Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 23, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 23, 1981
Start: 1981-04-23T01:15
End: 1981-04-23T14:15
Location: Texas

April 23, 1981 · NWS ATA · 34 events in 18 counties and zones

21 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 2 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: 2
Property damage: $275,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 34

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

21 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 23, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.780, -101.200

Hail, Kinney

When: April 23, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Kinney County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.380, -100.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Kinney

When: April 23, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Kinney County
Coordinates: 29.380, -100.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: April 23, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Coordinates: 29.780, -101.200

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 23, 2:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.780, -101.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: April 23, 2:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Coordinates: 29.780, -101.250

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 23, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 29.370, -100.920

Hail, Val Verde

When: April 23, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.530, -101.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: April 23, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Coordinates: 29.370, -100.920

Hail, Bandera

When: April 23, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Bandera County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.720, -98.930

Hail, Kendall

When: April 23, 5:15 AM CST
Where: Kendall County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.830, -98.680

Hail, Bexar

When: April 23, 5:25 AM CST
Where: Bexar County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.500, -98.500

Hail, Fayette

When: April 23, 7:15 AM CST
Where: Fayette County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.600, -96.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When: April 23, 7:15 AM CST
Where: Fayette County
Coordinates: 29.600, -96.920

Hail, Lavaca

When: April 23, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Lavaca County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.900, -96.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Lavaca

When: April 23, 7:30 AM CST
Where: Lavaca County
Coordinates: 29.900, -96.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Colorado

When: April 23, 8:25 AM CST
Where: Colorado County
Coordinates: 29.720, -96.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Wharton

When: April 23, 8:30 AM CST
Where: Wharton County
Coordinates: 29.530, -96.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Fort Bend

When: April 23, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Fort Bend County
Coordinates: 29.680, -95.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Waller

When: April 23, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Waller County
Measured: 104 kt (120 mph)
Coordinates: 29.820, -95.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Austin

When: April 23, 8:58 AM CST
Where: Austin County
Coordinates: 29.780, -96.150

Hail, Harris

When: April 23, 9:05 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.820, -95.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: April 23, 9:43 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Coordinates: 29.750, -95.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: April 23, 10:06 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Coordinates: 29.650, -95.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Fort Bend

When: April 23, 10:07 AM CST
Where: Fort Bend County
Coordinates: 29.620, -95.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Waller

When: April 23, 10:10 AM CST
Where: Waller County
Coordinates: 29.820, -95.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Liberty

When: April 23, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Liberty County
Coordinates: 30.050, -94.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Chambers

When: April 23, 10:30 AM CST
Where: Chambers County
Coordinates: 29.850, -94.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Chambers

When: April 23, 10:45 AM CST
Where: Chambers County
Coordinates: 29.770, -94.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Chambers

When: April 23, 11:10 AM CST
Where: Chambers County
Coordinates: 29.880, -94.380

Tornado, Jefferson

When: April 23, 11:15 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 13.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.030, -94.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: April 23, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 30.720, -94.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: April 23, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Orange County
Coordinates: 30.080, -93.900

Tornado, Harris

When: April 23, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.780, -95.230

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 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1981

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: 10128057, 10128058, 10128059, 10128060, 10128061, 10128062, 10128063, 10128064, 10128065, 10128066, 10128067, 10128068, 10128069, 10128070, 10128071, 10128072, 10128073, 10128074, 10128075, 10128076, 10128077, 10128078, 10128079, 10128080, 10128081, 10128082, 10128083, 10128084, 10128085, 10128086, 10128087, 10128088, 10128089, 10128090.