Dublin and the surrounding area sought cover Saturday, March 29 as a hail storm rolled in around 9 p.m., causing damage and cutting power to hundreds of residents and businesses.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth received several hail reports including 1.25 inch hail 2 miles East of Stephenville, a 2 inch hail report 7 miles south of Dublin in Comanche County and 1.75 inch hail 2 miles south of Mingus.
Groups such as Dublin TX Chatter and the Dublin Citizen Facebook page were filled with local residents holding hailstones, ranging all the way from pea to baseball size, with most of the larger stones in the southern part of Dublin towards Comanche County.
Drivers between Dublin and Proctor were able to see significant damage on Hwy 377 the next day as a metal building was destroyed and strewn into the road, field and into a nearby tree. Trees were shredded and even uprooted in the area and some dairies were seen replacing damaged coverings the next day.
Property owners in that area also reported livestock killed in the storm with one farmer reporting more than a dozen sheep dead and more severely injured.
Oncor trucks were also at work replacing five downed utility poles on U.S. 67 as a result of the storm.
According to Pat Wilson of Oncor, a total of 771 customers lost power around 9:30 p.m.
Wilson said crews were able to start sectionalizing to get some customers back online sooner and by 12:41 a.m., all but 22 had power restored. Crews continued working until those 22 had power restored at 2:30 p.m. on March 30.
The reported hail also resulted in a large number of roofers coming into town, offering to check for damage. In a Facebook post, The Dublin Police Department reminded residents that any door-todoor solicitor- including roofing companies— must obtain a solicitor’s permit from City Hall before conducting any business within the city. This regulation helps ensure that all solicitors are properly vetted and licensed to operate in our community.
According to NWSFort Worth, chances of rain and severe weather exist throughout the week including a 30% chance on Thursday, an 80% chance of morning and afternoon thunderstorms on Friday and a 60% chance of morning rain on Saturday.