Hail, Parmer
- When
- October 30, 6:25 PM CST
- Where
- Parmer County, 11 mi W of Friona
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 34.630, -102.930
Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, October 30 to 31, 1998
Several severe storms and isolated flash flooding occurred in the extreme southwest panhandle on the 30th and 31st. The Castro County Sheriff's Office reported a brief, weak tornado north of Dimmitt.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- 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.
What happened
The episode as NWS LUB wrote it up.
Several severe storms and isolated flash flooding occurred in the extreme southwest panhandle on the 30th and 31st. An upper level low pressure system, strong upper diffluence, rich low level moisture, and a stalled front combined to cause the severe weather.The Castro County Sheriff's Office reported a brief, weak tornado north of Dimmitt. Otherwise, there were several instances of nickel- to golfball-sized hail reported in northwest Parmer County (near Rhea) and in Castro County. The hail damaged cotton crops in those areas. Additional storms on the morning of the 31st caused flash flooding in Castro County, when several FM roads were closed due to flooding.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 hail, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Castro
- When
- October 30, 6:36 PM CST
- Where
- Castro County, 12 mi WSW of Dimmitt
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 34.480, -102.520
Hail, Parmer
- When
- October 30, 6:40 PM CST
- Where
- Parmer County, 9 mi W of Friona
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 34.630, -102.900
Tornado, Castro
- When
- October 30, 7:16 PM CST
- Where
- Castro County, 7 mi N of Dimmitt
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.2 mi
- Path width
- 10 yd
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 34.650, -102.320
Hail, Castro
- When
- October 31, 10:20 AM CST
- Where
- Castro County, 5 mi N of Dimmitt
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 34.620, -102.320
Flash Flood, Castro
- When
- October 31, 12:00 PM CST to 1:00 PM CST
- Where
- Castro County, Northwest Portion
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
- Coordinates
- 34.530, -102.262 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in California, October 30, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in New Mexico, October 30, 1998
- Lightning Strikes in Oklahoma, October 30, 1998
- Strong Wind in Maine, October 30, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Indiana, October 30, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, October 30, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, October 30, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, October 30, 1998
- Hail in New Mexico, October 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, October 30, 1998
- Funnel Cloud in Arizona, October 30, 1998
- Hail in Texas, October 30, 1998
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: 5670730, 5670732, 5670731, 5670733, 5670729, 5670734.