The June 9, 2019 Austin windstorm was a fast squall line, not a hailstorm. Between about 6:50 and 7:55 p.m. on a Sunday, NOAA logged 16 damaging wind reports across Travis, Williamson and Hays counties, with gusts measured at 70 mph at Mansfield Dam and estimated near 80 mph in Manor and Niederwald. Roofs were torn off or peeled back in Manor, Niederwald, San Marcos and Jonestown, a mobile home near Creedmoor was pushed off its foundation, and trees fell across roads in downtown and north Austin.
What happened on June 9, 2019
The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels describes thunderstorms that developed along a cold front in very unstable air, with steep lapse rates aloft, producing large hail and widespread damaging gusts, “many of which were estimated to be over 70 mph.” The storms first dropped golf ball and 2-inch hail near Granger and Jarrell at about 6:15 p.m., then the damaging wind moved south.
The wind reports run north to south in about an hour. At 7:10 p.m., gusts estimated at 81 mph hit Manor, where Travis County Emergency Management reported a roof blown off a house. Over the next 20 minutes, gusts snapped large limbs in Jollyville and Leander, Mansfield Dam measured 70 mph, and a mobile home was pushed off its foundation near Creedmoor. By 7:37 p.m. a large tree blocked Ohlen Road in north Austin and the airport measured 60 mph, and at 7:42 p.m. a tree fell across two lanes of 15th Street near Red River Street downtown. At about 7:50 p.m., gusts estimated at 75 to 80 mph peeled part of a metal roof off a house north of San Marcos and blew a large section of roof off a house in Niederwald, and roof damage was reported in Jonestown at 7:53 p.m.
Where the wind did damage
| Area | Strongest gust on record | Reported damage |
|---|---|---|
| Manor | 81 mph (estimated) | Roof blown off a house |
| Niederwald | 80 mph (estimated) | Large section of a roof blown off |
| North of San Marcos | 75 mph (estimated) | Metal roof partly peeled off |
| Mansfield Dam | 70 mph (measured) | Gust only |
| North Austin (Ohlen Road) and downtown (15th and Red River) | 70 mph (estimated) | Large trees down across roads |
| San Leanna | 70 mph (estimated) | Gust only |
| Jonestown | 65 mph (estimated) | Roof damage, limbs down |
| Near Creedmoor | 60 mph (estimated) | Mobile home pushed off its foundation |
| Austin-Bergstrom airport | 60 mph (measured) | Gust only |
NOAA records thunderstorm wind in knots; the speeds above are converted to miles per hour and rounded.
What 70 to 80 mph wind does to a roof
In the Austin area, the weak points are the edges. Wind lifts shingles at the eaves and rakes, breaks the seal strips and peels tabs back; once a few tabs go, the next row is exposed and the damage spreads. Metal roofs fail where fasteners have loosened or panel edges are not secured, which is what the San Marcos report describes. Roofs with loose decking, older nails or missing starter strips are the ones that lose whole sections, as in Manor and Niederwald. Falling limbs from large shade trees add punctures and broken rafters.
Most shingles carry a wind rating; a Class F rating under ASTM D3161 means the shingle was tested at 110 mph, but only a correct nailing pattern gets that performance on a real roof.
How to check a roof after a windstorm like this
- Walk the yard for shingle tabs, ridge caps and pieces of flashing, and note which side they came from.
- With binoculars, check the eaves, rakes and ridge for lifted, creased or missing shingles.
- Look at the ceiling near exterior walls for new stains, since wind-driven rain gets in at lifted edges.
- Book an inspection that tests the seal strips by hand; loose shingles can look fine from the ground.
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 7 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 wind help
If you live in the Austin area, start with our Austin storm 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.
- May 9, 2024 Hailstorm: hail to 3 in.
- September 24, 2023 Hailstorm: hail to 4 in.
- April 15, 2021 Hailstorm: hail to 2.5 in.
- Full storm archive: Colorado Springs, Denver and Austin
Sources: NOAA SPC storm reports, June 9, 2019; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 835446 (Manor, 70 kt estimated); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 823718 (Manor, roof blown off); Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide; Tex. Ins. Code 542A.003; Tex. Civ. Prac. and Rem. Code 16.070.
