Heat and Hail in Texas, July 14, 1998

Name: Heat and Hail in Texas, July 14, 1998
Start: 1998-07-14T09:20
End: 1998-07-14T17:15
Location: Texas

July 14, 1998 · NWS HGX · 21 events in 7 counties and zones

17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 heat, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 4
Property damage: $380,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 Houston radar (KHGX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 heat, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Harris

When: July 14, 9:20 AM CST
Where: Harris forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 29.857, -95.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat related death (no a/c).

Hail, Montgomery

When: July 14, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County, 5 mi S of Conroe
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 30.250, -95.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Grimes

When: July 14, 2:05 PM CST
Where: Grimes County, Navasota
Property damage: $60,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 30.380, -96.080

Ticket booth at Navasota Raceway destroyed and prison barns sustained wind damage.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 2:50 PM CST
Where: Harris County, 2 mi N of Aldine
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 29.970, -95.380

70 mph gust reported at I-45 & Beltway 8.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Harris County, Kingwood
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 29.900, -95.320

Large trees uprooted.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 2:56 PM CST
Where: Harris County, Houston
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.370

Large tree fell on church at key map 296Y.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: July 14, 3:05 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.330, -95.470

Numerous trees blown down mainly in the eastern half of the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 3:12 PM CST
Where: Harris County, Houston
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.370

70 mph gusts in the Greenspoint area.

Hail, Liberty

When: July 14, 3:12 PM CST
Where: Liberty County, 6 mi E of Dayton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.050, -94.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Liberty

When: July 14, 3:12 PM CST
Where: Liberty County, Dayton
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.050, -94.880

Numerous trees down. Billboards and street signs damaged from high wind

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Harris County, Katy
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.800, -95.800

Trees blown down at key map 485G.

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: July 14, 3:40 PM CST to 4:08 PM CST
Where: Harris County, Houston
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.370

Many trees, powerlines, and utility poles blown down throughout the Houston metropolitan area.

Thunderstorm Wind, Brazoria

When: July 14, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Brazoria County, Pearland
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 29.570, -95.280

Large limbs blown down throughout city.

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When: July 14, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Galveston County, Bacliff
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 29.500, -94.980

70 mph wind gusts.

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When: July 14, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Galveston County, Dickinson
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 29.470, -95.050

Trees blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Colorado

When: July 14, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Colorado County, Frelsburg
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 29.870, -96.550

Trees blown down.

Lightning, Colorado

When: July 14, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Colorado County, Columbus
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 29.621, -96.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning induced fire destroyed Po' Boy's restaurant.

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When: July 14, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Galveston County, Texas City
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 29.400, -94.900

Trees down throughout the city. Gas station canopy at Logan & Palmer St. blown over.

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When: July 14, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Galveston County, Port Bolivar
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 29.380, -94.780

63 mph wind gust recorded by ferry operator.

Thunderstorm Wind, Colorado

When: July 14, 4:45 PM CST to 4:50 PM CST
Where: Colorado County, Columbus
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph)
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 29.720, -96.550

Walmart sign blown down on several cars. Three 18-wheelers blown over on several parked cars on I-10. While DPS investigated the accident, 90 mph winds blew a 9000 lb/27 foot long culvert 1/2 mile across I-10.

Thunderstorm Wind, Colorado

When: July 14, 5:00 PM CST to 5:15 PM CST
Where: Colorado County, Columbus
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.720, -96.550

Numerous trees blown down.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Heat, Harris	1998-07-14	56	Male	Permanent Home	Direct

What these are

Heat: Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
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.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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, July 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: 5665600, 5665601, 5665602, 5665603, 5665604, 5665605, 5665608, 5665606, 5665609, 5665692, 5665607, 5665693, 5665698, 5665694, 5665697, 5665699, 5665700, 5665695, 5665696, 5665701, 5665702.