Texas, 1998

Tornado and Hail in Texas, October 1 to 2, 1998

October 1 to 2, 1998 · NWS LUB · 10 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong cold front stalled and became nearly stationary over the northern part of the Texas South Plains. There were several reports of nickel- to golfball-sized hail in these counties, which led to thousands of dollars in damage to cotton crops.

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
$40,000
Crop damage
$125,000
Events
10

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 LUB wrote it up.

A strong cold front stalled and became nearly stationary over the northern part of the Texas South Plains. With an upper level low pressure system to the west and a warm, moist airmass in place, severe thunderstorms developed and affected Hale, Lamb, Castro, Briscoe, and Hockley Counties.There were several reports of nickel- to golfball-sized hail in these counties, which led to thousands of dollars in damage to cotton crops. The most concentrated damage, however, occurred on the outskirts of north Plainview. The Plainview Police Department reported that a weak, brief tornado overturned a truck on Interstate 27. High winds associated with this storm damaged five mobile homes, several sheds/outbuildings, and numerous trees. Much later that night, wind damage occurred to a building north of Levelland in Hockley County.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lamb

When
October 1, 2:55 PM CST
Where
Lamb County, 5 mi ENE of Earth
Measured
1 in hail
Crop damage
$25,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.270, -102.320

Tornado, Hale

When
October 1, 3:04 PM CST
Where
Hale County, Plainview
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.200, -101.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When
October 1, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Hale County, Plainview
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.200, -101.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When
October 1, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Hale County, 1 mi NE of Plainview
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.220, -101.680

Hail, Castro

When
October 1, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Castro County, 6 mi SW of Hart
Measured
1.75 in hail
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
34.320, -102.180

Hail, Castro

When
October 1, 3:32 PM CST
Where
Castro County, Hart
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.380, -102.120

Hail, Briscoe

When
October 1, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County, 6 mi W of Silverton
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.470, -101.400

Hail, Hale

When
October 1, 11:30 PM CST
Where
Hale County, 4 mi N of Cotton Center
Measured
1 in hail
Crop damage
$25,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
34.050, -102.000

Hail, Hockley

When
October 1, 11:48 PM CST
Where
Hockley County, 11 mi NW of Levelland
Measured
1.25 in hail
Crop damage
$25,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.700, -102.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Hockley

When
October 2, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Hockley County, 6 mi N of Levelland
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
33.670, -102.370

What these are

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

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, October 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: 5670622, 5670620, 5670619, 5670621, 5670624, 5670623, 5670628, 5670625, 5670626, 5670627.