of Throckmorton in Throckmorton County eastward to Greenville in Hunt County. Occasionally propagating in a train echo fashion, these storms were efficient hail and wind producers. Wise County was hardest hit by severe weather on the 8th, with wind, hail, and one confirmed tornado destroying 15 houses and damaging 178 others. Widespread damage to automobiles and trees also were reported. In Denton County, thunderstorm winds blew down powerlines across Interstate 35-E near Lake Dallas, closing both northbound and southbound lanes of traffic. In the ensuing traffic jam, motorists were stranded in their vehicles as another severe thunderstorm moved across the area. In all, damage from this severe weather episode was estimated at between $30 and $40 million, with damage in Wise County estimated at $5 million and $3 to $5 million in Denton County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.2300, -97.6000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5645553. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.