North Texas Hit with Tornadoes, Large Hail

The National Weather Service said as many as 12 tornadoes and hail the size of softballs pounded portions of north Texas during the weekend of April 24 – 26. The Insurance Council of Texas reported that the storms turned violent beginning near Rising Star in Eastland County and proceeded eastward for about 100 miles.

Representatives from the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth began assessing the damage on April 27 in and around Glen Rose, Rio Vista, Cleburne, Dublin and Stephenville. There were no reports of injuries, but property damage is widespread.

The Dallas Morning News reported a storm on the night of April 24 produced golf-ball size in Waxahachie, and included tornado and thunderstorm warnings. Winds up to 80 mph were reported in Stephenville in Erath County. In Tarrant County, isolated reports of 65- to 70-mph winds were registered.

In Stephenville, State Farm agent Lindy Boyd said the city of 15,000 was hit with hurricane force winds and hail on one day and with even more damaging hail on the next.

“I’ve got claims pouring in over the phone and my office is filling up,” said Boyd. “There is damage all over the city.”

Janice Shoot with the Cowboy Capital Insurance Group in Stephenville, said both Stephenville and nearby Dublin were hit hard.

“In Dublin, my son’s two new Ford pick-up trucks were literally destroyed by hail. The hail went through the windshields and the rain ruined the inside. They were beat all to pieces,” Shoot said.

Her own home also received heavy hail damage. “My ceiling fan started throwing water after hail came through our roof.”

The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth said the state had been getting pounded from severe thunderstorms beginning in mid-April.

“Here in north Texas we have had our fair share of weather events. It’s that time of the year,” said Matt Stalley, a NWS meteorologist.

ICT spokesman Mark Hanna said there have been multiple reports of large hail and wind damage all across the state. “We have had reports of tornado damage in north and east Texas along with hail damage from the panhandle to the Texas coast,” he said.

Johnson County authorities said several houses were left without roofs near Godly and Joshua.