Golf-ball-sized hail pounded parts of North Texas last night, leaving cars dinged up and yards covered in chunky ice. FOX 4 meteorologist Josh Johns tracked the worst of it over Dublin as intense storm cells pushed east across Erath County and its neighbors. Live video and social media clips showed hail piling up fast, backed up by radar signatures that typically flag hail-producing supercells.
Where it hit
Severe thunderstorm warnings lit up portions of Erath, Hamilton, and Comanche counties, while a broader Severe Thunderstorm Watch stretched over Erath, Palo Pinto, Johnson, Jack, and Hood counties, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. The station’s May 10 video features on-air updates from Johns, along with local clips of golf-ball hail slamming Dublin. Those broadcast reports lined up with radar data showing powerful updrafts strong enough to spit out significant hail.
Why the storms produced such big hail
According to the Storm Prediction Center, yesterday, much of Texas spent under an Enhanced Risk, with forecasters warning of “scattered large hail (some 2+ inches)” and damaging winds. The center pointed to supercell development along a convectively reinforced cold front, plus lingering instability that let very strong updrafts grow hailstones to golf-ball size and larger. That setup helps explain why a few isolated storms in North Texas managed to crank out unusually big hail.
Damage and safety steps
Hail that size can crack windshields, pepper vehicle bodies with dents, and chew up roofs, and the National Weather Service urges people to get indoors immediately and, if there is time, move vehicles under cover. Homeowners are encouraged to photograph damage for insurance purposes and consider reporting significant hail or wind impacts to local emergency management and the NWS. Officials also recommend keeping multiple ways to receive weather alerts and following instructions from local authorities while storms are ongoing.
What to watch next
The Storm Prediction Center issued several severe thunderstorm watches last night, and people inside those watch areas were urged to stay on top of updates as new cells developed. Watch numbers and county lists were adjusted through the night as storms shifted east. Meteorologists say the threat could hang on into Monday depending on how the frontal system evolves, so travelers are urged to check local forecasts before hitting the road.
