May 5, 1995: The day all hail broke loose in Fort Worth

Five-five-ninety-five. Those four numbers are remembered to this day — especially for the folks around that fateful afternoon.

It was a Friday, after all, and people were starting their weekend. It was also springtime in North Texas — a season that can go sideways super fast.

More than 10,000 people were gathered at Mayfest in Trinity Park, the annual four-day festival that draws crowds to its riverfront setting. Meanwhile, a cluster of thunderstorms was brewing — think huge hail, heavy wind and torrential rainfall barreling toward the area.

As was typical of the outdoor event, festival-goers included numerous families with children. The party was just getting started — but Mother Nature had other plans. Unbeknownst to the Mayfest guests and residents of nearby neighborhoods, one of the costliest and most devastating hailstorms in U.S. history was soon to hit.

At approximately 7:10 p.m., the storms slammed Mayfest, catching thousands in the open air unaware and with few options for shelter. Panic quickly spread. Softball-sized hailstones pelted people as they furiously sprinted to find a way to shield themselves and their children. Some dove under picnic tables and jumped en masse into nearby vehicles.

Over 400 people were injured, some seriously — blood streaming from gashes on their bodies. Windows smashed, towering trees uprooted, tents ripped violently into pieces. Cars resembled golf balls — every square inch sporting a significant dent.

It looked like a scene from a disaster movie — except these weren’t actors.

And then the storms tracked eastward across the Metroplex, continuing their path of destruction, which also included wind damage and flash floods.

All told, the storms caused an estimated $2 billion in damages across Tarrant and Dallas counties … and left an indelible mark on the region and a reminder of just how unpredictable and volatile our weather can be.

View photos from that day in this May 2023 Fort Worth Star-Telegram story.

View a video from that day in this NBC-5 news clip, courtesy of UNT Digital Library.

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