Happy, TX Hail Storm – July 2026

A severe hail storm moved through Happy, Texas on July 4, 2026. Peak stones measured 2.76 inches and the event generated a long sequence of radar-detected hail alerts.

What Happened

The storm produced 23 NWS alerts between 2:02 PM CDT and 11:10 PM CDT on July 4. Alerts began in the mid-afternoon and continued into the late evening, with repeated dual-polarization radar detections along a roughly northeastward track through the metro area. Several radar-detected alerts measured hail estimates above 2 inches in the late afternoon and early evening period.

Spotter reports were received during the mid-to-late afternoon. At about 3:23 PM CDT, an mPING submission described ping-pong-ball size hail just east of Highway 385 and north of County Road 1 in Deaf Smith County. At 3:33 PM CDT two separate mPING submissions described "Hen Egg+" stones, each recorded at 2.25 inches. Later in the early evening, an alert at 6:06 PM CDT combined radar detection with spotter verification for large stones near the storm track.

NWS warning areas were issued along the path of the radar-detected swath. The warning area shifted with the storm through late afternoon into early evening. The sequence of alerts and spotter-verified reports indicate a concentrated period of strong updrafts and hail production roughly between mid-afternoon and early evening.

Damage Assessment

Field reports place substantial stonefall along the corridor east of Highway 385 and north of County Road 1 in Deaf Smith County and across portions of the Happy, TX metro. Two mPING entries at 3:33 PM CDT document 2.25-inch stones at ground level. A separate mPING entry at 3:23 PM CDT described ping-pong-ball size hail at a nearby location.

Radar-detected hail alerts clustered where the spotter reports originated. Multiple radar alerts later in the afternoon and early evening also estimated stones large enough to cause vehicle and equipment denting. Local observers provided size descriptors that match those radar estimates in both timing and location.

No additional local storm reports of structural collapse or casualty were supplied in the dataset for this event. Damage patterns indicated by the spotter locations and radar swath are concentrated in rural and agricultural zones northeast of Happy and along the Highway 385 corridor.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections for vehicles, farm equipment, and exposed metal surfaces in the Highway 385 corridor and north toward County Road 1. Start with properties that reported spotter activity around 3:20–3:40 PM CDT and extend inspections to areas that intersect the radar-detected swath through early evening.

When documenting loss, photograph dent patterns, broken glass, and impact points with a reference object for scale. Measure and record any recovered stones. Log the time of observed damage and the exact address or GPS coordinates. Keep separate records for agricultural equipment and residential vehicles.