Fort Worth Remembers 1995 Hail Storm

The City of Fort Worth is recognizing the anniversary of the 1995 hail storm that injured more than 400 people.

The city published a blog post about the generational weather event on Monday. According to the post, the incident happened on the Friday when more than 10,000 people gathered at Mayfest in Trinity Park, an annual four-day festival that draws crowds to the riverfront setting.

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Unfortunately, a cluster of thunderstorms was brewing in the distance and barreling towards the area. The festival-goers included numerous families with children and the party was just getting started when "one of the costliest and most devastating hailstorms in U.S. history was soon to hit."

At approximately 7:10 p.m., the storms slammed into the park area, catching the thousands of festival-goers off guard and with few options for shelter. That led to panic quickly spreading as softball-sized hailstones pelted people as they furiously sprinted to find a day to shield themselves and their children.

Some attendees dove under picnic tables and jumped en masse into nearby vehicles. Sadly, more than 400 people were injured during the event. Some attendees had blood streaming from gashes on their bodies.

Not only that, but the storm smashed windows, uprooted trees, and ripped tents into shreds. Cars parked nearby resembled golf balls after the storm—with every square inch supporting a significant dent.

Observers called it not unlike a scene from a disaster movie. Except, of course, no one was acting. The storm then tracked eastward across the Metroplex, charting a path of destruction that included wind damage and flash floods.

In total, the storms cost an estimated $2 billion in damage across Tarrant and Dallas counties. It also left an indelible mark on a region and a reminder of just how unpredictable and volatile North Texas weather can be.