Hail, Sterling
- When
- May 3, 6:50 PM CST
- Where
- Sterling County, 13 mi W of Sterling City
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.830, -101.220
Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 3 to 4, 1999
Severe storms developed across much of West Central Texas during the evening of the 3rd and continued into the early morning hours of the 4th. A brief tornado was reported near Maryneal in Nolan County, while hail up to the size of grapefruit was reported northwest of Sterling City.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 18
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 storms developed across much of West Central Texas during the evening of the 3rd and continued into the early morning hours of the 4th. A brief tornado was reported near Maryneal in Nolan County, while hail up to the size of grapefruit was reported northwest of Sterling City. Hail up to tennis ball size was reported in Drasco in northern Runnels County, while golf ball size hail fell in Sterling City, Robert Lee, and Lawn.
The radar
The San Angelo radar (KSJT), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:50 UTC.
Event by event
15 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Nolan
- When
- May 3, 7:08 PM CST
- Where
- Nolan County, 2 mi W of Maryneal
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.1 mi
- Path width
- 10 yd
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 32.270, -100.480
A tornado briefly touched down near the community of Maryneal.
Hail, Fisher
- When
- May 3, 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Fisher County, Rotan
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.850, -100.470
Hail, Sterling
- When
- May 3, 7:17 PM CST
- Where
- Sterling County, 7 mi W of Sterling City
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.830, -101.120
Hail, Sterling
- When
- May 3, 7:30 PM CST
- Where
- Sterling County, 9 mi NW of Sterling City
- Measured
- 4 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.930, -101.120
Hail up to the size of grapefruit was reported northwest of Sterling City.
Hail, Coke
- When
- May 3, 7:40 PM CST
- Where
- Coke County, 2 mi W of Edith
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.900, -100.630
Hail, Sterling
- When
- May 3, 8:15 PM CST
- Where
- Sterling County, Sterling City
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.830, -101.000
Hail, Taylor
- When
- May 3, 8:20 PM CST
- Where
- Taylor County, 8 mi SW of Abilene
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 32.370, -99.830
Hail, Sterling
- When
- May 3, 8:35 PM CST
- Where
- Sterling County, Broome
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.770, -100.870
Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor
- When
- May 3, 8:40 PM CST
- Where
- Taylor County, Buffalo Gap
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 32.280, -99.820
A spotter estimated winds at 60 mph.
Hail, Coke
- When
- May 3, 8:45 PM CST
- Where
- Coke County, Robert Lee
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.900, -100.480
Hail, Coke
- When
- May 3, 9:02 PM CST
- Where
- Coke County, 1 mi S of Robert Lee
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.880, -100.480
Hail, Taylor
- When
- May 3, 9:37 PM CST
- Where
- Taylor County, Lawn
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.130, -99.750
Hail, Coke
- When
- May 3, 10:05 PM CST
- Where
- Coke County, 1 mi N of Bronte
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 31.900, -100.300
Hail, Runnels
- When
- May 3, 10:45 PM CST
- Where
- Runnels County, Drasco
- Measured
- 2.5 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 32.080, -99.980
Hail up to the size of tennis balls fell near Drasco in northern Runnels County.
Tornado, Schleicher
- When
- May 4, 1:55 AM CST to 3:15 AM CST
- Where
- Schleicher County, Eldorado to 10 mi NE of Eldorado
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 23 mi
- Path width
- 250 yd
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 30.950, -100.730
A slow moving tornado skipped across a 23 mile long path just north of Eldorado in northern Schleicher County. Eleven power poles were snapped, trees uprooted, and at least 2 barns lost their roofs as the tornado passed. Other outbuildings along the path of the tornado were also damaged.
Hail, Schleicher
- When
- May 4, 2:40 AM CST
- Where
- Schleicher County, 12 mi N of Eldorado
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 31.020, -100.620
Hail, Menard
- When
- May 4, 5:15 AM CST
- Where
- Menard County, 2 mi S of Hext
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 30.830, -99.530
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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 3, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 3 to 12, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 3 to 4, 1999
- Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
- High Wind in California, May 3, 1999
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 3, 1999
- High Wind in Nevada, May 3, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 3, 1999
- Wildfire in Florida, May 3, 1999
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
- Winter Storm in Colorado, May 3 to 5, 1999
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: 5700501, 5700502, 5700503, 5700504, 5700505, 5700506, 5700507, 5700508, 5700509, 5700510, 5700511, 5700512, 5700513, 5700514, 5700515, 5700578, 5700579, 5700580.