Each year during the first weekend in May, an event called Mayfest takes place in Trinity Park in Fort Worth. The event lasts several days and draws large crowds of people. It also frequently draws rain or other bad weather to dampen the spirits of the people attending.
In 1995, the weather outdid itself in nastiness. On May 5th, some 10,000 people were in attendance when a hailstorm hit. This wasn’t just any hailstorm, though. Hail the size of baseballs pounded much of the city, injuring at least 100 people. Lightning and flooding from the storm killed at least 13 people. With that many people out in the open at Mayfest, I’m surprised the injury total wasn’t much heavier than it was.
Sharon and I were at home when this storm hit, so we weren’t exposed to the bodily damage so many suffered, but property damage is another matter. The photo below, taken by Tim Marshall, was not of our roof, but it was typical of what happened. Our shake roof was completely destroyed by the storm, leading us to replace it with a light steel roof that’s supposed to be several times stronger.
At the time, in addition to our two cars, we had a conversion van we used for road trips. Since we had a two-car carport, that left one vehicle uncovered. Since Sharon can’t stand cold and I can’t stand heat, we left the van out on the driveway in the winter and her car out during the summer.
The photo below was taken by Tim Marshall and was not of our car. However, it does look a lot like Sharon’s Mercury Grand Marquis after the storm passed. We stood in the carport and watch as the four-inch diameter hail struck the car and the driveway. It was a most amazing sight.
Body shops, glass companies and roofing contractors all over the area must have gotten rich in the aftermath of this storm. I had a friend in the roofing business, and we got that taken care of reasonably soon. Glass companies set up on several large parking lots to replace auto glass, but it took us several months to get Sharon’s car into a body shop to get the dents removed or the panels replaced.
What’s the biggest hail you have seen?
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WANA: We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
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David N Walker 
Good post however I was wanting to know if you could write a
litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little
bit more. Kudos!
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About 30 years ago there was a doozy of a hailstorm in Ft. Worth. My son, his friend Kevin and I went outside to view it. I ran out of the carport to get a better view and got pummeled in the crown of my head with a hailstone that must have been the size of a baseball. I remember worrying at the time that I might have permanent brain damage.
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I won’t comment on the brain damage, Sweetie.
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In 1991, Gary and I were in Atlanta, Texas in our brand new Dodge Shadow America. We got stuck in a hail storm (but the hail itself was not as big as you mentioned). We had to have every exterior panel on our car replaced.
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How could my wonderful memory have forgotten that, Lynn? Sad to deal with.
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Wow, I must have known about this hail storm, but I don’t remember it. I no doubt would if I’d been in Fort Worth at the time and had my roof ruined and car damaged. Interesting blog. I’ve seen some big hail, but nothing that big. I have clear memories of huge white out blizzards, torrential rains, and thunder and lightning displays … including the one that took down part of our big tree a couple of years ago.
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Okay – we’re even, Sis. I either didn’t know or forgot about your hailstorm, too.
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