Texas, 2001

Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 6, 2001

May 6, 2001 · NWS EWX · 3 events in 1 county or zone

This storm eventually developed into one of the most devastating hail-and-wind storms in the history of Bexar County. Hail in sizes up to to 4 inches, accompanied at times by winds estimated to be over 60 mph, destroyed roofs of hundreds of homes, and severely damaged hundreds of vehicle bodies, as well as breaking thousands of windows in houses and vehicles.

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
$120 million
Crop damage
$30 million
Events
3

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 EWX wrote it up.

This storm eventually developed into one of the most devastating hail-and-wind storms in the history of Bexar County. Hail in sizes up to to 4 inches, accompanied at times by winds estimated to be over 60 mph, destroyed roofs of hundreds of homes, and severely damaged hundreds of vehicle bodies, as well as breaking thousands of windows in houses and vehicles. The damage was reported to have been the worst in the northwestern part of the city, where hail reached at least 4 inches in diameter. Damages were estimated to reach at least $60,000,000 for homes, and an additional $60,000,000 for cars. Additional severe thunderstorm winds struck the western part of the county just before 8 pm and destroyed around a dozen power lines along Grissom Road near Culebra.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 6, 2:15 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 2:15 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
315 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2001

ISOLD TRW POPPING WEST OF THE RIVER OVR THE MOUNTAIN OF MEX AND
NORTH OF THE HILL COUNTRY NEAR THE DRY LINE.  CAPES ACRS THE CWA
ARE IN THE 2500-4000 RANGE WITH LITTLE OR NO CAP...AND WITH SFC
BASED LIS NEARING DOUBLE DIGITS.  AMS VERY UNSTABLE AND EXPECT SCT
TSTMS TO CONT FIRE NEAR THE DRY LINE/SRN END OF S/W THIS EVENING.
WILL GO WITH HIGHEST POPS ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY INTO THE NRN
SECTIONS OF S CENTRAL TEXAS WITH MENTION OF SVR THIS EVENING AND
LOWER CHCS OVER THE SE COUNTIES WHERE A FEW MAINLY SEA BREEZE TRW
PSBL.  EXPECT LOWER POPS MONDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE S/W WITH MAINLY
WDLY SCT AFTN/EVENING RW/TRW...THEN A WK COLD FRONT SLIPS S INTO THE
CWA MON NIGHT AND EARLY TUE BEFORE QUICKLY RETREATING NEWD OUT OF
THE AREA.  WILL UP MOS POPS WITH THE CDFNT FOR MON NIGHT...BUT
POTENTIAL LOOKS BETTER FOR HVY RAIN THAN SVR DUE TO DEEPER
MOISTURE...WK UPR AIR DYNAMICS...AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 069/083/066/081 4353
DRT 068/090/068/087 3232
SAT 071/085/067/083 3243

.EWX...NONE.

1/13

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Bexar

When
May 6, 6:20 PM CST to 6:25 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, San Antonio
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
29.467, -98.633

Hail, Bexar

When
May 6, 6:38 PM CST to 6:55 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, San Antonio
Measured
4 in hail
Property damage
$120 million
Crop damage
$30 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
29.417, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
May 6, 6:45 PM CST to 6:55 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, Leon Vly
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
29.417, -98.500

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2001

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: 5243878, 5243267, 5243268.