Texas, 1974

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 4, 1974

May 4, 1974 · 17 events in 12 counties and zones

11 hail, 3 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
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$30
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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

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

Tornado, Bailey

When
May 4, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Bailey County
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
33.970, -103.050

Hail, Jasper

When
May 4, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Jasper County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
30.920, -94.000

Hail, Martin

When
May 4, 5:25 PM CST
Where
Martin County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.170, -102.130

Hail, Midland

When
May 4, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Midland County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.700, -101.920

Hail, Potter

When
May 4, 5:50 PM CST
Where
Potter County
Measured
4.5 in hail
Coordinates
35.570, -101.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Bowie

When
May 4, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Bowie County
Coordinates
33.450, -94.420

Hail, Ector

When
May 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Ector County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.030, -102.420

Hail, Potter

When
May 4, 7:02 PM CST
Where
Potter County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
35.220, -101.720

Tornado, Martin

When
May 4, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Martin County
Rating
F1
Path length
3.8 mi
Path width
30 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
32.300, -101.970

Hail, Martin

When
May 4, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Martin County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.300, -101.970

Hail, Cass

When
May 4, 7:51 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.120, -94.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When
May 4, 7:51 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Coordinates
33.120, -94.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Tom Green

When
May 4, 8:10 PM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Measured
81 kt (93 mph)
Coordinates
31.370, -100.500

Hail, Shelby

When
May 4, 8:40 PM CST
Where
Shelby County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
31.900, -94.030

Hail, Marion

When
May 4, 9:05 PM CST
Where
Marion County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.750, -94.250

Tornado, Tom Green

When
May 4, 9:20 PM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
31.600, -100.730

Hail, Harrison

When
May 4, 9:30 PM CST
Where
Harrison County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.530, -94.370

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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: 10133635, 10133636, 10133637, 10133638, 10133639, 10133640, 10133641, 10133642, 10133643, 10133644, 10133645, 10133646, 10133647, 10133648, 10133649, 10133650, 10133651.