Texas, 1961

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 18, 1961

May 18, 1961 · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

4 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

4 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Reeves

When
May 18, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
31.000, -103.800

Hail, Scurry

When
May 18, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Scurry County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.880, -100.780

Tornado, Reeves

When
May 18, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
31.430, -103.700

Tornado, Reeves

When
May 18, 5:05 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
31.430, -103.700

Hail, Lubbock

When
May 18, 7:19 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.700, -101.780

Hail, Mitchell

When
May 18, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
32.380, -100.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Mitchell

When
May 18, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County
Measured
59 kt (68 mph)
Coordinates
32.380, -100.900

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1961Every state in 1961This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1961

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10122352, 10122353, 10122569, 10122570, 10122571, 10122572, 10122573.