Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 15, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 15, 1981
Start: 1981-05-15T18:25
End: 1981-05-15T23:50
Location: Texas

May 15, 1981 · NWS ATA · 21 events in 13 counties and zones

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 6 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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

8 hail, 7 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Irion

When: May 15, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Irion County
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates: 31.270, -100.820

Tornado, Irion

When: May 15, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Irion County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Coordinates: 31.300, -101.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Tyler

When: May 15, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Tyler County
Coordinates: 30.770, -94.350

Hail, Tom Green

When: May 15, 6:46 PM CST
Where: Tom Green County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.470, -100.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: May 15, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 30.720, -94.000

Hail, Tom Green

When: May 15, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Tom Green County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.330, -100.270

Tornado, Tom Green

When: May 15, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Tom Green County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 31.220, -100.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When: May 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Newton County
Coordinates: 30.820, -93.750

Hail, Concho

When: May 15, 8:22 PM CST
Where: Concho County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 31.220, -99.850

Hail, Concho

When: May 15, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Concho County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.220, -99.900

Hail, Concho

When: May 15, 9:05 PM CST
Where: Concho County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 31.220, -99.980

Tornado, McCulloch

When: May 15, 9:15 PM CST
Where: McCulloch County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 31.230, -99.180

Hail, McCulloch

When: May 15, 9:30 PM CST
Where: McCulloch County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.320, -99.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Val Verde

When: May 15, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Coordinates: 29.920, -101.200

Tornado, San Saba

When: May 15, 9:50 PM CST
Where: San Saba County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Coordinates: 31.180, -98.950

Tornado, Lampasas

When: May 15, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Lampasas County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 31.130, -98.180

Hail, Mason

When: May 15, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Mason County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.930, -99.120

Hail, Llano

When: May 15, 11:05 PM CST
Where: Llano County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 30.700, -98.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Llano

When: May 15, 11:05 PM CST
Where: Llano County
Coordinates: 30.700, -98.670

Tornado, Llano

When: May 15, 11:25 PM CST
Where: Llano County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 30.780, -98.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Burnet

When: May 15, 11:50 PM CST
Where: Burnet County
Coordinates: 30.780, -98.170

What these are

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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: 10131464, 10131465, 10131466, 10131467, 10131468, 10131469, 10131470, 10131471, 10131472, 10131473, 10131474, 10131475, 10131476, 10131477, 10131478, 10131479, 10131480, 10131481, 10131482, 10131483, 10131272.