Texas, 1961

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 3, 1961

May 3, 1961 · 16 events in 10 counties and zones

10 hail, 4 tornado, 2 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
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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

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

Tornado, Dickens

When
May 3, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Dickens County
Rating
F1
Path length
38.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
33.780, -100.830

Hail, Motley

When
May 3, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Motley County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
34.000, -100.780

Hail, Motley

When
May 3, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Motley County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
34.000, -100.780

Tornado, Floyd

When
May 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Floyd County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
33.930, -101.070

Tornado, Floyd

When
May 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Floyd County
Rating
F2
Path length
2.7 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.950, -101.080

Hail, Armstrong

When
May 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Armstrong County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.880, -101.500

Hail, Carson

When
May 3, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Carson County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.280, -101.400

Tornado, Briscoe

When
May 3, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
34.650, -101.170

Hail, Briscoe

When
May 3, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
34.500, -101.280

Hail, Wilbarger

When
May 3, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Wilbarger County
Coordinates
34.200, -99.280

Hail, Knox

When
May 3, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
33.580, -99.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When
May 3, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Coordinates
33.580, -99.780

Hail, Haskell

When
May 3, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Haskell County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.380, -99.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Haskell

When
May 3, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Haskell County
Coordinates
33.380, -99.780

Hail, Dickens

When
May 3, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Dickens County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.580, -100.780

Hail, Hall

When
May 3, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
34.380, -100.900

What these are

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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: 10122526, 10122527, 10122528, 10122529, 10122530, 10122531, 10122532, 10122533, 10122534, 10122535, 10122536, 10122537, 10122538, 10122539, 10122540, 10122541.