Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 23, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, December 23, 2002
Start: 2002-12-23T17:40
End: 2002-12-23T20:10
Location: Texas

December 23, 2002 · NWS EWX · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

6 hail, 2 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: 10
Property damage: $600,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 Dec 23, 2:45 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 2:45 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
245 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO WESTERN HILL COUNTRY.  CONVECTION FIRING
OUT WEST WILL BE ROUTINE THUNDERSTORMS WILL SOME HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS.  THE BREAK IN THE CLOUD COVER WILL HELP GENERATE ANOTHER
ROUND OF SUPERCELLS OVER EXTREME EASTERN COUNTIES THIS EVENING.
UPPER LOW MOVING EAST ABOUT 30 MPH, FAST ENUF TO KEEP CONVECTION
MOVING ALONG AND NEGATING FLASH FLOOD WATCH.  GOOD PRESSURE GRADIENT
BEHIND COLD FRONT WILL KEEP TEMPS ON MILD SIDE.  CLEARING SKIES WILL
ALLOW TEMPS TO RISE TO NEAR NORMAL TUESDAY.  A COLD NIGHT IN
STORE TUESDAY NIGHT AS LIGHT WINDS AND NEAR CLEAR SKIES WILL ALLOW
GOOD RADIATION COOLING.  FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD SOME MINOR SHORT
WAVES MOVE THROUGH TEXAS IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW BRINGING PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES.  TEMPS TO REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS OVER THE
WEEKEND WITH A SLOW WARM UP EXPECTED FOR THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 44 52 30 55 32 5100
DRT 45 57 34 59 36 3000
SAT 46 57 30 59 33 4-00

.EWX...TOR WATCH #799 TIL 8 PM LEE LAVACA AND FAYETTE
 06/08/DC/VL

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 23, 5:54 AM CST, 11 hours 46 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-241200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
554 AM CST MON DEC 23 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY FOR THE
EASTERN-MOST AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF
BASTROP...GIDDINGS...GONZALES...CUERO...LA GRANGE AND
HALLETTSVILLE.  A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS TODAY
OVER THE REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE HILL COUNTRY.

A POTENT UPPER AIR SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH A WARM FRONT TO TRIGGER
THE SEVERE WEATHER.  TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS
ARE THE MAJOR THREATS THIS MORNING...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE
I-35 CORRIDOR.  THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD START TO DECREASE
DURING THE EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FROM AROUND SUNRISE INTO THIS
EVENING.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 23, 12:05 PM CST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1205 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

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

0625 AM    NEAR AUSTIN BERGSTROM     TX   LARGE SIGNS BLOWN OVER
12/23/02   INTL AIRPORT                   AND POWER POLE BENT
           AT BURLESON AND                HALFWAY OVER
           GENERAL AVIATION RD.
           TRAVIS

0704 AM    BETWEEN MANOR AND         TX   CARS FLIPPED OVER, GAS
12/23/02   ELGIN                          STATION ROOF BLOWN OFF.
           TRAVIS                         HOME ALSO HAD MISSING
                                          ROOF.

0704 AM    JUST EAST OF MANOR        TX   TORNADO
12/23/02   TRAVIS                         1 MOBILE HOME DESTROYED
                                          POWER LINES DOWN, TREES
                                          UPROOTED

0850 AM    NEAR LEDBETTER            TX   POSSIBLE TORNADO.
12/23/02   FAYETTE                        STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN AREA.

0915 AM    NEAR AMMANNSVILLE AND     TX   POSSIBLE TORNADO OR
12/23/02   ST. JOHN                       FUNNEL CLOUD
           FAYETTE

Special weather statement, Dec 23, 1:45 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-232200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
145 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

...INCREASING CHANCE OF RAIN...SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS LATER TODAY
AND MUCH COOLER TONIGHT AND CHRISTMAS EVE...

A NEW AREA OF RAIN WITH SHOWERS IN FORMING OVER THE WEST PART
OF VAL VERDE COUNTY...WHILE A COLD FRONT LIES FROM NEAR
BURNET TO NORTHWEST OF DEL RIO.

AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. IS MOVING
EAST.  THIS WEATHER SYSTEM...ALONG WITH THE COLD FRONT...WILL
HELP CAUSE AN INCREASING CHANCE OF RAIN...SHOWERS OR
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATER THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.  SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EAST PART
OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS COULD BECOME SEVERE.

IN WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT...MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES
ARE EXPECTED WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS FALLING TO THE 30S OVER THE
HILL COUNTRY AND NEAR 40 TO MID 40S OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.
AS THE UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES CLOSE TO THE AREA
TONIGHT...A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SHOWERS MAY CONTINUE AFTER
MIDNIGHT AND TOWARD EARLY MORNING.

MUCH COOLER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY...
CHRISTMAS EVE.  SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO CLEAR UP IN THE DAY OR
AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING ON TUESDAY.

A FREEZE IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY
MORNING...WITH LOWS FALLING TO THE 20S OVER THE HILL COUNTRY
AND IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS.

Local storm report, Dec 23, 3:00 PM CST, 2 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
300 PM CST MON DEC 23 2002

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

0625 AM    NEAR AUSTIN BERGSTROM     TX   LARGE SIGNS BLOWN OVER
12/23/02   INTL AIRPORT                   AND POWER POLE BENT
           AT BURLESON AND                HALFWAY OVER
           GENERAL AVIATION RD.
           TRAVIS

0704 AM    BETWEEN MANOR AND         TX   TORNADO. CARS FLIPPED
12/23/02   ELGIN...JUST EAST              OVER, GAS STATION ROOF
           OF MANOR                       BLOWN OFF.  HOME ALSO
           TRAVIS                         HAD MISSING ROOF.  ONE
                                          MOBIL HOME WAS DESTROYED.
                                          POWER LINES DOWN AND
                                          TREES UPROOTED.

0850 AM    NEAR LEDBETTER            TX   POSSIBLE TORNADO.
12/23/02   FAYETTE                        STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN AREA.
                                          LOTS OF DEBRIS IN AREA...
                                          TIN...LIMBS...ETC.

0905 AM    NEAR AMMANNSVILLE...      TX   FUNNEL CLOUDS.
12/23/02   ST. JOHN...AND                 NO TOUCHDOWN.
           FREYBURG.

The radar

The Laughlin AFB radar (KDFX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Kerr

When: December 23, 5:40 PM CST to 5:50 PM CST
Where: Kerr County, Hunt
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.067, -99.333

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When: December 23, 6:35 PM CST to 6:40 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, 10 mi W of San Antonio
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.417, -98.667

Trees were blown down by severe thunderstorm winds at the west edge of the city of San Antonio near the intersection of Marbach Road and Loop 410.

Hail, Lee

When: December 23, 7:00 PM CST to 7:10 PM CST
Where: Lee County, Lexington
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 30.417, -97.000

Damage was reported to roofs and windows of buildings as well as to vehicles in the Lexington area by the softball-sized hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Comal

When: December 23, 7:00 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
Where: Comal County, Bracken
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.617, -98.333

Power was knocked out over much of the county as tree limbs and trees were blown over along the southern half of the county.

Hail, Bexar

When: December 23, 7:03 PM CST to 7:10 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, 3 mi N of Elmendorf
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.300, -98.333

Spotty damage was reported to vehicles and to the roofs and windows of buildings in the Calaveras Lake area.

Hail, Wilson

When: December 23, 7:09 PM CST to 7:35 PM CST
Where: Wilson County, 12 mi NW of Sutherland Spgs
Measured: 2 in hail
Injuries: 10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $300,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 29.383, -98.200

Widespread damage was reported to vehicles, as well as the roofs, walls and windows of buildings over the northern half of Wilson County. The hail ranged from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The larger size fell around Stockdale, killing birds that were roosting in trees and piling up in the city streets 6 inches deep. Residents reported that the sound of the hail was almost deafening. Damage to city-owned properties in Stockdale alone was estimated at $100,000. Hail broke windows at one nursing home, with minor injuries to some residents.

Hail, Guadalupe

When: December 23, 7:14 PM CST to 7:25 PM CST
Where: Guadalupe County, New Braunfels
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 29.700, -98.133

Hail, Lee

When: December 23, 8:00 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where: Lee County, Lexington
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 30.417, -97.000

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

Every storm in Texas in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, December 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: 5326150, 5326222, 5326223, 5326226, 5326224, 5326225, 5326227, 5326228.