Residents of a southwest Texas town experienced a sudden and significant drop in temperature on Wednesday. In addition to this, they also had to deal with hail that was so deep that snow plows had to be used to clear the streets. This extreme weather event occurred as severe weather continued to impact the Great Plains.
According to Brian Curran, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service Midland, Texas, the temperature in Marathon, Texas took a sharp drop on Wednesday afternoon. In just about an hour, the thermometers went from around 105 degrees to the mid-50s, marking a significant decrease of more than 50 degrees.
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According to Curran, the sharp drop in temperature was caused by the intense hail storm that struck Marathon.
According to Curran, the experience was akin to having an air conditioner.
According to Brad Wilson, the chief of the Marathon Fire Department, the transformation of conditions from summer to winter happened within just an hour.
Wilson remarked that the main street in the center of town was covered in approximately two feet of hail, resembling a snowfall. He mentioned that they even went out with a tape measure the previous night before the road crews arrived to clear the roads.
According to Wilson, the town experienced a rainfall of approximately 2 1/2 inches within a span of one hour on Thursday.
Hail usually occurs during the warm season when the heat builds up and gives rise to thunderstorms. Within these thunderstorms, the updraft pushes supercooled droplets to the upper part of the cloud, where it is extremely cold. The hail remains within the cloud, circulating until it becomes too heavy to defy gravity, causing it to fall to the ground.
According to Curran, temperature fluctuations like the one experienced in Marathon are quite normal in Texas and can sometimes be even more extreme.
In February 2022, Austin experienced a drastic change in temperature as it dropped from 88 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit within a span of 24 hours. This remarkable shift in temperature has been recorded as the largest swing ever recorded in the history of the Texas capital, as reported by the National Weather Service.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States witnessed the largest temperature swing on record in Loma, Montana on January 14-15. In just 24 hours, the temperature soared by an astonishing 103 degrees.
According to officials in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas, severe storms over the Memorial Day weekend resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 20 people.
According to officials, there were reports of at least 25 tornadoes across five states over the holiday weekend.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared disaster declarations for 106 counties after severe weather, including multiple tornadoes, tore through Valley View, Texas, resulting in seven fatalities and over 100 injuries. The devastating storm wreaked havoc on the area, located approximately 60 miles northwest of Dallas, on Saturday night.
According to Abbott, over 200 homes or structures were destroyed, while an additional 120 were damaged across the state.
The recent storms caused widespread power outages, affecting over 600,000 customers of Oncor, Texas’ primary electric provider. However, as of Thursday afternoon, Oncor reported that they have successfully restored power to over 480,000 customers.
Texas and southeast Colorado are expected to experience severe weather and heavy rain during Thursday afternoon.
Texas cities such as Lubbock, Abilene, and San Angelo face the greatest risk of experiencing severe weather conditions including large hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes on Thursday afternoon and evening.
Flash flood warnings were issued on Thursday in multiple locations, including north of Dallas and in New Orleans.
Friday will see a shift in the severe weather threat, moving slightly east towards central and southeastern Texas as well as the Lower Mississippi Valley.
