05.19.10 Hail Hits Oklahoma

Last week proved to be a crazy weather week in Oklahoma. The week
started Monday with a tornado outbreak across Oklahoma, and ended
Sunday with a hail storm affecting Central Oklahoma.


Hail up to the size of softballs was reported in Blaine and Oklahoma
Counties. Damage from the storm was widespread and costly. Its
been reported at least 45,000 acres across central and western
Oklahoma were completely destroyed.


Parts of Oklahoma have the highest frequency of large hail events
in the United States. In recent years, the annual loss from hail in
this country has been nearly $2 billion dollars. Oklahoma crop losses
due to hail damage average approximately $2.5 million per year alone,
not including property and casualty claims.


Prior to the Sunday storm, the wheat crop has been decent for Oklahoma
this spring. As of Sunday, the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported
54 percent of winter wheat crop in the state was in good condition,
13 percent was in excellent condition and only 7 percent was either in
poor or very poor condition.


To learn more about this hail event, as well as past hail events, check
out the Mesonet Ticker at ticker.mesonet.org

May 16th Hailstorm Track