Hail in Texas, January 4, 1998

Name: Hail in Texas, January 4, 1998
Start: 1998-01-04T18:23
End: 1998-01-04T18:38
Location: Texas

January 4, 1998 · NWS MAF · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A very early severe weather event for West Texas. Sounding data indicated about 1100 J/kg of buoyancy and a Lifted Index of -5.

Where it happened

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

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Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 very early severe weather event for West Texas. Low level moisture had been in place for the past couple of days and with an upper level disturbance approaching from the west and a frontal boundary sagging into the area from the north, a few strong to severe cells were produced.Sounding data indicated about 1100 J/kg of buoyancy and a Lifted Index of -5. Surface dew points were in the lower 50s and the frontal boundary was located from E of Lubbock to S of Abilene. This particular storm formed in north-central Martin County and moved to the ENE at about 20 mph through Borden County and then into Scurry County.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:22 UTC.

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Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Scurry

When: January 4, 6:23 PM CST
Where: Scurry County, Dermott
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.850, -101.020

Hail, Scurry

When: January 4, 6:38 PM CST
Where: Scurry County, 9 mi NE of Dermott
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.950, -100.900

Dime size hail was reported in Dermott and just south of the Kent County line along Highway 208.

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

Every storm in Texas in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5633930, 5633931.