Texas, 1968

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 31, 1968

May 31, 1968 · 20 events in 12 counties and zones

9 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$2.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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

9 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Palo Pinto

When
May 31, 6:33 AM CST
Where
Palo Pinto County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
32.780, -98.080

Hail, Parmer

When
May 31, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Parmer County
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
34.700, -102.580

Hail, Deaf Smith

When
May 31, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Deaf Smith County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.780, -102.500

Tornado, Deaf Smith

When
May 31, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Deaf Smith County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
17 yd
Coordinates
34.770, -102.380

Tornado, Crosby

When
May 31, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Crosby County
Rating
F0
Path width
23 yd
Coordinates
33.670, -101.380

Tornado, Hale

When
May 31, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Hale County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
17 yd
Coordinates
34.300, -101.920

Tornado, Hale

When
May 31, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Hale County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
17 yd
Coordinates
34.300, -101.920

Tornado, Hale

When
May 31, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Hale County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
17 yd
Coordinates
34.300, -101.920

Tornado, Hale

When
May 31, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Hale County
Rating
F2
Path length
3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
34.300, -101.920

Tornado, Swisher

When
May 31, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Swisher County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
34.520, -101.780

Hail, Floyd

When
May 31, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Floyd County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.280, -101.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When
May 31, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Hale County
Coordinates
34.280, -101.580

Tornado, Hockley

When
May 31, 7:16 PM CST
Where
Hockley County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
17 yd
Coordinates
33.680, -102.170

Hail, Briscoe

When
May 31, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
34.380, -101.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When
May 31, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
33.580, -102.000

Hail, Lubbock

When
May 31, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.700, -101.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When
May 31, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
73 kt (84 mph)
Coordinates
33.700, -101.780

Tornado, Garza

When
May 31, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Garza County
Rating
F1
Path length
4.7 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
33.170, -101.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Garza

When
May 31, 9:45 PM CST
Where
Garza County
Coordinates
33.200, -101.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When
May 31, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Knox County
Coordinates
33.500, -99.580

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1968Every state in 1968This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1968

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: 10134790, 10134791, 10134792, 10134793, 10134794, 10134795, 10134796, 10134797, 10134798, 10134799, 10134800, 10134801, 10134802, 10134803, 10134804, 10134805, 10134806, 10134807, 10134808, 10134809.