Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 12, 1972

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 12, 1972
Start: 1972-05-12T04:43
End: 1972-05-12T19:30
Location: Texas

May 12, 1972 · 15 events in 9 counties and zones

8 tornado, 5 hail, 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: 19
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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

8 tornado, 5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Fort Bend

When: May 12, 4:43 AM CST
Where: Fort Bend County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.500, -95.430

Tornado, Brazoria

When: May 12, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.550, -95.300

Tornado, Harris

When: May 12, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.620, -95.180

Tornado, Galveston

When: May 12, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Galveston County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.500, -95.230

Tornado, Brazoria

When: May 12, 4:46 AM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.520, -95.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: May 12, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Coordinates: 29.580, -95.180

Tornado, Harris

When: May 12, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 12, 6:55 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 29.980, -94.000

Tornado, Jefferson

When: May 12, 7:23 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 19.9 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.920, -94.250

Tornado, Brazoria

When: May 12, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 29.400, -95.230

Hail, Bexar

When: May 12, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.280, -98.400

Hail, Bexar

When: May 12, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Bexar County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 29.200, -98.400

Hail, Concho

When: May 12, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Concho County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 31.500, -99.900

Hail,

When: May 12, 6:55 PM CST
Where: County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 26.100, -98.500

Hail, McCulloch

When: May 12, 7:30 PM CST
Where: McCulloch County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.100, -99.280

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Louisiana, May 12, 1972$275,000 · F2 · 5 events

Every storm in Texas in 1972 Every state in 1972 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1972

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: 10132695, 10132696, 10132697, 10132698, 10132699, 10132700, 10132701, 10132702, 10132917, 10132918, 10132919, 10132920, 10132921, 10132922, 10132923.