Storm Troopers

April 5, 2003 hail storm pounded North Texas

Roofers and auto body shop workers will remember this one. Saturday is the fifth anniversary of a monster hail storm that pummeled Tarrant County and a wide swath of North Texas.

Hail as large as 4 inches in diameter crunched cars, shredded trees and pounded roofs. Three people were injured and damage was estimated at more than $1 billion, making it one of the costliest hail storms in U.S. history, according to a National Weather Service report.

There are more than a few heavily dinged-up cars on local roads still bearing the scars of the storm's fury.

Steve Campbell

Baseball size hail in Montague County

The National Weather issued a severe thunderstorm warning until 5:15 p.m. for northern Montague County, near the Oklahoma border, that is capable of producing large hail. Here's the bulletin...

"AT 445 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BASEBALL SIZE HAIL...AND
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 9
MILES NORTH OF STONEBURG...MOVING EAST AT 46 MPH."

Bill Hanna