Hail, Wichita
- When
- April 23, 9:40 PM CST
- Where
- Wichita County, Electra
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Amateur Radio
- Coordinates
- 34.030, -98.920
Hail in Texas, April 23, 2011
The cold front that had stalled along the I-44 corridor the day before, finally began to move slowly toward south-central Oklahoma and adjacent areas of northern Texas on the 23rd. The combination of afternoon heating, and lift associated with the front and upper level storm system allowed for thunderstorms to develop by mid afternoon over parts of northern Texas, although these stayed below…
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 OUN wrote it up.
The cold front that had stalled along the I-44 corridor the day before, finally began to move slowly toward south-central Oklahoma and adjacent areas of northern Texas on the 23rd. The combination of afternoon heating, and lift associated with the front and upper level storm system allowed for thunderstorms to develop by mid afternoon over parts of northern Texas, although these stayed below severe levels. By the evening hours, however, attempts at thunderstorm development finally materialized with a few becoming severe.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 5:40 PM CST, 4 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 5:40 PM CST, 4 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 640 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 .AVIATION... 24/00Z TAFS...SCATTERED MVFR CEILINGS WILL CONTINUE FROM AROUND KLAW TO KOKC/KOUN MOST OF FORECAST PERIOD...WITH DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT THESE SITES...AND THE OTHER TERMINALS BEGINNING OVERNIGHT INTO TOMORROW...WITH WIDESPREAD MVFR/IFR TOMORROW. STORMS CURRENTLY SOUTH AND EAST OF TERMINALS EXPECTED TO HAVE MINIMAL IMPACTS ON OUR TAF SITES. THEIR EVOLUTION/PERSISTENCE WILL AFFECT WHAT HAPPENS OVERNIGHT...WITH RESPECT TO CHANCES FOR DESPERATE RAIN ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PARTS OF OKLAHOMA. ALL MODELS ARE QUITE AGGRESSIVE WITH AT LEAST LIGHT QPF OVERNIGHT AND TOMORROW. ALTHOUGH WE WILL KEEP RA/TSRA OUT OF PREDOMINATE WX...WILL GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE A TEMPO GROUP TOWARD/AFTER SUNRISE SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL OK. && .DISCUSSION... T-STORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MOST ANY TIME LATE THIS AFTERNOON NEAR AND SOUTH OF THE COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDED FROM NEAR ATOKA... TO ARDMORE... TO ARCHER CITY TX. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING HOURS WITH A TENDENCY FOR THE CONVECTION TO PROPAGATE MORE TO THE SE AS THE FRONT SAGS SOUTH DUE TO IT BEING REINFORCED SOMEWHAT BY T-STORM OUTFLOW. LATER TONIGHT... T-STORM CHANCES SHOULD IMPROVE FARTHER NORTH ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN OK IN RESPONSE TO AN INCREASING SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL JET AND ATTENDANT WARM ADVECTION. A WEAK WAVE MAY ALSO BE EMBEDDED IN THE SWLY FLOW ALOFT. MEANWHILE... MODELS ALSO INDICATING SOME ELEVATED CAPE ACROSS THE REGION. T-STORM CHANCES FOR SHWRS/STORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY IN ADVANCE OF A SHORT WAVE THAT WILL BE MOVING EAST THROUGH NM. THE BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN IN MOST AREAS ARE LIKELY TO BE SUNDAY NIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH STRENGTHENING SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. MODELS INDICATE MODERATE HEIGHT FALLS SPREADING OVER THE AREA WITH THE APPROACH OF THE UPPER WAVE AND LEFT FRONT QUADRANT OF THE UPPER JET. MEANWHILE LOW LEVEL JET IS FORECAST TO INCREASE OVER THE REGION AND PULL ELEVATED INSTABILITIES NORTHWARD. THE BEST INSTABILITIES ARE EXPECTED TO SHIFT INTO THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE AREA ON MONDAY... ALTHOUGH COOL TEMPERATURES ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH COULD CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED HIGH-BASED LIGHT PRECIPITATION FARTHER BACK TO THE WEST. A STRONG JET MAX MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERN US WILL RESULT IN DEEPENING ANOTHER WAVE OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES AND PLAINS ON TUESDAY. IN RESPONSE TO THIS NEXT SYSTEM... A SURFACE LOW IS FORECAST TO DEEPEN OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS WHICH COULD PULL MORE MOISTURE/INSTABILITY BACK NORTH INTO THE AREA FROM EASTERN TX. DEPENDING ON THE QUALITY OF MOISTURE RETURN... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND T-STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY ACROSS THE EAST AND NORTH. PRECIP CHANCES WILL END WED MORNING AS THE UPPER TROUGH EXITS THE AREA WITH DRY WEATHER EXPECTED INTO FRIDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE MOVES INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. CONCERNING FIRE WEATHER ISSUES... MONDAY APPEARS TO BE A POTENTIAL RED FLAG DAY AS A DRYLINE MOVES EAST THROUGH PORTIONS OF SW OK AND WESTERN N-TX DURING THE DAY. WARM TEMPERATURES AND MODERATELY STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH LOW HUMIDITIES WILL RAISE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... OKLAHOMA CITY OK 54 70 60 76 / 60 40 60 30 HOBART OK 50 71 57 79 / 40 30 40 20 WICHITA FALLS TX 59 76 63 88 / 50 40 40 20 GAGE OK 42 67 49 71 / 40 40 50 20 PONCA CITY OK 50 64 52 69 / 50 50 60 40 DURANT OK 67 80 66 80 / 60 50 50 30 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && 06/32
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 23, 5:20 PM CST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
620 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-241000-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
620 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT
ACROSS PORTIONS OF OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
LOCATION...
THE SLIGHT RISK INCLUDES THE AREA SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM
STILLWATER... TO LAWTON OKLAHOMA... TO SEYMOUR TEXAS.
TIMING...
THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THROUGH 11
PM. A SECONDARY TIME FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE FROM 3 TO 8 AM
SUNDAY.
IMPACTS...
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO AUTOMOBILES...ROOFTOPS...AND VEGETATION FROM
LARGE HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF TENNIS BALLS.
DAMAGING WINDS TO 60 MPH.
ONE OR TWO TORNADOES.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL ACROSS THE
RISK AREA SHOULD PLAN FOR SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS UNTIL 11 PM.
DISCUSSION...
A SLOWLY MOVING COLD FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH MOST OF SOUTHERN
OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. THE BEST NEAR SURFACE INSTABILITY
IS LOCATED ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM COALGATE... TO ARDMORE
OKLAHOMA... TO HENRIETTA TEXAS LINE AND WILL PROVIDE A MORE
FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
ELEVATED INSTABILITY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR
STORMS TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A
LINE FROM HOLDENVILLE... TO PAULS VALLEY... TO LAWTON OKLAHOMA... TO
VERNON AND CROWELL TEXAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS THIS AFTERNOON WILL
BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF TENNIS BALLS...WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH...AND PERHAPS TORNADOES.
AREAS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A STILLWATER TO EL RENO AND LAWTON LINE
MAY SEE AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.
A FEW OF THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL UP TO THE
SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS MAINLY BETWEEN 3 AND 8 AM SUNDAY.
PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT SUNDAY APR 24.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...90 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...80 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
VERY DRY AIR HAS FILTERED INTO NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA. HUMIDITY LEVELS
WILL RANGE FROM 25 TO 35 PERCENT THROUGH ABOUT 10 PM. GUSTY
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL HELP ENHANCE WILDFIRE POTENTIAL.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME ORGANIZED ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA.
STORMS WITH VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE.
WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND
MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL IS EXPECTED OVER THE REMAINDER OF OKLAHOMA
SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL ALL OCCUR IN ADVANCE OF AN UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH. WHEN THE TROUGH ARRIVES ON MONDAY...THE RISK OF ORGANIZED
SEVERE WEATHER WILL SHIFT INTO CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
FINALLY...A SECOND TROUGH MAY BRING THUNDERSTORMS TO OKLAHOMA AND
TEXAS ON TUESDAY...FOLLOWED BY A DRY PERIOD AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
ON MONDAY... A DRYLINE OR PACIFIC COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SPREAD
MUCH DRIER AIR INTO WESTERN NORTH TEXAS...AND POSSIBLY SOUTHWEST
OKLAHOMA. THE POSSIBILITY OF WILDFIRES WILL BE INCREASED IF THIS
HAPPENS.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED
BY 5 AM SUNDAY.In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 8:30 PM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
930 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
OKZ045-046-050-240245-
LOVE OK-JEFFERSON OK-CARTER OK-
930 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR SOUTHWEST CARTER...
SOUTHEAST JEFFERSON AND WESTERN LOVE COUNTIES.
AT 930 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER GRADY...MOVING
EAST NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS...
WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...
LAT...LON 3390 9747 3391 9753 3389 9757 3392 9760
3397 9761 3398 9770 3407 9773 3419 9729
3388 9724 3386 9725 3386 9727 3388 9730
3385 9734 3383 9745
CJSSpecial weather statement, Apr 23, 9:03 PM CST, 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1003 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
OKZ048-052-240330-
BRYAN OK-ATOKA OK-
1003 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR ATOKA AND BRYAN COUNTIES.
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF BRYAN
COUNTY AND PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...
LAT...LON 3384 9624 3399 9637 3423 9602 3416 9596
3415 9596 3412 9593 3401 9593Local storm report, Apr 23, 9:05 PM CST, 35 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1005 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1002 PM HAIL 1 W DICKSON 34.19N 97.01W
04/23/2011 E1.00 INCH CARTER OK PUBLIC
QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED NEAR DICKSON.
&&
MASpecial weather statement, Apr 23, 9:07 PM CST, 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1007 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
OKZ041-045>047-240330-
JEFFERSON OK-MURRAY OK-JOHNSTON OK-CARTER OK-
1007 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...
THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR CARTER...JEFFERSON...
JOHNSTON AND MURRAY COUNTIES.
AT 1007 PM CDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM 3
MILES WEST OF MANNSVILLE TO 4 MILES EAST OF SUGDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 45 MPH.
HAZARDS INCLUDE...
HAIL NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE...
LAT...LON 3402 9810 3424 9797 3438 9691 3441 9645
3424 9649Special weather statement, Apr 23, 9:21 PM CST, 19 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 1021 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 OKZ037-044-TXZ085-086-090-240345- COTTON OK-TILLMAN OK-WILBARGER TX-WICHITA TX-CLAY TX- 1021 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY... THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR CLAY...COTTON...TILLMAN... WICHITA AND WILBARGER COUNTIES. AT 1022 PM CDT...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GRAYBACK TO CENTRAL WICHITA FALLS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. HAZARDS INCLUDE... HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS... LAT...LON 3416 9909 3424 9824 3390 9834 3385 9932
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 9:36 PM CST, 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 1036 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 OKZ026-030-240400- LINCOLN OK-POTTAWATOMIE OK- 1036 PM CDT SAT APR 23 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY... THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR LINCOLN AND POTTAWATOMIE COUNTIES. AT 1036 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER MCLOUD... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. HAZARDS INCLUDE... HAIL NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE... LAT...LON 3570 9691 3549 9671 3532 9709 3544 9714
The radar
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:39 UTC.
Event by event
4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Wichita
- When
- April 23, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wichita County, 4 mi W of Burkburnett
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 34.090, -98.630
Hail, Wichita
- When
- April 23, 10:15 PM CST
- Where
- Wichita County, 1.14 mi WSW of Cashion
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Amateur Radio
- Coordinates
- 34.024, -98.519
The hail was reported near the intersection of Highway 240 and Bailey Road.
Hail, Wichita
- When
- April 23, 10:35 PM CST
- Where
- Wichita County, 0.56 mi NNW of Cashion
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- Amateur Radio
- Coordinates
- 34.038, -98.502
What these are
- 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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Illinois, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Flooding in Arkansas, April 23 to 30, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 23, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Missouri, April 23 to 24, 2011
- Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, April 23, 2011
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Hail in Missouri, April 23, 2011
- Damaging Winds in West Virginia, April 23, 2011
- Flood and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Kentucky, April 23, 2011
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, April 23, 2011
More
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2011
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: 305134, 305142, 305140, 305143.