Powerful Thunderstorms Produce Hail in Texas Valley

NBC Meteorologist explains the science behind the weekend's damaging hailstorm

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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A severe thunderstorm over the weekend in the Texas Rio Grande Valley produced hailstones nearly 3 inches in diameter, causing significant damage to cars, roofs, and other property. NBC Meteorologist Marcelo Rivera Gonzalez explains the key ingredients needed for hail formation, including powerful updrafts and downdrafts within the thunderstorm, as well as the continuous lifting and dropping of the hailstones that allows them to grow in size.

Why it matters

Hail of this magnitude demonstrates the immense power of severe thunderstorms and the potential for widespread property damage. Understanding the science behind hail formation can help residents in hail-prone areas like the Texas Valley better prepare for and respond to these types of extreme weather events.

The details

According to Gonzalez, four key elements are required for hail to form: a thunderstorm with strong updrafts and downdrafts, the presence of raindrops, cold temperatures in the upper atmosphere, and the continuous lifting and dropping of the hailstones within the storm. This process allows the hailstones to continuously grow larger, until they become too heavy for the storm to support, at which point they rapidly fall to the ground.

  • The severe thunderstorm occurred over the weekend in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

The players

Marcelo Rivera Gonzalez

An NBC meteorologist who explained the science behind the hail formation during the weekend storm.

Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM)

The state agency that opened the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) for residents in Rio Grande Valley counties affected by the severe storms.

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What they’re saying

“We're going to need the raindrops. The raindrops carry into the cold parts of the thunderstorm or the colder parts of the atmosphere to form into those ice stones. Once we have this in place, we're going to have those hailstones continuously grow because the winds are basically going to keep lifting them up and down constantly, and once this happens, they are going to continue to grow into those bigger-sized ice stones we saw on Saturday.”

— Marcelo Rivera Gonzalez, NBC Meteorologist (ValleyCentral.com)

What’s next

The Texas Division of Emergency Management has opened the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) for residents in Rio Grande Valley counties affected by the severe storms and hail, to help assess the damage and provide assistance.

The takeaway

This hailstorm serves as a powerful reminder of the destructive potential of severe thunderstorms, and highlights the importance of understanding the science behind hail formation to better prepare communities in hail-prone areas like the Texas Valley.