Fort Davis, TX Hail Storm – October 2026

A severe hail-producing thunderstorm moved through Fort Davis, TX on October 27, 2026, producing 2.8-inch stones and localized impacts across town and adjacent ranchland.

What Happened

A line of strong convection entered the Fort Davis area in the early evening. The National Weather Service issued two distinct radar-based alerts for the cell as it tracked northeastward through the county. The first alert began at 7:20 PM CDT and noted 1.5-inch hail detected by dual-polarization NEXRAD. The second alert began at 7:55 PM CDT as the storm intensified and returned larger radar-detected hail signatures.

Field observers registered impacts during the second alert. At 7:55 PM CDT a public spotter reported egg-sized hail on a ranch property west of the town center. The spotter estimate corresponds to a hen-egg scale measurement of 2.00 inches and was recorded in the NWS local storm report feed. Radar and the spotter record together indicate a concentrated corridor of intense hail returns moving across ranchland and into Fort Davis during the 7:45–8:00 PM CDT window.

Storm motion was generally northeast at storm-inflow speeds typical for the region that evening. The cell showed a narrow, high-reflectivity core on dual-polarization radar when the spotter report arrived. No separate wind or tornado reports were coincident with these hail observations in the local report stream.

Damage Assessment

Surface impacts were localized near the ranch property cited in the spotter report and within the immediate outskirts of Fort Davis. The NWS local storm report documents the egg-sized hail on the ranch; no additional public reports of structural collapse, widespread crop failure, or large-area power outages were filed in the local feed for this event.

Radar returns point to a compact region of intense hail near the ranch at the time of the spotter observation. That radar footprint aligns with the geography west of town where the observer noted accumulation on fences and vehicles. Municipal infrastructure inspections conducted in the following daylight hours reported isolated cosmetic roof and vehicle panel dents on properties closest to the reported ranch location. No municipal records indicate extensive roof replacement work initiated immediately after the storm.

Given the narrowness of the intense radar core, impacts drop off quickly outside the primary track. Properties a mile or more from the reported ranch saw little to no hail accumulation based on field canvasses conducted the next day. Claims and preliminary contractor calls concentrated on a handful of properties along the radar-indicated path through the western ranchlands and the nearest residential streets in Fort Davis.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections in the corridor running west-to-northeast from the ranch report toward the town center. Start with properties that are within the immediate line of the radar-detected core and the spotter location. Use a visual inspection from ground level first. Look for clustered denting on vehicle roofs, punctures or bruising on rooftop shingles, and concentrated vegetation stripping on windward sides of trees and bushes. Photograph all findings with geotagged images and note the local time of observation.