Hayden on Harvest: South Texas hailstorm damages wheat fields during harvest season

A severe hailstorm and heavy rain caused significant crop damage for custom harvesting crews working wheat fields in South Texas during the 2026 harvest season.

Harvest crews suspended operations ahead of the storm after monitoring forecasts calling for widespread rain and possible severe weather. Operators spent part of the day servicing combines and preparing equipment before conditions deteriorated.

Rain began overnight before severe storms intensified during the early morning hours. Operators described heavy wind, hail and sideways rain as storms moved across the region.

Crews later inspected wheat fields and found extensive hail damage in multiple locations. One field belonging to another custom harvesting operation was described as a total loss after wheat heads were stripped from plants by hail.

A second field scheduled for harvest by the crew sustained similar damage.

“It just thrashed it,” the operator said while surveying the field.

Operators estimated some damaged acres would produce little to no harvestable grain following the storm.

The storm system delivered far more rainfall than originally forecast. Crews said early weather reports projected roughly a half-inch of rain, but totals eventually reached about 5.5 inches across parts of the area.

Wet conditions delayed harvest operations for several days while crews remained parked at camper sites waiting for fields to dry enough to resume cutting.

When harvest resumed, operators moved into additional wheat fields that showed mixed yield potential. One field averaged yields in the 20-bushel-per-acre range, while another nearby field previously harvested produced yields in the 40s, according to combine monitor readings.

Crews said irrigation practices and uneven rainfall may have contributed to yield differences between fields.

Despite the setbacks, harvesters continued working available acres while monitoring field conditions and equipment performance.