DALLAS — Twenty-eight years ago Friday, on May 5, 1995, a hailstorm hit North Texas.
This wasn't just any hailstorm.
A cluster of severe storms produced extremely large hail, up to the size of softballs, as they passed through Tarrant County, slamming the annual outdoor Mayfest event in Fort Worth, where 10,000 people were attending.
The storms also dumped heavy rainfall across the Metroplex, causing deadly flooding conditions.
The end result was 16 deaths, more than 400 injuries and $2 billion in damage, which would be around $3.3 billion today.
"We were lucky nobody was hurt worse than they were," Jeff Hicks, who was working as an electrician at the festival, told WFAA in 2015. "I was on the south end of the park. We heard this noise, and it sounded like a tornado coming."
The supercell storm didn't produce a tornado. But it did pack the large hail, 70 mph wind gusts and rainfall rates up to 2.25 inches in 15 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm is looked back on as the "Mayfest" storm because of the vast damage and injuries it caused at the festival, which is held annually at Trinity Park in Fort Worth.
No one at the festival died as a result of the storm, but more than 400 people were injured, including 60 who had to be hospitalized. And as WFAA's archive video shows, more than 350 cars were damaged by the storm, with windows smashed out and hoods battered by the hail.
Most of the fatalities in the storm happened because of the flooding, as the storm moved through North Texas.
Fifteen people died in Dallas County floodwaters, including several who drove into high water and were swept away, according to the Weather Service. Two people fell into high water and drowned, two people were struck by lightning, and two others were killed when a heavy rain caused a roof to collapse.
One person died in Tarrant County after driving into a flooded creek.
The benefit of the storm came in the aftermath, as the National Weather Service and local emergency management agencies worked together to prevent dangers at outdoor events, like Mayfest.
The Mayfest storm prompted the Tarrant County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (R.A.C.E.S) to be located at outdoor events in the area to help with weather information and support, according to the Weather Service.
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