The severe weather season across West Central Texas started early in February when a severe thunderstorm produced a tornado that touched down near Sagerton, Texas, in Haskell County on Friday afternoon, February 2, 2024. The National Weather Service in San Angelo, Texas, did a storm survey for the damage caused by that tornado and rated it an EF2 tornado. This severe storm in early February would not be the last to produce a tornado in the Big Country region this spring.
On Friday morning, March 15, 2024, a severe thunderstorm over McCulloch County produced a brief tornado that touched down near Rochelle, Texas. The National Weather Service did a storm survey for the damage caused by this tornado and rated it an EF1 tornado.
These two tornadic events in West Central Texas were just a warm up for what was to come in the month of May. A significant severe weather outbreak occurred across West Central Texas during the days of May 2nd, May 3rd, and May 4th of 2024, including several tornadoes. Severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes that touched down near Hawley, Texas (Jones County), near Silver and Robert Lee, Texas (Coke County), near Ballinger, Texas (Runnels County), near Doole, Texas (Conch and McCulloch counties) and across extreme portions of southern Crockett County. The strongest tornado was an EF3 tornado that touched down near Hawley, Texas, in Jones County. Very large to giant hail also occurred with these storms on these dates, and caused significant damage to some locations. The National Weather Service conducted many storm surveys over several days for the damage reported with these tornadoes, which mostly touched down in rural and remote areas. The EF3 tornado near Hawley, Texas, would not be the only EF3 tornado to touch down in West Central Texas this spring.
On Wednesday afternoon, May 22, 2024, a severe thunderstorm across southern Sterling County produced a tornado that touched down about 18 miles south-southwest of Sterling City, Texas. Law enforcement in Sterling County reported the tornado on the ground and recorded the tornado as it crossed Highway 163 in southern Sterling County into the panhandle of Tom Green County. The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey of the damage caused by the tornado and rated it an EF3 tornado. As with the other tornadoes in West Central Texas, this tornado also touched down in rural and remote areas. Unfortunately, mother nature was not done as far as severe weather for West Central Texas.
A severe thunderstorm moved through the San Angelo area Thursday afternoon, on May 23, 2024, producing baseball size hail (2.75 inch hail in diameter) and 73 mph wind gusts at the Mathis Field San Angelo Regional Airport, causing widespread damage in the city. In addition, severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and overnight hours of Saturday, May 25, 2024, produced wind damage, as well as a couple of tornadoes, across portions of the Concho Valley, the Heartland and the Big Country. A severe thunderstorm in Callahan County produced a tornado that touched down near Cross Plains, Texas. The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey for the damage, mainly in Eastland County, and rated it an EF2 tornado.