Texas, 1999

Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, May 11, 1999

May 11, 1999 · NWS SJT · 9 events in 3 counties and zones

A series of supercell thunderstorms ripped across the Heartland and Northwest Hill Country on the afternoon of the 11th. Three tornadoes would touch down, including a devastating F4 tornado north of Loyal Valley in eastern Mason County.

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
1
Injuries
6
Property damage
$750,000
Crop damage
$250,000
Events
9

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 SJT wrote it up.

A series of supercell thunderstorms ripped across the Heartland and Northwest Hill Country on the afternoon of the 11th. Three tornadoes would touch down, including a devastating F4 tornado north of Loyal Valley in eastern Mason County. One person was killed and 6 others injured as the three-quarters of a mile tornado tracked a 7 mile long path.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 hail, 3 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Brown

When
May 11, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Brown County, Winchell
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.470, -99.150

Hail, Brown

When
May 11, 3:10 PM CST
Where
Brown County, 12 mi S of Brownwood
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.550, -98.980

Tornado, San Saba

When
May 11, 3:18 PM CST
Where
San Saba County, Elm Grove
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
31.430, -99.050

A brief tornado touchdown was reported in northern San Saba County near the community of Elm Grove.

Hail, Brown

When
May 11, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Brown County, Thrifty
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
31.820, -99.130

Hail, Brown

When
May 11, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Brown County, Bangs
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
31.720, -99.130

Flash Flood, San Saba

When
May 11, 4:30 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
Where
San Saba County, 5 mi N of San Saba
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.155, -98.818 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Areas of flooding were reported just north of the town of San Saba.

Tornado, San Saba

When
May 11, 4:57 PM CST
Where
San Saba County, 2 mi NW of San Saba
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.220, -98.750

A barn was slightly damaged during a brief tornado touchdown.

Tornado, Mason

When
May 11, 5:05 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where
Mason County, Loyal Vly to 9 mi N of Loyal Vly
Rating
F4
Path length
7 mi
Path width
1,400 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$750,000
Crop damage
$250,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
30.680, -99.100

A large multiple-vortex tornado ripped through eastern Mason County during the late afternoon hours. The slow moving tornado first touched down near the Llano River 9 miles northwest of Loyal Valley and then travelled a 7-mile long path, finally dissipating 5 miles north of Loyal Valley. This tornado, whose width would reach three-quarters of a mile wide at times, caused widespread devastation. Two homes were completely destroyed, with debris scattered over great distances. Large pieces of a pick-up truck were located three-quarters of a mile away from the house where it had been left. Tragically, one person was killed and 5 others were injured when that same house was destroyed. The people had sought refuge in a car in a stone garage, but as the tornado tore across the garage, debris smashed through the car, killing one man and injuring the remaining occupants. Sixteen other houses were damaged, along with additional barns and outbuildings. Numerous head of cattle and deer were also killed as the tornado passed. When the tornado crossed Farm-to-Market Road 152, a stretch of asphalt 720 feet wide was ripped off of the road surface.

Hail, Mason

When
May 11, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Mason County, 9 mi NW of Loyal Vly
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.680, -99.100

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Mason1999-05-2875MalePermanent HomeDirect

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1999Warnings in Texas, May 1999

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: 5700590, 5700591, 5700592, 5700593, 5700594, 5700595, 5700596, 5700642, 5700643.