Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 21, 1983

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 21, 1983
Start: 1983-05-21T01:40
End: 1983-05-21T16:30
Location: Texas

May 21, 1983 · 21 events in 11 counties and zones

11 tornado, 8 hail, 2 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: $250,000
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

11 tornado, 8 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Crockett

When: May 21, 1:40 AM CST
Where: Crockett County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.400, -101.530

Hail, Crockett

When: May 21, 1:40 AM CST
Where: Crockett County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.280, -101.200

Tornado, Jasper

When: May 21, 2:20 AM CST
Where: Jasper County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 30.650, -93.900

Hail, Kerr

When: May 21, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.030, -99.350

Hail, Kendall

When: May 21, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Kendall County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.780, -98.730

Tornado, Lee

When: May 21, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Lee County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 30.100, -96.970

Tornado, Waller

When: May 21, 8:25 AM CST
Where: Waller County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.820, -95.930

Hail, Harris

When: May 21, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 30.020, -95.080

Tornado, Harris

When: May 21, 9:15 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.430

Hail, Lavaca

When: May 21, 9:40 AM CST
Where: Lavaca County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.580, -97.150

Tornado, Austin

When: May 21, 11:10 AM CST
Where: Austin County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.780, -96.130

Tornado, Austin

When: May 21, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Austin County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.870, -96.180

Tornado, Austin

When: May 21, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Austin County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.870, -96.180

Tornado, Austin

When: May 21, 12:10 PM CST
Where: Austin County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.870, -96.180

Tornado, Harris

When: May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 30.000, -95.350

Tornado, Harris

When: May 21, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 30.000, -95.350

Tornado, Harris

When: May 21, 12:20 PM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $30
Coordinates: 29.730, -95.400

Hail, Harris

When: May 21, 1:22 PM CST
Where: Harris County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 29.800, -95.800

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 21, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.950, -94.020

Thunderstorm Wind, McLennan

When: May 21, 4:00 PM CST
Where: McLennan County
Coordinates: 31.380, -97.220

Thunderstorm Wind, McLennan

When: May 21, 4:30 PM CST
Where: McLennan County
Coordinates: 31.470, -97.120

What these are

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

Every storm in Texas in 1983 Every state in 1983 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1983

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: 10144661, 10144662, 10144663, 10144664, 10144665, 10144666, 10144667, 10144668, 10144669, 10144670, 10144671, 10144672, 10144673, 10144674, 10144675, 10144676, 10144677, 10144678, 10144679, 10144680, 10144681.