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Reporter-News Archives Wednesday, May 26, 1999 Storms bring hail, high winds to area By JOHN STARBUCK Staff Writer Residents in several Big Country communities, including Sagerton, are not likely to forget Tuesday night’s surprise attack by Mother Nature for some time. David Letz was watching television at home near Faith Lutheran Church in Sagerton about 7:30 p.m. when a dark cloud arrived from the southwest. “It was terrible,” he said. “I’m 72 years old, and I have never seen a hailstorm that bad.” Five windows were smashed in his home, but receiving worse treatment was the Lutheran church, which had two stained-glass windows destroyed. The windows, installed about 20 years ago, were in a hallway near the church’s west entrance. Letz believes the building also may have a damaged roof. A funeral scheduled for today at the church has been moved to Rule. The church’s rain gauge recorded 1.2 inches of rain, Letz said. Windows also were knocked in other parts of the community. Residents in both Sagerton and Rule went without electricity for almost an hour. A severe thunderstorm warning at 4:41 p.m. for Nolan County was the first of 21 warnings issued by the National Weather Service in 4 1/2 hours. “That included three types of warnings — severe thunderstorm, tornado and flash flood,” Phil Baker with NWS said. The first cell developed southwest of Sweetwater and moved through Blackwell and Ballinger. Other storms created havoc in Taylor, Haskell, Jones, Coke and Runnels counties. “This is actually normal for May,” Baker said. “May is our busiest month for severe weather in west central Texas.” A tornado warning was issued for eastern Taylor County at 6:37 p.m. after spotters reported a possible touchdown. A spokesman with Callahan County Sheriff’s Office said a citizen report of a tornado south of Baird could not be confirmed. The Jones County Sheriff’s Office told NWS that a tornado briefly touched ground one mile west of Hamlin. More than two inches of rain was recorded between Ballinger and Winters which prompted a flash flood warning to be issued. Numerous hail reports also were received, ranging from dime size to golf ball size. Tree damage was reported in Buffalo Gap and north Ballinger. An official with the Elm Creek Citizens Fire Department said lightning struck two oil tank batteries south of Coronado’s Camp. Baker said a combination of atmospheric instability, outflow boundaries from previous thunderstorms and upper-level disturbances created the storms. Area residents can expect another round today, he said. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:  texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local News Texas News Copyright ©1999, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications

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