An F-5 tornado, $1 billion dollar hail storm: Why April 12 lives in South Texas weather infamy

April 12 is the anniversary of two of the most memorable weather events in South Texas history: A massive, deadly tornado that swept through Rocksprings in 1927, and one of the costliest hailstorms in Texas history left a mark on much of San Antonio in 2016.

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1927 ROCKSPRINGS TORNADO

• The F-5 tornado in 1927 swept through Rocksprings during the day on April 12, with winds of at least 260 mph.
• It ranks as the third deadliest tornado in Texas history.
• 74 people died, while hundreds were injured. That’s approximately a third of the town’s population.
• The tornado was on the ground for an estimated 65 miles!
• KSAT spoke with one of the last known survivors in 2017, who shared her harrowing story from that day.
• Interestingly, you can still find debris from the storm in fields just east of Rocksprings.

2016 SAN ANTONIO HAIL STORM

• A massive supercell moved through San Antonio during the late evening hours of April 12, 2016.
• Hail of 2-3 inches was common as it crossed the city, with the largest hail size peaking at 4.5 inches in diameter.
• A hailstone of 4.5″ measured at Tezel Rd. and Bandera Rd. tied for the largest hailstone ever in Bexar County (that’s grapefruit to softball size).
• Damage was reported to 136,00 vehicles and 125,000 homes. Roofing companies spent years completing repairs.
• The official cost of the storm came in at $1.36 billion, the second costliest hail storm in Texas history.
• Read more from the meteorologists on the Whatever the Weather page
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