Third Hailstorm in Two Weeks Pounds North Texas Area
A severe line of thunderstorms extending 100 miles pounded portions of north central Texas this week producing hail as large as tennis balls. The line extended from Denton to Hillsboro.
The communities of Itasca and Covington located north of Hillsboro were hit with tennis ball size hail. Residents reported damage to homes and automobiles. Golf ball size hail was reported in cities along Interstate 35 W from Denton County to Hill County. (See map below)
The heaviest thunderstorms this year occurred on April 10, when four tornadoes and hailstorms struck north, south and east of the DFW area. The April 10 storm caused $100 million in insured losses. A second round of storms occurred April 14, with multiple reports of golf ball size hail falling in suburbs north of Dallas and Fort Worth.
All three storm systems have been responsible for nearly 300 tornadoes that have resulted in dozens of fatalities and property damage in 14 states.
“We don’t want the violent weather, but the entire state is in dire need of a good rain to not only end our drought-like conditions, but to bring a halt to the wildfires that continue to ravage our state,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas.
Source: The Insurance Council of Texas