Texas, 1974

Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 17, 1974

May 17, 1974 · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 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
0
Property damage
$30
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Ward

When
May 17, 3:34 PM CST
Where
Ward County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.480, -103.450

Tornado, Ward

When
May 17, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Ward County
Rating
F1
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
31.480, -103.230

Hail, Ward

When
May 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Ward County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.450, -103.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Potter

When
May 17, 8:07 PM CST
Where
Potter County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
35.200, -101.820

Hail, Hutchinson

When
May 17, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Hutchinson County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.630, -101.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Bailey

When
May 17, 9:10 PM CST
Where
Bailey County
Coordinates
34.130, -102.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Parmer

When
May 17, 9:20 PM CST
Where
Parmer County
Coordinates
34.420, -102.730

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 1974Every state in 1974This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1974

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: 10133679, 10133680, 10133681, 10133682, 10133683, 10133684, 10133685.