Hailstones as big as fists were reported during storms Wednesday night and Thursday morning that pelted a swath from South Texas to Oklahoma, incurring damage costs estimated to be as much as $1 billion. The Austin area endured a fitful night of lightning, thunder and waves of rain, but it did not see the worst of the hail damage. But the city and its environs did get a welcome dose of precipitation as drought conditions in Texas persist. Data this week from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a consortium of academic and government researchers, showed that about 87% of Texas was experiencing some degree of drought. At this time last year, that number was only about 29%.