The May 9, 2024 Hays County hailstorm hit the Hill Country side of the Austin area hardest. Between about 7:45 and 9:10 p.m., NOAA logged 16 hail reports and 9 damaging wind reports, mostly in Hays County: 3-inch (tea cup) hail south of Dripping Springs and northwest of San Marcos, baseball hail near Henly, 2.5-inch hail in Wimberley and at the San Marcos outlets, and gusts measured at 70 mph that downed trees and damaged roofs in San Marcos. In one San Marcos home, 2-inch hail broke several windows and destroyed a solar panel.
What happened on May 9, 2024
The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels says the storms formed near a triple point, where a low pressure center, a front and a dryline met, and some produced hail in excess of 5 to 6 inches in the wider region along with damaging wind. NCEI’s summary puts losses across Blanco and Hays counties likely in the tens of millions of dollars, and the City of San Marcos estimated about $750,000 for debris removal and repairs to public facilities.
The reports show one cluster moving from the northwest into San Marcos:
- 7:44 p.m. Baseball hail (2.75 inches) south-southwest of Henly, west of Dripping Springs.
- 8:04 p.m. Tea cup hail about 5 miles south of Mount Gaynor, south of Dripping Springs.
- 8:07 to 8:15 p.m. Hen egg to tennis ball hail around Wimberley and Woodcreek.
- 8:24 to 8:38 p.m. San Marcos: a 70 mph gust measured northwest of town and 65 mph at a private weather station, gusts that downed trees and damaged a church roof, tea cup hail at San Marcos Academy, tennis ball hail near the outlet mall and 2-inch hail that broke house windows.
- 9:09 to 9:11 p.m. Gusts near 70 mph downed trees and power lines between Wimberley and San Marcos, and golf ball hail fell in Taylor.
Where the hail and wind hit
| Area | Largest hail on record | Wind on record |
|---|---|---|
| South of Dripping Springs (Mount Gaynor area) | 3.00 in., tea cup | None reported |
| Northwest San Marcos (San Marcos Academy) | 3.00 in., tea cup | 70 mph (measured), trees down |
| Near Henly | 2.75 in., baseball | None reported |
| Wimberley and Woodcreek | 2.50 in., tennis ball | 60 to 70 mph (estimated), limbs and power lines down |
| San Marcos (outlets and city) | 2.50 in., tennis ball | 65 mph measured; church and hospital roof damage reported |
| Taylor | 1.75 in., golf ball | None reported |
| Sun City, Georgetown | 1.25 in., half dollar | None reported |
If you live in San Marcos or Dripping Springs, you were in the core of this storm.
What tea cup hail and 70 mph wind do to a roof
Hail of 2.5 to 3 inches fractures composition shingles and can punch through to the deck; it cracks clay and concrete tile and dents standing seam and corrugated metal deeply enough to show from the road. Solar panels and skylights are vulnerable, as the San Marcos window and solar panel report shows. When strong wind arrives with the hail, as it did here, it drives stones into walls and windows at an angle and lifts shingles already loosened by impacts, so a roof can have both hail fractures and missing tabs. Fallen limbs add another layer of damage where trees overhang the roof.
How to check a roof for this storm
- Look for missing or lifted shingles first; wind damage leaks sooner than hail bruises.
- Check metal roofs, barns and outbuildings for dents.
- Inspect solar panels, skylights and windows on the side of the house that faced the storm.
- Book an inspection that documents hail and wind damage separately for each slope.
Claim timing for a Texas storm
Texas sets no single deadline to report roof damage; your policy does, and the Texas Department of Insurance says some policies allow one year unless you show good cause for a delay. Insurance Code chapter 542 sets the insurer's deadlines, section 542A.003 requires written notice 61 days before a lawsuit over hail or wind damage, and a policy cannot allow less than two years to sue (Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.070). See how long you have to file a roof claim in Texas.
This storm is now 2 years old, and hail marks weather. An inspection shows whether marks look fresh or aged, which an adjuster weighs when tying damage to a date. General information, not legal advice; the claim is always yours, and our part is the inspection, dated photos and written scope.
Austin, TX inspection and hail help
If you live in the Austin area, start with our Austin hail damage repair page, book a free Austin roof inspection, or read Austin roof insurance claim help. Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews, and we respond the same business day. Call (512) 610-5897.
Other recorded storms in the Austin area
- May 16, 2025 Hailstorm: hail to 3 in.
- September 24, 2023 Hailstorm: hail to 4 in.
- April 15, 2021 Hailstorm: hail to 2.5 in.
- June 9, 2019 Windstorm: hail to 2 in.
- Full storm archive: Colorado Springs, Denver and Austin
Sources: NOAA SPC storm reports, May 9, 2024; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 1181349 (south of Dripping Springs, 3.00 in.); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 1181379 (San Marcos, 61 kt measured gust and city costs); NWS hail size reference; Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide; Tex. Ins. Code 542A.003; Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 16.070.
