Straight line winds caused minor damage to about six houses in Panola County on Saturday, Dec. 9, in a late fall storm that threatened the area with tornado watches. The storm brought hail to the county, some large enough to damage siding, shingles, and some windshields.

“We started checking for damage the next day and could see where the storm came through,” said Daniel Cole, the county’s Emergency Operations director. “There were some forecasts that said severe weather, and possibly tornados, would be in our area but fortunately we only had a few houses with reported damage.”

Several of the affected residences were on Bethlehem and Butler Roads, but the cumulative damage wasn’t enough to request a disaster designation. One residence on Black Jack Rd. was also damaged, Cole said.

Hail moved through the county in two waves, about 3 p.m. and again at 4 p.m. Social media sites had postings of the hail pieces, but Cole said no major damage was reported to his office.