Texas, 2002

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 24, 2002

May 24, 2002 · NWS SJT · 31 events in 5 counties and zones

Several severe thunderstorms developed across the Big Country and the Heartland. These thunderstorms produced considerable damage in and around the town of Winters.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
$15 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
31

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.

Several severe thunderstorms developed across the Big Country and the Heartland. These thunderstorms produced considerable damage in and around the town of Winters. There were also four tornado sightings, however they all were brief and did not produce any discernable damage.

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 San Angelo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 1:50 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 1:50 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
250 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002

WITH SUNSHINE AND GOOD MIXING TODAY...DRYLINE WILL LIKELY DEVELOP
ALONG AN IRAAN...BIG LAKE...COLORADO CITY LINE THIS EVENING.
ATMOSPHERE IS UNSTABLE WITH SATELLITE 17Z CAPES OF 3000 J/KG IN THE
WESTERN AND NORTHERN CWA. MESOETA CINH VALUES NEARLY ZERO AT 21Z THIS
AFTERNOON. STORMS THAT DEVELOP OFF THE DRYLINE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST
INTO THE CWA THIS EVENING. 15Z CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK INDICATED HASKELL
AND THROCKMORTON IN A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. AREAS
ALONG AND NORTH OF A STERLING CITY TO ROBERT LEE TO BROWNWOOD LINE
WERE IN A SLIGHT RISK.

COLD FRONT REMAINS IN THE PANHANDLE AT 19Z...FROM NEAR AMARILLO TO
GAGE. FRONT WILL BE SLOW MOVING TONIGHT...BUT SHOULD GET SOME HELP AS
5H SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS OVERNIGHT. MESOETA AND
AVN TIMING AGREE IN BRINGING THE FRONT INTO THE BIG COUNTRY IN THE
MORNING...THEN STALLING IN THE CONCHO VALLEY IN THE AFTERNOON. FRONT
WILL BE SHALLOW AND LACKING UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT...BUT WITH INSTABILITY
AND A FAVORABLE WIND SHEAR PROFILE NEAR DRYLINE AND FRONT...MAY SEE
SOME STORMS. AGAIN SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE.

SUNDAY AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE MOVES OUT OF THE 4-CORNERS AREA AND
SLOWLY MOVES EAST INTO KANSAS WEDNESDAY. THIS MAY SLIGHTLY ENHANCE THE
THUNDERSTORMS POTENTIAL SUNDAY/SUNDAY EVENING.

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK WILL SEE NORTHWEST TO NORTH FLOW
ALOFT AS UPPER RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS. WITH
MOISTURE HANGING AROUND...AND PROBABLY A WEAK CAP...THERE SHOULD BE
SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY.

PRELIMS...

ABI 065/079/062/082/063 3233
SJT 068/087/063/086/064 2233
JCT 068/089/065/087/065 1233

.SJT...NONE.

04

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 24, 1:22 PM CST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
TXZ049-054-064>066-071>073-076>078-098-099-113-114-127-128-139-140-
154-155-168>170-242315-

WEST CENTRAL TEXAS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
222 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2002

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

THE DRY LINE WILL MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS MAY FORM ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES. TONIGHT...A COLD
FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT AND SATURDAY WILL LIKELY SET
OFF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL TEXAS.  SOME OF THE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM COULD BE SEVERE.  THE MAIN THREAT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER FOR THIS EVENING WILL BE ACROSS THE BIG COUNTRY AND THE
NORTHERN CONCHO VALLEY.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE SEE STATEMENTS AND OUTLOOKS FROM
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES ACROSS TEXAS...OKLAHOMA...AND NEW
MEXICO.

25

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Fisher

When
May 24, 4:00 PM CST
Where
Fisher County, Roby
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
32.750, -100.383

Hail, Nolan

When
May 24, 4:37 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, Sweetwater
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.467, -100.400

Hail, Fisher

When
May 24, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Fisher County, Longworth
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.650, -100.350

Hail, Fisher

When
May 24, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Fisher County, 7 mi S of Busby
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.517, -100.417

A patrol car along the Nolan and Fisher county line ran into golfball size hail that did considerable damage to the car.

Hail, Nolan

When
May 24, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, 3 mi N of Sweetwater
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.517, -100.400

A patrol car encountered golfball size hail along the Nolan and Fisher county line.

Hail, Nolan

When
May 24, 4:52 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, Sweetwater
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.467, -100.400

Quarter size hail covered the ground in the northern sections of Sweetwater.

Hail, Fisher

When
May 24, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Fisher County, Longworth
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.650, -100.350

Hail, Nolan

When
May 24, 5:23 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, 5 mi E of Sweetwater
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.467, -100.317

Several motorists on Interstate 20 east of Sweetwater encountered baseball size hail that produced damage to their vehicles.

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When
May 24, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 15 mi S of Merkel
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.250, -100.017

High thunderstorm winds destroyed a 20 by 40 foot outbuilding.

Hail, Taylor

When
May 24, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 3 mi S of Merkel
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.417, -100.017

Hail, Taylor

When
May 24, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 15 mi S of Merkel
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.250, -100.017

Amateur radio operator reported golfball size hail 15 miles south of Merkel.

Hail, Nolan

When
May 24, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Nolan County, Nolan
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
32.267, -100.250

Spotters reported golfball size hail in Nolan.

Tornado, Taylor

When
May 24, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 10 mi SW of Buffalo Gap
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.183, -99.933

Spotter reported a brief tornado near F.M. 89 and Arrowhead Ranch Road.

Tornado, Taylor

When
May 24, 7:04 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 16 mi WSW of Tuscola
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.133, -100.050

Eye witness reported a brief tornado just northeast of Happy Valley in southwestern Taylor County.

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When
May 24, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 15 mi SSW of Abilene
Property damage
$9,000
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.250, -99.833

A barn was destroyed by high thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When
May 24, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 3 mi E of Abilene
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.450, -99.683

Hail, Taylor

When
May 24, 7:37 PM CST
Where
Taylor County, 2 mi SE of Abilene
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.433, -99.717

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 7:38 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Winters
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.967, -99.950

Hail, Callahan

When
May 24, 7:38 PM CST
Where
Callahan County, 5 mi W of Baird
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.400, -99.483

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 7:44 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Winters
Measured
2.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.967, -99.950

Baseball size hail fell in Winters.

Tornado, Runnels

When
May 24, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 4 mi N of Winters
Rating
F0
Path length
0.4 mi
Path width
50 yd
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
32.017, -99.950

Spotter reported a brief tornado just to the north of Winters. The tornado remained over open country just north of Winters.. The damage received at Winters was from high winds and hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Runnels

When
May 24, 7:59 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Winters
Property damage
$15 million
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.831, -99.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Very high thunderstorm winds along with baseball size hail produced widespread damage across the town of Winters. Numerous windows were broken out by the wind and hail. Numerous trees were also reported blown down by the high winds.

Hail, Callahan

When
May 24, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Callahan County, 12 mi W of Baird
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.400, -99.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Runnels

When
May 24, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 9 mi N of Ballinger
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
31.883, -99.950

Large tree limbs were snapped off, and a propane tank was blown over.

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Crews
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
31.883, -99.783

Tornado, Runnels

When
May 24, 8:20 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 3 mi W of Benoit
Rating
F0
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.767, -99.883

Law enforcement reported a brief tornado over open country.

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 8:46 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Benoit
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.767, -99.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Runnels

When
May 24, 8:55 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 10 mi NE of Ballinger
Property damage
$90,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.850, -99.833

Strong thunderstorm winds blew a tree onto a truck. A few outbuildings were also destroyed.

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 9:45 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Ballinger
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.750, -99.950

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 9:49 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, 1 mi N of Ballinger
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.767, -99.950

Hail, Runnels

When
May 24, 9:53 PM CST
Where
Runnels County, Ballinger
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
31.750, -99.950

Law enforcement reported golfball size hail in Ballinger.

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

More

Every storm in Texas in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2002Warnings in Texas, May 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: 5294494, 5294495, 5294496, 5294497, 5294498, 5294572, 5294574, 5294573, 5294575, 5294576, 5294577, 5294578, 5294579, 5294580, 5294581, 5294582, 5294583, 5294584, 5294585, 5294586, 5294587, 5294588, 5294589, 5294590, 5294591, 5294592, 5294593, 5294658, 5294659, 5294660, 5294661.