Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 20, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 20, 1979
Start: 1979-04-20T13:00
End: 1979-04-20T23:10
Location: Texas

April 20, 1979 · NWS ATA · 22 events in 15 counties and zones

16 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

16 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pecos

When: April 20, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Pecos County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 900 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 30.600, -102.570

Hail, Taylor

When: April 20, 2:25 PM CST
Where: Taylor County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.130, -99.750

Hail, Runnels

When: April 20, 3:10 PM CST
Where: Runnels County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.970, -99.950

Hail, Tom Green

When: April 20, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Tom Green County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 31.470, -100.430

Hail, Brewster

When: April 20, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Brewster County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.330, -103.600

Hail, Brewster

When: April 20, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Brewster County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.320, -103.180

Hail, Brewster

When: April 20, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Brewster County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 29.330, -103.600

Tornado, Brown

When: April 20, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 31.680, -99.020

Hail, Menard

When: April 20, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Menard County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.770, -99.700

Hail, Gillespie

When: April 20, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Gillespie County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.300, -99.250

Hail, Kerr

When: April 20, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 30.000, -99.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Kimble

When: April 20, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Kimble County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 30.500, -99.770

Hail, Brown

When: April 20, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.720, -99.130

Hail, Freestone

When: April 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Freestone County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.870, -96.280

Hail, Mason

When: April 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Mason County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.730, -99.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Freestone

When: April 20, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Freestone County
Coordinates: 31.870, -96.280

Hail, Kerr

When: April 20, 7:43 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.880, -99.100

Hail, Lavaca

When: April 20, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Lavaca County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.300, -97.080

Hail, Kerr

When: April 20, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.930, -99.030

Hail, Zavala

When: April 20, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Zavala County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 28.950, -99.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When: April 20, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Coordinates: 29.420, -98.500

Tornado, Bexar

When: April 20, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.370, -98.300

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

Every storm in Texas in 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1979

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10131877, 10131878, 10131879, 10131880, 10131881, 10131882, 10131883, 10131884, 10131885, 10131886, 10131887, 10131888, 10131889, 10131890, 10131891, 10131892, 10131893, 10131894, 10131895, 10131896, 10131897, 10131898.