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Although most hailstones are typically pea- or dime-size, hail can grow to as large as golf balls and baseballs. In extreme cases, hail can reach the size of a softball, grapefruit or even a pineapple.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that time of year again when severe weather becomes a regular part of life across the Lone Star State. From\u00a0massive hail<\/a> and damaging winds<\/a> to flooding rains<\/a> and even tornadoes<\/a>, the hazards that come with spring storms in Texas also can pack a powerful punch.<\/p>\n So why does it happen this time of year? The jet stream shifts into a favorable position across the southern United States, allowing frequent atmospheric disturbances to move into the southern Plains. At the same time, warm, moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico streams northward and collides with stronger cold fronts pushing in from the north. This combination creates the perfect setup for severe thunderstorms to develop.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n EYE TO THE SKY: Know these cloud formations to prepare for the Texas severe weather that’s headed our way.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n While tornadoes and straight-line winds often grab the headlines for their damage, they are rare compared to hailstorms. Large hail is one of the most common and widespread severe weather threats, often accompanying strong thunderstorms and causing considerable damage across large areas.<\/p>\n Storms in North Texas that produced high winds and hail head toward Euless on May 24, 2011, from the Keller area.<\/p>\n Michael Ainsworth\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n According to Cotality, which recently released its 2026 Severe Convective Storm Risk Report<\/a>, Texas ranks as the most at-risk state for hail damage. The report estimates that about 8 million homes are exposed, with a combined reconstruction value exceeding $3.1 trillion.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When broken down by metropolitan areas, four Texas cities rank among the top 10 for homes at a greater risk of hail damage. Dallas ranks second nationally, behind Chicago, with about 2.1 million homes at risk and an estimated $980 billion in potential damage. Houston comes in third, with 1.5 million homes and $650 billion in potential losses.<\/p>\n TEXAS HAIL: They call it ‘hail alley’. Here’s which parts of Texas see the most hail.<\/a><\/p>\n Austin and San Antonio also make the list, ranking ninth and tenth. Austin has 700,000 homes at risk, totaling about $230 billion in potential damage, while San Antonio has close to 800,000 homes, with an estimated $280 billion in exposure.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n What is hail?\u00a0<\/p>\n Hail is a type of frozen precipitation made of pellets or lumps of ice that fall from thunderstorms. It forms when high winds, called updrafts, carry raindrops high into the cold parts of the storm, where they freeze. Those ice pieces can jump up and down several times, adding new layers of ice with each trip. Once they become too heavy for the updraft to hold them up, they fall to the ground.<\/p>\n This diagram shows how hail forms within a thunderstorm and was produced by the National Weather Service in Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n National Weather Service<\/p>\n Although most hailstones are typically pea- or dime-size, hail can grow to as large as golf balls and baseballs. In extreme cases, hail can reach the size of a softball, grapefruit or even a pineapple.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The largest hailstone in Texas history fell in Virgo Park<\/a>, outside of Amarillo, on June 2, 2024, measuring 7.1 inches in diameter, surpassing the previous record of 6.41 inches set in\u00a0Hondo in 2021.<\/p>\n This massive hailstone fell just outside Amarillo in June 2024, setting the Texas state record for the largest hailstone ever recorded.<\/p>\n National Weather Service\/Val Castor <\/p>\n How to protect your property from hail?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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