Texas, 1972

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 20, 1972

May 20, 1972 · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

2 hail, 2 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
1
Property damage
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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

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

Hail, Loving

When
May 20, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Loving County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.700, -103.580

Tornado, Reeves

When
May 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
31.420, -103.500

Tornado, Reeves

When
May 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
31.420, -103.500

Hail, Reeves

When
May 20, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Measured
3 in hail
Coordinates
31.400, -103.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Reeves

When
May 20, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Reeves County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
31.400, -103.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When
May 20, 7:20 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
33.580, -102.000

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 1972Every state in 1972This day in weather historyThe 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: 10132947, 10132948, 10132949, 10132950, 10132951, 10132952.