Texas, 1999

Hail in Texas, May 26, 1999

May 26, 1999 · NWS MAF · 7 events in 3 counties and zones

This convection fired along an outflow boundary moving to the southwest in northern Crane County. The left-split storm developed a mesoanticyclone as it neared Odessa.

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
$85 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 MAF wrote it up.

This convection fired along an outflow boundary moving to the southwest in northern Crane County. The initial cell immediately split with the left-split storm moving north toward Odessa, while the right-split storm moved to the ESE into Upton County where it dissipated.The left-split storm developed a mesoanticyclone as it neared Odessa. As the heart of the updraft moved northward along West Loop 338, baseball size hail was reported near the West County Road/University Blvd. intersection. The storm continued to the north where golfball size hail chased over 1000 people for cover attending a graduation practice. In downtown Odessa one-inch hail stacked up to ankle deep.The storm moved over the junction of Ector, Midland, and Andrews Counties where golfball size hail was reported. The storm then began to fade near the Andrews/Martin County line. As a line of non-severe storms approached from the west, this storm quickly dissipated.This storm was the most costly storm in the region for many years. Insurance agencies set up special claims stations and brought in numerous out-of-town employees to handle the workload.

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 22 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:05 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Ector

When
May 26, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Ector County, 2 mi S of Odessa
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
31.820, -102.370

Hail, Ector

When
May 26, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Ector County, 3 mi W of Odessa
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.850, -102.420

Hail, Ector

When
May 26, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Ector County, 5 mi NW of Odessa
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$85 million
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.900, -102.430

Hail, Ector

When
May 26, 6:25 PM CST
Where
Ector County, 5 mi N of Odessa
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.920, -102.370

Hail, Ector

When
May 26, 7:02 PM CST
Where
Ector County, 5 mi ENE of Gardendale
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.030, -102.330

Hail, Midland

When
May 26, 7:02 PM CST
Where
Midland County, 9 mi NW of (Maf) Midland Intl
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.030, -102.320

Hail, Andrews

When
May 26, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Andrews County, 21 mi SE of Andrews
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.100, -102.300

What these are

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

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 historyWarnings 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: 5697434, 5697435, 5697436, 5697437, 5697438, 5697439, 5697440.