An occurrence of a tornado will also classify a thunderstorm as severe. More information about tornadoes is given in the next section. While nationwide, severe thunderstorms are most common in the spring and summer, they can occur just about any time of year in southeast Texas. Downbursts A downburst is a small area of rapidly descending air beneath a thunderstorm. The damage is often similar to damage from a weak tornado.
Downburst damage is far more common in southeast Texas than tornado damage.
The ice particles travel upward and downward through the storm several times, growing in size. Once they become too heavy to be supported by the storm's updraft, they fall to the ground as hail. Hail sizes are usually given as references to everyday objects to make it easier to estimate hail size. Due to our proximity to the Gulf coast, hail greater than baseball size is rare in southeast Texas. Hail can damage crops, and also cause damage to automobiles and rooftops.