Texas leads the nation in heavy weather events so far in 2024, according to preliminary information by the National Weather Service.
The state has experienced 1,332 events during 2024, including 706 hail storms, 530 strong wind events, and 96 tornadoes. Missouri follows with 871 heavy weather events.
The Storm Prediction Center at the NWS stores nationwide preliminary records for these three heavy weather events, which are reported shortly after the events occur.
Nationally, May 26 has been the busiest day for heavy weather so far in the year, with 796 reports. But for Texas, May 28 — the day of the Dallas-storms — was the busiest, with 108 heavy weather reports. Of those, 68 were for heavy winds and 40 for hail storms.
“Typically, we have two peaks where we see more of the bulk of our severe weather,” explained Monique Sellers, a meteorologist at the NWS office in Fort Worth.
“For us, it’s mostly in the spring, and then we have a second peak in the fall.”
Sellers said that active storm systems moving through the area in spring occur because moisture coming from the Pacific combined with the Texas heat favors storm conditions. Big hailstones come when moisture gets stuck in the air for long periods.
“And lately, we’ve had just the right conditions to get really large hail.”
According to the NWS, in May, there have been preliminary reports of 427 hail storms, 61 tornadoes and 340 damaging wind events across the state.
This Tuesday, the agency recorded 60 mph wind gusts in Kaufman County that overturned 18 wheelers. Quarter-size hail fell in Harris, Kaufman and other southeast counties. The severe storms caused downed branches and split trees and left more than 600,000 people in North Texas without power.
According to the National Risk Index, a database maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, North Texas counties register about $340 million in losses annually due to hailstorms. Dallas County alone leads the national ranking with over $102 million in expected losses every year, mostly from hail building damage.
The database shows that 2023 finished with 2,352 heavy weather reports for Texas, of which 1,123 were hail storms. June was the most active month, with 699 of these events. Texas has claimed the top state in these weather conditions reports since 2011.
