Texas, 1978

Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 2, 1978

May 2, 1978 · NWS ATA · 35 events in 22 counties and zones

17 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
35

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

17 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Tarrant

When
May 2, 1:05 AM CST
Where
Tarrant County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
32.820, -97.150

Hail, Lubbock

When
May 2, 1:25 AM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.430, -101.650

Hail, Gaines

When
May 2, 5:20 AM CST
Where
Gaines County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
32.720, -102.650

Tornado, Lubbock

When
May 2, 6:42 AM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Rating
F0
Path length
3.3 mi
Path width
60 yd
Coordinates
33.600, -101.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When
May 2, 6:55 AM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
33.600, -101.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Tom Green

When
May 2, 7:07 AM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
31.370, -100.500

Hail,

When
May 2, 7:25 AM CST
Where
County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.430, -101.650

Hail, Runnels

When
May 2, 8:05 AM CST
Where
Runnels County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
31.750, -99.950

Tornado, Crane

When
May 2, 8:35 AM CST
Where
Crane County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
31.400, -102.350

Hail, Coleman

When
May 2, 9:42 AM CST
Where
Coleman County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.830, -99.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Coleman

When
May 2, 9:42 AM CST
Where
Coleman County
Coordinates
31.830, -99.430

Hail, Sterling

When
May 2, 10:15 AM CST
Where
Sterling County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.830, -101.000

Hail, Tom Green

When
May 2, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.650, -100.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Kinney

When
May 2, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Kinney County
Coordinates
29.330, -100.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When
May 2, 3:05 PM CST
Where
Val Verde County
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates
29.370, -100.920

Hail, Uvalde

When
May 2, 5:10 PM CST
Where
Uvalde County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
29.520, -99.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Medina

When
May 2, 6:03 PM CST
Where
Medina County
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
29.370, -99.180

Hail, Medina

When
May 2, 6:05 PM CST
Where
Medina County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
29.130, -99.150

Tornado, Medina

When
May 2, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Medina County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
13 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
29.370, -98.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
May 2, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Bexar County
Coordinates
29.450, -98.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When
May 2, 6:55 PM CST
Where
Lubbock County
Coordinates
33.600, -101.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Travis

When
May 2, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Travis County
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Coordinates
30.200, -97.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
May 2, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Bexar County
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
29.420, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Tom Green

When
May 2, 7:08 PM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
31.670, -100.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Bexar

When
May 2, 7:17 PM CST
Where
Bexar County
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates
29.530, -98.300

Hail, Travis

When
May 2, 7:45 PM CST
Where
Travis County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
30.120, -97.670

Hail, Tom Green

When
May 2, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Tom Green County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
31.570, -100.420

Hail, Atascosa

When
May 2, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Atascosa County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
28.950, -98.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Denton

When
May 2, 9:33 PM CST
Where
Denton County
Coordinates
33.220, -97.150

Tornado, Reagan

When
May 2, 9:35 PM CST
Where
Reagan County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
31.200, -101.470

Hail, Sterling

When
May 2, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Sterling County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
31.830, -101.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Collin

When
May 2, 10:15 PM CST
Where
Collin County
Coordinates
33.200, -96.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When
May 2, 10:45 PM CST
Where
Harris County
Coordinates
29.800, -95.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Brazoria

When
May 2, 10:45 PM CST
Where
Brazoria County
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
29.570, -95.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When
May 2, 11:50 PM CST
Where
Galveston County
Coordinates
29.300, -94.820

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 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1978

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: 10127552, 10127553, 10127554, 10127555, 10127556, 10127557, 10127558, 10127559, 10127560, 10127561, 10127562, 10127563, 10127564, 10127565, 10127566, 10127567, 10127568, 10127569, 10127570, 10127571, 10127572, 10127573, 10127574, 10127575, 10127576, 10127577, 10127578, 10127579, 10127580, 10127581, 10127582, 10127583, 10127584, 10127585, 10127586.