Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 12, 1971

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 12, 1971
Start: 1971-03-12T02:45
End: 1971-03-12T20:00
Location: Texas

March 12, 1971 · 22 events in 12 counties and zones

12 hail, 7 tornado, 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 5
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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

12 hail, 7 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Harrison

When: March 12, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Harrison County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.500, -94.280

Hail, Lampasas

When: March 12, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Lampasas County
Measured: 2.25 in hail
Coordinates: 31.100, -98.180

Hail, McLennan

When: March 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: McLennan County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 31.500, -97.500

Hail, Bell

When: March 12, 3:38 PM CST
Where: Bell County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.100, -97.680

Hail, McLennan

When: March 12, 4:30 PM CST
Where: McLennan County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.600, -97.180

Tornado, Grayson

When: March 12, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Grayson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.2 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Coordinates: 33.380, -96.830

Hail, Collin

When: March 12, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Collin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.380, -96.780

Tornado, Grayson

When: March 12, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Grayson County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 33.500, -96.600

Tornado, Grayson

When: March 12, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Grayson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Coordinates: 33.500, -96.600

Tornado, Grayson

When: March 12, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Grayson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Coordinates: 33.500, -96.600

Hail, Burnet

When: March 12, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Burnet County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.500, -97.900

Hail, Williamson

When: March 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Williamson County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 30.580, -97.680

Hail, Travis

When: March 12, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Travis County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 30.280, -97.680

Hail, Hays

When: March 12, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Hays County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 29.980, -97.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Travis

When: March 12, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Travis County
Measured: 71 kt (82 mph)
Coordinates: 30.500, -97.500

Tornado, Bowie

When: March 12, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Bowie County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 33.480, -94.480

Hail, Caldwell

When: March 12, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Caldwell County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 29.780, -97.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Travis

When: March 12, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Travis County
Coordinates: 30.280, -97.500

Tornado, Bowie

When: March 12, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Bowie County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.520, -94.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Bowie

When: March 12, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Bowie County
Coordinates: 33.380, -94.180

Tornado, Grayson

When: March 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Grayson County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 33.420, -96.670

Hail, Bowie

When: March 12, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Bowie County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.380, -94.500

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Bowie	1971-03-12				Direct

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

Every storm in Texas in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1971

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: 10135000, 10135001, 10135002, 10135003, 10135004, 10135005, 10135006, 10135007, 10135008, 10135009, 10135010, 10135011, 10135012, 10135013, 10135014, 10135015, 10135016, 10135017, 10135018, 10135019, 10135020, 10135021.