Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 7, 2002

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 7, 2002
Start: 2002-04-07T14:35
End: 2002-04-07T15:50
Location: Texas

April 7, 2002 · NWS EWX · 6 events in 1 county or zone

3 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: 3
Property damage: $700,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Events: 6

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 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 Apr 7, 2:15 PM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 2:15 PM CST, 20 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
315 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

UPPER LOW MOVING EAST ACROSS NEW MEXICO WITH TRAILING DRY LINE FROM
SOUTHEAST OF MIDLAND TO SANDERSON.  CURRENT PROJECTIONS ARE FOR THE
DRY LINE TO PUSH INTO FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF OUR AREA BY 4
PM...MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PORTIONS BY MIDNIGHT...EASTERN PORTIONS
LATE TONIGHT.  AS PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED...THIS SHOULD BE A SQUALL
LINE TYPE EVENT WITH POSSIBLE LARGE HAIL...HIGH WINDS ALONG THE LINE
AND BOW TORNADOES.

SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL EXIT THE EASTERN PORTIONS BY NOON TOMORROW
WITH CLEARING SKIES AND WARM TEMPERATURES AS DRY WESTERLY AIR MIXES
DOWN. MOSTLY CLEAR MONDAY NIGHT AS RIDGING BUILDS IN.  INCREASING
MID AND HIGH CLOUDS BY WEDNESDAY AS DIFLUENT AXIS AHEAD OF NEXT
SYSTEM MOVES IN FROM THE WEST.  SEVERAL DAYS OF DREARY WEATHER IN
STORE THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS UPPER LOW TO WEST APPROACHES AND
OPENS GULF.  SHOWERS AND THUNDESTORMS POSSIBLE AGAIN BY FRIDAY INTO
SATURDAY AS TROUGH MOVES ACROSS...DECREASING CLOUDS SUNDAY.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 64/81/57/78/54 84000
DRT 58/88/58/82/60 50000
SAT 62/85/58/80/57 82000

.EWX...CAUTION ON AREA LAKES EASTERN HALF.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 7, 2:35 PM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
335 PM CDT SUN APR 7 2002

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0335 PM    PANDALE
04/07/02   VAL VERDE               TX       GOLF BALL SIZE
                                            HAIL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 7, 2:35 PM CST to 2:50 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, Pandale
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 30.183, -101.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: April 7, 3:00 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, Del Rio
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.367, -100.900

The supercell thunderstorm that produced downbursts and large hail in Del Rio formed in Mexico and moved eastward into Val Verde County. The severe thunderstorm winds struck first, knocking over trees and signs and damaging roofs in and around Del Rio.

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 7, 3:05 PM CST to 3:20 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, Del Rio
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: $100,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.367, -100.900

Large hail, propelled by winds estimated at 50 to 60 mph, destroyed street signs, dented automobiles, and knocked out windows of vehicles, homes and businesses across Del Rio. Hundreds of automobiles lost windshields and were severely dented. Three people were treated for minor injuries after being struck by the large hail.

Tornado, Val Verde

When: April 7, 3:10 PM CST to 3:12 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, 2 mi NW of Amistad Res East
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.517, -101.017

Sheriff's Deputies reported that a small and short-lived tornado touched down in an open area just northwest of Lake Amistad. Members of the public who were in the area also reported a roaring sound the tornado struck. No damage was indicated.

Tornado, Val Verde

When: April 7, 3:40 PM CST to 3:42 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, 1 mi S of Del Rio
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.350, -100.900

Val Verde County Sheriff's Deputies observed a second small tornado as it touched down briefly just south of the city of Del Rio. Again, the public in the area reported hearing a roaring sound as the tornado touched down. No damage occurred.

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 7, 3:40 PM CST to 3:50 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County, Laughlin Afb
Measured: 3 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 29.367, -100.783

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.
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

Every storm in Texas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 2002 Warnings in Texas, April 2002

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: 5285332, 5285333, 5285334, 5285335, 5285336, 5285337.