Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 3, 2002

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 3, 2002
Start: 2002-05-03T03:24
End: 2002-05-03T07:05
Location: Texas

May 3, 2002 · NWS FWD · 10 events in 9 counties and zones

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: $57,000
Crop damage: None recorded
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 Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 3, 12:56 AM CST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 12:56 AM CST, 2 hours 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
156 AM CDT FRI MAY 3 2002

THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF CWA.
WILL GO CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AREAWIDE TODAY THROUGH
SATURDAY...WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE TODAY.  FOR TEMPERATURES
WILL STAY CLOSE TO GUIDANCE.  WINDS WILL BE LIGHT NORTHEAST TODAY
AND TONIGHT...BECOMING SOUTHEAST BY SATURDAY WITH WARMER
TEMPERATURES.

FCSTID = 59
DFW   76  64  86  66 /  40  40  40  40
ACT   81  66  87  68 /  40  40  40  40

.FWD...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 2, 11:20 PM CST, 4 hours 4 minutes before

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-032100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
1220 AM CDT FRI MAY 3 2002

A STATIONARY FRONT NEAR A HUNTSVILLE TO SAN ANTONIO LINE EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON WILL BEGIN TO LIFT SLOWLY NORTHWARD TONIGHT.  SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NEAR AND NORTH OF THE FRONT
LATE TONIGHT.  AT THIS TIME THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
APPEARS LOW.  HOWEVER...ANY STORMS TO DO FORM COULD PRODUCE CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS.

THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL INCREASE ON SATURDAY AS THE
WARM FRONT MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS.
INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT...AND
ADEQUATE MID LEVEL WINDS WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM FORMATION...
ESPECIALLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY NIGHT. LARGE
HAIL...DOWNBURST WINDS...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY
SEVERE WEATHER THREATS.

RESIDENTS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS ARE URGED TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO
THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY IF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE
PLANNED.  STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO AND
TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE
WEATHER EVENT.

Special weather statement, May 3, 1:43 AM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes before

TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-031945-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
243 AM CDT FRI MAY 3 2002

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS ALL OF
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS.  THE STORMS WILL BE ELEVATED SO THE MAIN THREAT
WILL BE LARGE HAIL...WITH DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE.

EARLY THIS MORNING A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED FROM DEL RIO TO NEAR
LUFKIN.  WARM MOIST UNSTABLE AIR IS BEING LIFTED OVER THE FRONT
NORTHWARD ACROSS NORTH TEXAS.  THE AIRMASS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS WILL
DESTABILIZE DURING THE EARLY MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON...AS AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA.  ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS
THIS MORNING WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS DURING THE DAY..WITH SOME OF
THESE STORMS SEVERE.

THERE WILL ALSO BE A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AREA WIDE
SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE STATIONARY FRONT BEGINS MOVING NORTH AS A WARM
FRONT.  STRONG LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE
FRONT...CREATING A THREAT OF LARGE HAIL ACROSS THE REGION.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Eastland

When: May 3, 3:24 AM CST
Where: Eastland County, 1 mi S of Rising Star
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 32.083, -98.967

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When: May 3, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Johnson County, Lake Pat Cleburne
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.317, -97.417

Power lines were blown down and several modular homes were turned over.

Flash Flood, Erath

When: May 3, 5:06 AM CST to 6:00 AM CST
Where: Erath County, Stephenville
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 32.236, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets in town were flooded.

Thunderstorm Wind, Johnson

When: May 3, 5:14 AM CST to 5:20 AM CST
Where: Johnson County, 4 mi W of Grandview
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph)
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 32.267, -97.250

Two mobile homes were damaged, two storage buildings were destroyed, an apartment complex had roof damage, several sheds were damaged, damage to air-conditioning unit on the roof of a building, and several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Somervell

When: May 3, 5:20 AM CST
Where: Somervell County, Rainbow
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 32.267, -97.700

Trees were blown down by high winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hill

When: May 3, 5:20 AM CST to 5:36 AM CST
Where: Hill County, Itasca
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 32.167, -97.150

One house unroofed, several fences were blown down, and several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Navarro

When: May 3, 5:50 AM CST
Where: Navarro County, Rice
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 32.233, -96.500

Roof damage to the high school, several trees blown down, and numerous power lines were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ellis

When: May 3, 5:50 AM CST
Where: Ellis County, Ennis
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 32.333, -96.633

Trees and power lines were blown down south of Highway 85 and south of Interstate 45 toward Rice.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kaufman

When: May 3, 6:26 AM CST
Where: Kaufman County, Kemp
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 32.450, -96.233

Large tree limbs were blown down by high winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Zandt

When: May 3, 6:55 AM CST to 7:05 AM CST
Where: Van Zandt County, Wills Pt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 32.700, -96.000

Large tree limbs were blown down.

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.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, 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: 5296012, 5296015, 5296013, 5296016, 5296014, 5296017, 5296018, 5296019, 5296020, 5296021.