Texas, 1999

Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 17, 1999

May 17, 1999 · NWS SJT · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon across the eastern sections of the Concho Valley, and then moved slowly southward into the Northern Edwards Plateau. A tornado briefly touched down west of Sonora in western Sutton County, while hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in both Eden and Menard.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

Severe thunderstorms developed during the late afternoon across the eastern sections of the Concho Valley, and then moved slowly southward into the Northern Edwards Plateau. A tornado briefly touched down west of Sonora in western Sutton County, while hail up to the size of golf balls was reported in both Eden and Menard.

The radar

The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Concho

When
May 17, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Concho County, Millersview
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.420, -99.770

Hail, Concho

When
May 17, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Concho County, Eden
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.220, -99.850

Hail, Menard

When
May 17, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Menard County, 5 mi N of Menard
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
30.980, -99.780

Hail, Brown

When
May 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Brown County, Brownwood
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.720, -98.980

Hail, Menard

When
May 17, 4:31 PM CST
Where
Menard County, Menard
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
30.920, -99.780

Hail, Sutton

When
May 17, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Sutton County, Sonora
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.570, -100.630

Hail, Sutton

When
May 17, 6:06 PM CST
Where
Sutton County, 9 mi S of Sonora
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.430, -100.630

Tornado, Sutton

When
May 17, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Sutton County, 10 mi W of Sonora
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.570, -100.800

A tornado briefly touched down west of Sonora in western Sutton County.

Hail, Sutton

When
May 17, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Sutton County, Sonora
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.570, -100.630

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.

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: 5700644, 5700645, 5700646, 5700647, 5700648, 5700649, 5700650, 5700651, 5700652.