Texas, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, January 21, 1998

January 21, 1998 · NWS EWX · 6 events in 1 county or zone

4 tornado, 1 hail, 1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
$90,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Events
6

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.

The radar

The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 tornado, 1 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lee

When
January 21, 2:30 PM CST to 2:50 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Lexington
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$10,000
Coordinates
30.420, -97.000

Funnel Cloud, Lee

When
January 21, 2:30 PM CST to 2:32 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Lexington
Coordinates
30.311, -96.966 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Lee

When
January 21, 2:56 PM CST to 2:58 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 2 mi W of Dime Box
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
30.350, -96.850

A short-lived tornado was sighted by the public just west of Dime Box. No damage was reported.

Tornado, Lee

When
January 21, 3:07 PM CST to 3:09 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 8 mi NE of Lexington
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
30.500, -96.900

A second short-lived tornado was sighted just northeast of Lexington by several members of the public.

Tornado, Lee

When
January 21, 3:09 PM CST to 3:14 PM CST
Where
Lee County, Dime Box
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$80,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Coordinates
30.350, -96.820

A third tornado touched down near Dime Box. It was spotted by a constable who reported that it destroyed a barn and several sheds across a city block, taking off tin roofs. tossing lumber about and knocking down fences.

Tornado, Lee

When
January 21, 3:12 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where
Lee County, 5 mi N of Lexington
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
30.480, -97.000

A final, very short-lived tornado was spotted by a Sheriff's Deputy just north of Lexington.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1998Warnings in Texas, January 1998

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: 5628962, 5628963, 5628964, 5628965, 5629129, 5629130.