MARBLE FALLS, Texas -- KVUE's meteorologists were forecasting Tuesday that hail was possibly headed for the Hill Country, making workers at Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls a bit nervous.
Well, those workers can breathe a sigh of relief now that storms have rolled through. Sweet Berry Farm told KVUE they received one inch of rain and -- more importantly -- no hail. That means the next few days should be perfect for picking.
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So, why were they concerned?
Strawberry season is short. It started in mid-March and visitors can pick strawberries until the end of May.
PHOTOS: Strawberry crops in full swing at Marble Falls’ Sweet Berry Farm
PHOTOS: Strawberry crops in full swing at Marble Falls’ Sweet Berry Farm
"So, everybody's on pins and needles right now," Sweet Berry Farm owner, Dan Copeland told KVUE previously.
When KVUE's Jenni Lee visited with Copeland and his workers on Tuesday, they were anxiously waiting to see what the dark cloudy skies would bring.
"For any farmer, weather is the main issue," Copeland explained.
But it's not just any weather event that worries Copeland.
"Hailstones we cannot protect against, there's just no way. So that's the one disaster that can wipe us out in a hurry," said Copeland.
Copeland wouldn't give KVUE an exact dollar figure but said for each minute it hails, "we lose thousands of dollars a minute."
A single hail storm can wipe out his entire six acres of 86,000 strawberry plants, effectively ending his strawberry season. A hail storm did just that two years ago.
So, all Copeland can do is wait and hope. He may even go so far as relying on an old wives tale.
"I worked with an old lady once who said 'if you stand out on the porch and hit the hail stone in the air with an iron skillet, it'll stop.' So everybody get their skillets out," Copeland joked.
Meantime, others are enjoying the strawberry picking while they can.
"Just find the biggest ones and reddest ones. I love strawberries," said Katie Gonzalez.