An upper level low and surface cold front interacted to generate thunderstorms. The airmass these features moved into was strongly unstable with steep lapse rates aloft and was conducive for storms producing large hail and damaging wind gusts.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.
An upper level low and surface cold front interacted to generate thunderstorms. The airmass these features moved into was strongly unstable with steep lapse rates aloft and was conducive for storms producing large hail and damaging wind gusts. The multiple severe storms that hit the Hill Country, Georgetown, San Antonio, and some surrounding communities this day likely led to NCEI (National Center for Environmental Information) to state that the events of May 27 were a billion dollar event, although specific breakdowns of monetary loss for the individual events are not available.
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 May 27, 1:27 PM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 227 PM CDT Wed May 27 2020 .SHORT TERM (Tonight through Thursday Night)... Today brings yet another round for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening for some. A cut off deepening low located on the eastern border of Oklahoma today will leave the area under broad northwesterly flow aloft. Low level flow becomes more southeasterly over the next few hours further increasing deep layer shear, values over 65kt, supporting healthy updrafts over an already unstable environment. CAPE values across our northeastern counties range from 2500-3500J/kg with weak CIN. Ongoing severe storms to our north have shown that any initiation will happen relatively quickly. The Storm Prediction Center has the area under an enhanced risk northeast of a line from Kerrville to New Braunfels to Schulenburg. This risk includes very large hail, damaging winds in excess of 70mph and a small risk for tornadoes. There is expected to be multiple rounds of storms for this area, the first being triggered by an active outflow boundary from storms to our north. Later this evening, individual discrete cells pose a threat for very large hail up to 3 inches, as lapse rates are quite steep, upwards of 7.5C/km. Tornadoes are possible, though the threat is lower due to the weak low level shear, and relatively dry boundary layer. As the evening progresses and cells congeal, the threat becomes more focused on damaging wind up to 70mph. Considering the wet pattern that this area has been over the past several days, the threat of flash flooding should not be overlooked through the chatter of severe weather. Austin in particular has had measurable precip everyday for the past 6 days, totaling over 2 inches. If cells begin to train, or MCS slows over the metro area, or any area for that matter, flash flooding may occur. WPC has highlighted the northeastern counties in a marginal threat for excessive rainfall. This means, that the highlighted area has a 5-10 percent chance of rainfall exceeding the flash flood guidance within 25 miles of a point. Stay weather aware, and Turn Around Don't Drown. Tomorrow should be relatively quiet with residual showers in the coastal plains during the morning and early afternoon. Highs will be slightly cooler than today, reaching the mid to upper 80s. By tomorrow night, rain chances shift back out west with higher POPs over the Rio Grande Plains. The entire region is under a marginal risk for severe storms. && .LONG TERM (Friday through Wednesday)... After an extended period of active weather, mid to upper level ridging builds in by Friday and will continue through the weekend and into next week. While a few isolated locations could see a stray shower or thunderstorm during this period, by and large the region should stay dry. Temperatures Friday through Monday will track closely to seasonal normals with temperatures increasing a couple degrees for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Austin Camp Mabry 65 85 67 87 65 / 80 20 10 - 0 Austin Bergstrom Intl Airport 63 84 66 87 65 / 80 30 10 - 0 New Braunfels Muni Airport 66 85 67 88 65 / 60 20 10 - 0 Burnet Muni Airport 63 83 64 84 62 / 80 10 10 - 0 Del Rio Intl Airport 71 91 70 92 68 / - 10 40 10 0 Georgetown Muni Airport 64 83 66 86 63 / 90 20 10 - 0 Hondo Muni Airport 68 89 68 92 65 / 20 10 30 10 0 San Marcos Muni Airport 64 84 66 88 64 / 70 20 10 - 0 La Grange - Fayette Regional 66 84 67 87 66 / 50 30 10 10 - San Antonio Intl Airport 68 87 69 90 67 / 30 10 20 10 0 Stinson Muni Airport 70 89 70 90 67 / 20 10 20 10 0 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && Short-Term/Aviation...YBVP Long-Term...BMW Decision Support...Hampshire
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 453 AM CDT Wed May 27 2020 TXZ171>173-183>194-202>209-217>225-228-281000- Llano-Burnet-Williamson-Val Verde-Edwards-Real-Kerr-Bandera- Gillespie-Kendall-Blanco-Hays-Travis-Bastrop-Lee-Kinney-Uvalde- Medina-Bexar-Comal-Guadalupe-Caldwell-Fayette-Maverick-Zavala- Frio-Atascosa-Wilson-Karnes-Gonzales-De Witt-Lavaca-Dimmit- 453 AM CDT Wed May 27 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for South-Central Texas.. .DAY ONE...Today And Tonight. Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening for the eastern two-thirds of the area, primarily for locations along and east of a Juno to Uvalde to Pearsall line. An Enhanced Risk For Severe Thunderstorms exists along and east of Kerrville to New Braunfels to Schulenburg line. Very large hail, significant damaging wind gusts, and an isolated tornado or two will all be possible. Locally heavy rainfall and flash flooding is also possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather expected for the extended forecast period at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon and evening.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX
157 PM CDT Wed May 27 2020
TXZ173-194-271945-
Williamson TX-Lee TX-
157 PM CDT Wed May 27 2020
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WILLIAMSON AND NORTHWESTERN LEE
COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM CDT...
At 156 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking an outflow boundary along
a line extending from near Harker Heights to 8 miles northwest of
Rockdale. Movement was south at 35 mph.
Winds up to 40 mph will be possible with this outflow boundary.
Locations impacted include...
Round Rock, Georgetown, Taylor, Granger, Serenada, Hutto, Bartlett,
Liberty Hill, Jarrell, Florence, Thrall, Weir, Georgetown Dam,
Granger Dam, Andice, Sun City, Coupland, Laneport, Waterloo and
Schwertner.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for
south central Texas.
LAT...LON 3087 9762 3074 9727 3046 9715 3054 9700
3037 9704 3070 9801 3077 9798 3091 9781
TIME...MOT...LOC 1856Z 357DEG 29KT 3099 9770 3076 9707
BMWSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio TX 428 PM CDT Wed May 27 2020 TXZ172-173-192-272200- Williamson TX-Burnet TX-Travis TX- 428 PM CDT Wed May 27 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL WILLIAMSON... NORTHWESTERN TRAVIS AND SOUTH CENTRAL BURNET COUNTIES UNTIL 500 PM CDT... At 428 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Smithwick, or 10 miles south of Bertram, moving east at 20 mph. Penny size hail will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Cedar Park, Leander, Lago Vista, Liberty Hill, Smithwick, Oatmeal and Jonestown. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for south central Texas. LAT...LON 3050 9816 3068 9817 3074 9788 3049 9787 TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 267DEG 18KT 3060 9809 RUNYEN
The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:29 UTC.
66 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm produced nickel size hail. A picture from Twitter showed the hail at the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.
A thunderstorm produced penny size hail in Leander.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail near Scobee.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail between Oakalla and Briggs.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near Scobee.
A thunderstorm produced penny size hail south of Burnet. Report received from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 65 mph along Hwy 290 east of Harper.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail along Hwy 290 east of Harper.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail in Fredericksburg.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail along Hwy 87 south of Fredericksburg.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 80 mph near Morris Ranch.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near Sisterdale. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Mountain Home. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Welfare.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Sisterdale.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail in Mountain Home. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Ingram. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail along Harper Hwy. north of Kerrville.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail along FM 474 northeast of Boerne.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail between Boerne and Kendalia.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail between Boerne and Kendalia.
An NWS damage survey concluded a microburst hit the city of Kerrville at approximately 8:00-8:10 PM CDT. The highest estimated wind speeds of 70-80 mph occurred on the west side of Kerrville just up the hill from Peterson Hospital on Rimrock Rd. There was roof damage to several homes on Rimrock Rd. where the backyards faced west and wind came up the hill and took off porches and roofs. Throughout that neighborhood there was substantial tree damage, many of the trees snapped or uprooted. The swatch of significant wind damage was well over one mile wide and continued southeast into the area off Ranchero Rd. Hail accompanied the strong microburst as evident by trees stripped of leaves and piles of hail still on the ground nearly 24 hours later. The microburst and wind damage was also seen farther southeast between Hwy 16 and Hwy 689 in a neighborhood just west of Kerrville-Schreiner Park. Other wind damage was reported across the city of Kerrville but was not as significant. Estimates of damage are placed near 1 million dollars from the multiple homes that were damaged by the wind, roof and shingle damage from the wind and hail, and the downing of hundreds of trees that were blown down or damaged.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph that knocked down numerous tree limbs in Kerrville.
A thunderstorm produced quarter inch hail south of Buda.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Kerrville. Hail covered the ground.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Mountain Home. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail north of Camp Verde.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail in Lockhart.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail between Stone Oak and Timberwood Park in far north San Antonio. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail at the intersection of US Hwy 183 and Westwood Rd. south of Lockhart.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Bandera.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 75 mph that knocked down a large tree near the intersection of Cross Timber and Plumbrook Dr. in the Rogers Ranch area of northern San Antonio. A broadcast partner shared a picture of the tree.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail along Elm Pass Rd. east of Camp Verde. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail along Hwy 183 south of Lockhart.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Bandera.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail in the Rogers Ranch area of northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail east of Shavano Park in northern San Antonio. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near Blanco Rd. and Loop 1604 in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail near Huebner Rd. and Bitters Rd. in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail near Loop 1604 and NW Military Dr. in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail between Bandera and Pipe Creek.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Hollywood Park. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Hollywood Park. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail at the San Antonio International Airport.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail in Hollywood Park. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts measured at 57 kts. at the San Antonio International Airport.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail near the intersection of I-410 and Broadway in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near the intersection of Loop 1604 and Bulverde Rd. in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail in Lakehills.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 80 mph. Mobile homes were blown away from their locations and power lines and trees were blown down.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail near the intersection of Huebner Rd. and Blanco Rd. in northern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Terrell Hills. Report was from mPING.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail at Joint Base San Antonio Ft. Sam Houston.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts measured at 61 mph in northeastern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph that blew down fence panels in western Bexar County.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in eastern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in western Bexar County.
A thunderstorm produced tennis ball size hail at Loop 1604 and Culebra Rd. in far western San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Medina.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 80 mph that tore the roof off a horse barn near the intersection of Alt Hwy 90 and CR 345 east of Gonzales.
A thunderstorm produced ping pong ball size hail at Martindale Army Air Field in eastern San Antonio.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near Vanderpool.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in southeastern Bexar County.
Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that sent two feet of water rushing over CR 648 near Doss.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 70 mph that damaged a roof and awning in Utopia.
A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 80 mph in Utopia. The winds knocked down a tree that blocked Jones Cemetery Rd. and damaged several houses in the area called Seco Ridge. Roofs, patio covers, and sheds were damaged.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Utopia.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail near the intersection of Hwy 57 and FM 140 southeast of Frio Town.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail near Sun City.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail near the Georgetown Municipal Airport. Report was from Twitter and included a picture.
A thunderstorm produced tennis ball size hail in southern Georgetown. A trained spotter sent a picture of the hail.
A thunderstorm produced two inch hail in Sun City.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Sun City.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail between Andice and Sun City.
A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail on the east side of Georgetown.
A thunderstorm produced baseball size hail in Georgetown. KXAN TV shared a picture of the hail.
A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail near Camp Wood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2020
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: 893056, 893057, 893059, 893064, 893067, 893070, 893076, 893080, 893082, 893092, 893093, 893094, 893096, 893098, 893099, 893100, 893101, 893103, 893104, 893126, 893127, 893128, 893146, 893152, 893153, 893154, 893155, 893156, 893157, 893158, 893159, 893160, 893161, 893168, 893169, 893170, 893180, 893184, 893186, 893187, and more.