Texas, 1996

Hail in Texas, November 6, 1996

November 6, 1996 · NWS MAF · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

A cold front moving southward through west Texas was a focus for severe thunderstorm development during the evening hours. The dry line limited the western extent of the development.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.

A cold front moving southward through west Texas was a focus for severe thunderstorm development during the evening hours. The dry line limited the western extent of the development. A strong southwest flow aloft and low level dew points in the lower 60s made for a promising late-season severe weather event. Most of the convection formed into a long squall line that stretched from near Snyder to Sanderson, but two cells formed ahead of the line in Reagan County and became supercells. Also at the end of the line a supercell tracked across Sanderson where tennis ball size hail fell.

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Reagan

When
November 6, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Reagan County, 2 mi N of Big Lake
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
31.230, -101.470

Hail, Pecos

When
November 6, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Pecos County, 28 mi SE of Ft Stockton
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
30.600, -102.530

Hail, Scurry

When
November 6, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Scurry County, Snyder
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.720, -100.900

Hail, Reagan

When
November 6, 7:43 PM CST
Where
Reagan County, 4 mi W of Big Lake
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
31.200, -101.530

Hail, Terrell

When
November 6, 8:02 PM CST to 8:18 PM CST
Where
Terrell County, Sanderson
Measured
2.5 in hail
Property damage
$20,000
Coordinates
30.150, -102.400

The biggest hail storm to hit Sanderson in years struck on the evening of Nov 6th. Jagged hail stones were common. First reports were of 1 inch hail but the size eventually became tennis ball size. Some cars at a dealership were damaged during the storm.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, November 1996

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: 5582522, 5582523, 5582524, 5582525, 5582526.