Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 20, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 20, 1979
Start: 1979-05-20T12:25
End: 1979-05-20T20:22
Location: Texas

May 20, 1979 · NWS MT · 11 events in 8 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 2 hail, 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: $30
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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

5 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Reeves

When: May 20, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Reeves County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.420, -103.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Reeves

When: May 20, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Reeves County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 31.420, -103.480

Tornado, Hardeman

When: May 20, 1:33 PM CST
Where: Hardeman County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 34.150, -99.720

Tornado, Foard

When: May 20, 1:36 PM CST
Where: Foard County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 34.030, -99.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Foard

When: May 20, 1:48 PM CST
Where: Foard County
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph)
Coordinates: 33.980, -99.720

Hail, Childress

When: May 20, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Childress County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.520, -100.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Midland

When: May 20, 4:52 PM CST
Where: Midland County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 31.930, -102.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: May 20, 5:33 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Coordinates: 32.130, -101.800

Tornado, Martin

When: May 20, 5:46 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 32.520, -101.730

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: May 20, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Coordinates: 29.680, -101.170

Tornado, Baylor

When: May 20, 8:22 PM CST
Where: Baylor County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 33.530, -99.470

What these are

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1979

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: 10129682, 10129683, 10129684, 10129685, 10129686, 10129687, 10129688, 10129689, 10129690, 10129691, 10129692.