Texas, 2002

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 19, 2002

March 19, 2002 · NWS EWX · 10 events in 1 county or zone

6 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 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
40
Property damage
$7.0 million
Crop damage
$100,000
Events
10

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 Mar 19, 4:22 PM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 19, 4:22 PM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
345 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

ALTHOUGH SPRING OFFICIALLY BEGINS TOMARROW MARCH 20TH THIS YEAR AT
116 PM CST...STORMY SPRINGLIKE WEATHER HAS ALL READY STARTED OVER
WESTERN PART OF S CNTRL TX AND IS EXPECTED TO CONT TO DEVELOP
EASTWARD IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS...AND CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE AREA
TONIGHT.  LINGERING RAIN MAY CONTINUE JUST AFTER SUNRISE WEDNESDAY
MORNING.  UPPER-LEVEL LOW FCST TO TRACK ACROSS AND TO THE NORTH OF
S CNTL TX TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY WED.  STRONG LIFT AND INSTABILITY
WITH THIS MID TO LATE MARCH 2002 SYSTEM BODES VERY WELL FOR RAIN AND
ALSO THE POSSIBLITY OF STORMY CONDITIONS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.
THE UPPER-LEVEL LOWS PATH AND EVOLUTION OF THIS EVENT WITH ITS
ASSOCIATED PACIFIC FRONT IS SIMILIAR TO THE RAIN EVENTS OF THE FALL
2001...ALTHOUGH THE INGREDIANTS THAT COME TOGETHER LATER TODAY
AND TONIGHT WILL REFLECT A UNIQUENESS IN CHAOS TO MARCH 19 AND EARLY
MARCH 20...2002.  DRYLINE VCNTY DRT WITH COOLER PACIFIC AIR WEST OF
DRT...THEN TO THE NORTH COMING ACORSS THE TX PANHANDLE AND NM IS
MODIFIED CONTINENTAL COOL AIR MOVING SOUTH.  ACROSS S CNTL TX
CONTINUED SELY WINDS HAVE PUMPED ENOUGH LOW LVL MSTR INTO LOW PRES
SYS TO THE WEST AND SFC WINDS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE MORE ISOLOBARIC
INTO THE LOW TO THE WEST.  ALL INGREDIANTS THAT FAVOR VERY GOOD
CHANCE OF RAIN LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT CONTINUE...WITH RISK OF
STORMY WEATHER.  WL CONT TO REFLECT THESE TRENDS IN FORECASTS.

AS FOR WEDNESDAY...EXPECT DECREASING CLOUDS AND MORE SUNSHINE AND
FOR THURSDAY A CLEAR DAY.  BY FRIDAY A SURGE OF COOL AIR FROM THE
NORTHEAST AFFECTS AREA FOLLOWED BY RETURN FLOW PATTERN ON
SATURDAY...CAUSING INCREASING CLOUDS.  ANOTHER PSBL RAIN MAKING S/W
TROF PASSES OVER AREA SUNDAY IN A PATTERN SIMILIAR TO SUNDAY MARCH
10TH...AND POSSIBLY ON MONDAY MARCH 25TH.  WILL SHOW SLIGHT CHC OF
RAIN SUN AND MON.  ON TUESDAY...LARGER SCALE SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM
THE WEST SHOWS BETTER CHANCE OF RAIN AND SHOWERS.  MEDIUM RANGE DATA
FOR NEXT WEEK HAS DIVERGED SOME FROM EARLIER SOLUTIONS...THAT TRIED
TO SHOW COOLER AIR SPILLING ACROSS AREA NEXT WEEK.  THIS COULD STILL
HAPPEN...HOWEVER STORMY NATURE OF WESTERLIES MAY CUTOFF SOME OF THE
COOL AIRS MOVEMENT SOUTH...AND BRING CHANCE OF RAIN TO AREA SOMETIME
NEXT WEEK.  WILL CONT TO LOOK FOR A TREND...HOWEVER STORMY CHAOS OF
EARLY SPRING WESTERLIES WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE FOR TRENDLESS
PATTERNS.  IN THE MEANTIME A RAIN EVENT AND STORMY AT TIMES LATER
TODAY AND TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY MORE SUNSHINE WEDNESDAY...AND NEAR
12 HOURS OF SUNSHINE THURSDAY OR CLOSE TO 100 PERCENT OF POSSIBLE.

THANKS FOR COORD WITH NWS FTW...CRP AND SPC TODAY.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS NU 054/066 040/070 041 08+30
DRT BU 052/075 044/077 045 08800
SAT NU 056/070 044/073 044 08+10=

.EWX...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL
TEXAS...EXCEPT LEE...FAYETTE...LAVACA...GONZALES...DEWITT AND
KARNES COUNTIES.

NOAA/NWS AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 19, 2:25 PM CST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO, TX
225 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

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

0202 PM    PANDALE 4 S                TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
03/19/02   VAL VERDE

0204 PM    PANDALE                    TX   1.00 INCH HAIL
03/19/02   VAL VERDE

WR
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 3:00 PM CST, 4 hours 15 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-192300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
300 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6PM THIS EVENING
   FOR PORTIONS OF THE HILL COUNTRY AND RIO GRANDE PLAINS REGION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT
HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES...BANDERA...EDWARDS...GILLESPIE...KERR...KINNEY...LLANO...
MAVERICK...REAL...UVALDE...VAL VERDE.

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...BANDERA...BRACKETTVILLE...DEL RIO...
EAGLE PASS...FREDERICKSBURG...KERRVILLE...LEAKEY...LLANO...
ROCKSPRINGS...UVALDE

AN APPROACHING UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE...COUPLED WITH
ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD
BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY AND ADJACENT AREAS
OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRING.

ALTHOUGH THE MAIN FOCUS FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE TO THE NORTH OF
SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...SPOTTER NETWORKS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED IF
CONDITIONS WARRANT.

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO AND THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING...
WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR SPREADING OVER THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS WEDNESDAY.

FOR INFORMATION ON WEATHER THREATS IN SURROUNDING AREAS...PLEASE
REFER TO OUTLOOKS FROM OFFICES IN MIDLAND/ODESSA...SAN ANGELO...
FORT WORTH...HOUSTON/GALVESTON AND CORPUS CHRISTI.
Special weather statement, Mar 19, 4:00 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before
TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-200000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
400 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF
   THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY AND MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT HAS A GOOD CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE WITH TORNADOS...LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
ATASCOSA...BANDERA...BASTROP...BEXAR...BLANCO...BURNET...CALDWELL...
COMAL...DIMMIT...EDWARDS...FRIO...GILLESPIE...GUADALUPE...HAYS...
KENDALL...KERR...KINNEY...LLANO...MAVERICK...MEDINA...REAL...
TRAVIS...UVALDE...VAL VERDE...WILLIAMSON...WILSON...ZAVALA.

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...AUSTIN...BANDERA...BASTROP...
BOERNE...BRACKETTVILLE...BURNET...CARRIZO SPRINGS...CRYSTAL CITY...
DEL RIO...EAGLE PASS...FLORESVILLE...FREDERICKSBURG...GEORGETOWN...
HONDO...JOHNSON CITY...JOURDANTON...KERRVILLE...LEAKEY...LLANO...
LOCKHART...NEW BRAUNFELS...PEARSALL...ROCKSPRINGS...SAN ANTONIO...SAN
MARCOS...SEGUIN...UVALDE

AN APPROACHING UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE...COUPLED WITH
ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE...WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HILL COUNTRY
AND ADJACENT AREAS OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS...TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
OCCURRING.

SPOTTER NETWORKS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED.

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO AND THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING...
WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR SPREADING OVER THE HILL COUNTRY AND SOUTH
CENTRAL TEXAS WEDNESDAY.

FOR INFORMATION ON WEATHER THREATS IN SURROUNDING AREAS...PLEASE
REFER TO OUTLOOKS FROM OFFICES IN MIDLAND/ODESSA...SAN ANGELO...
FORT WORTH...HOUSTON/GALVESTON AND CORPUS CHRISTI.

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:15 PM CST to 7:20 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, San Antonio Intl Arp
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
29.533, -98.467

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:15 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, Countywide
Injuries
10 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
$100,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.450, -98.500

High winds, causing spotty damage over the western third of Bexar County, and nearly continuous damage over the eastern two-thirds of the county, caused widespread destruction of trees and limbs. The high winds damaged roofs, propelled hail into homes and cars, and knocked over power poles. About ten persons were injured by the flying debris. The greatest devastation was in southwest Bexar County just northeast of the town of Lytle. Emergency management and Red Cross officials estimated 50 mobile homes and houses severely damaged or destroyed, with minor damage to another 100 mobile homes and houses. In addition to the widespread downburst damage, evidence was found of small and short-lived tornadoes. It was very difficult to separate the widespread downburst-wind damage from the tornado damage. The main clues were that the downburst damage was almost exclusively along a southwest to northeast path and showed a consistent and gradual gradient of damage levels from the worst of the damage to the least of the damage. The tornado damage indicated completely different direction of movement and very strong, pronounced gradients of damage. Often a structure would be completely destroyed, with structures to the right and left of it nearly untouched.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:15 PM CST to 7:17 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 9 mi W of Von Ormy
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.317, -98.800

Tornado number one, an F0 on the Fujita Scale, formed near 715 pm at the intersection of Greenwood Road and Gridley Road. It moved toward the southeast for one mile, then dissipated. The path width was 20 yards. It damaged roofs and walls of mobile homes and houses, took large limbs off trees, and showed a great variation in direction in how it tossed the debris. It dissipated at 717 pm.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:17 PM CST to 7:19 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 9 mi W of Von Ormy
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.317, -98.800

Tornado number two, also an F0, formed near 717 pm at the intersection of Jarrett Road and Gridley Road. It also tracked toward the southeast, dissipating after one-half mile. Its path width was also estimated at 20 yards. It damaged roofs of mobile homes and houses, and damaged trees in the area. Debris was again tossed in several directions. This tornado dissipated at 719 pm.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:17 PM CST to 7:19 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 9 mi W of Von Ormy
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.317, -98.800

Tornado number three, an F1 on the Fujita Scale, also formed around 717 pm at the intersection of Ess Road and Jarrett Road. It moved toward the southeast, dissipating after one-half mile. Its path width was estimated at 20 yards. It destroyed a mobile home, damaged others and also damaged trees in the area. This tornado dissipated near 719 pm.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:19 PM CST to 7:23 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 8 mi W of Von Ormy
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.317, -98.800

Tornado number four, another F1, formed 1 mile east of the intersection of Ess road and Jarrett Road around 719 pm. It moved toward the southeast, dissipating after one mile. Its path width was estimated at 50 yards. It struck three mobile homes that had been tied end-to-end and severely damaged all three. It left them twisted into the shape of a letter 'U.' With no other structures in the area, the remainder of its damage was to trees.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:20 PM CST to 7:26 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 3 mi NW of Somerset
Rating
F2
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
30 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.250, -98.683

Tornado number five, strongest of the six and rated as a minimal F2 tornado on the Fujita Scale, formed about 3.5 miles southwest of the intersection of Loop 1604 and I35. It struck near 720 pm along near Silver Street and Bravo Street and moved toward the north for 1.5 miles. It apparently weakened periodically, producing a hit-and-miss damage path. It completely destroyed four mobile homes and damaged several others.

Tornado, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:25 PM CST to 7:29 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 4 mi ENE of Somerset
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
60 yd
Property damage
$1.0 million
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
29.233, -98.583

Tornado number six, struck just east of Somerset on SH16, about one mile north of Loop 1604. It was rated F1 on the Fujita Scale, and tracked toward the southeast. It damaged a large barn and several outbuildings at a construction site as it moved approximately one-half mile. It was estimated at 60 yards wide.

Hail, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:30 PM CST to 7:50 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 12 mi NW of San Antonio
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.533, -98.633

Hail, Bexar

When
March 19, 7:35 PM CST to 7:55 PM CST
Where
Bexar County, 5 mi NW of San Antonio
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
29.467, -98.567

What these are

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.
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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2002Warnings in Texas, March 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: 5285384, 5285452, 5285453, 5285454, 5285455, 5285456, 5285553, 5285554, 5285556, 5285555.