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VIDEO ARCHIVE: Remembering the April 12, 2016 massive hailstorm

It’s been 7 years since baseball-sized hail tore through San Antonio

EDITORS NOTE: Check out Meteorologist Justin Horne’s 2016 report on the historic hailstorm in the video above.

It’s a day many of us remember: April 12, 2016.

Storms formed near Del Rio and moved west, arriving in San Antonio during the late evening hours.

The most powerful storm moved just north of downtown San Antonio, prompting numerous reports of 2 to 3 inches of hail. However, hail up to 4.5 inches came down in pockets around the city.

Rarely do storms produce large hail for this long over such a populated area.

April 12, 2016 Hail Swath (Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

The storm resulted in losses of $1.36 billion, making it the second-costliest hail storm in Texas history. To add insult to injury, San Antonio was hit by another storm with large hail just two weeks later.

Watch below — KSAT Explains: Why hail happens in San Antonio


About the Authors
Justin Horne headshot

Justin Horne is a meteorologist and reporter for KSAT 12 News. When severe weather rolls through, Justin will hop in the KSAT 12 Storm Chaser to safely bring you the latest weather conditions from across South Texas. On top of delivering an accurate forecast, Justin often reports on one of his favorite topics: Texas history.

Sarah Spivey headshot

Sarah Spivey is a San Antonio native who grew up watching KSAT. She has been a proud member of the KSAT Weather Authority Team since 2017. Sarah is a Clark High School and Texas A&M University graduate. She previously worked at KTEN News. When Sarah is not busy forecasting, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and cat, and playing music.

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