Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 23, 1973

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 23, 1973
Start: 1973-03-23T13:30
End: 1973-03-23T23:25
Location: Texas

March 23, 1973 · 22 events in 19 counties and zones

10 tornado, 9 hail, 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $333,000
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

10 tornado, 9 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Brazoria

When: March 23, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.180, -95.430

Hail, Lubbock

When: March 23, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 33.530, -101.670

Tornado, Motley

When: March 23, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Motley County
Rating: F2
Path length: 24.7 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 33.870, -100.370

Hail, Motley

When: March 23, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Motley County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 33.930, -100.830

Hail,

When: March 23, 3:00 PM CST
Where: County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.300, -94.800

Tornado, Kent

When: March 23, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Kent County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9.1 mi
Path width: 77 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 33.330, -100.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Childress

When: March 23, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Childress County
Coordinates: 34.420, -100.250

Tornado, Fisher

When: March 23, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Fisher County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.720, -100.250

Tornado, Potter

When: March 23, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Potter County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 35.220, -101.880

Tornado, Nolan

When: March 23, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Nolan County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.3 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.470, -100.400

Hail, Knox

When: March 23, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Knox County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.600, -99.900

Tornado, Callahan

When: March 23, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Callahan County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 32.350, -99.500

Thunderstorm Wind,

When: March 23, 5:58 PM CST
Where: County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 29.300, -94.800

Tornado, Childress

When: March 23, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Childress County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 70 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 34.480, -100.330

Hail, Irion

When: March 23, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Irion County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.180, -100.720

Hail, Van Zandt

When: March 23, 6:36 PM CST
Where: Van Zandt County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.430, -95.850

Hail, Taylor

When: March 23, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Taylor County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 32.430, -99.680

Tornado, Orange

When: March 23, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 30.130, -94.030

Tornado, Chambers

When: March 23, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Chambers County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 29.750, -95.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: March 23, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 30.080, -94.100

Hail, Val Verde

When: March 23, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.680, -101.100

Tornado, Kinney

When: March 23, 11:25 PM CST
Where: Kinney County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 29.300, -100.300

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

Hail in New Mexico, March 23, 19731.5 in hail · 1 event

Every storm in Texas in 1973 Every state in 1973 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1973

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: 10132760, 10132761, 10132762, 10132763, 10132764, 10132765, 10132766, 10132767, 10132768, 10132769, 10132770, 10132771, 10132772, 10132773, 10132989, 10132990, 10132991, 10132992, 10132993, 10132994, 10132995, 10132996.