Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 16, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 16, 1986
Start: 1986-05-16T15:47
End: 1986-05-16T23:50
Location: Texas

May 16, 1986 · 32 events in 16 counties and zones

15 tornado, 12 hail, 5 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: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 32

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

15 tornado, 12 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Val Verde

When: May 16, 3:47 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.680, -101.170

Hail, Wheeler

When: May 16, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Wheeler County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 35.450, -100.270

Tornado, Swisher

When: May 16, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Swisher County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 34.600, -101.830

Hail, Maverick

When: May 16, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Maverick County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.720, -100.480

Tornado, Briscoe

When: May 16, 5:04 PM CST
Where: Briscoe County
Rating: F0
Path length: 11 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 34.330, -101.470

Tornado, Swisher

When: May 16, 5:12 PM CST
Where: Swisher County
Rating: F0
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 34.550, -101.730

Tornado, Briscoe

When: May 16, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Briscoe County
Rating: F0
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 34.650, -101.450

Tornado, Hall

When: May 16, 5:33 PM CST
Where: Hall County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 34.700, -100.880

Tornado, Donley

When: May 16, 5:33 PM CST
Where: Donley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 34.780, -100.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Cottle

When: May 16, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Cottle County
Coordinates: 34.020, -100.400

Hail, Dimmit

When: May 16, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Dimmit County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.520, -99.850

Hail, Crosby

When: May 16, 6:25 PM CST
Where: Crosby County
Measured: 3.5 in hail
Coordinates: 33.670, -101.120

Tornado, Cottle

When: May 16, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Cottle County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 34.020, -100.170

Hail, Panola

When: May 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Panola County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.030, -94.370

Tornado, Foard

When: May 16, 6:48 PM CST
Where: Foard County
Rating: F0
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Coordinates: 33.980, -99.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Dimmit

When: May 16, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Dimmit County
Coordinates: 28.450, -99.750

Hail, Swisher

When: May 16, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Swisher County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.730, -101.850

Tornado, Foard

When: May 16, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Foard County
Rating: F0
Path length: 5 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Coordinates: 33.980, -99.920

Hail, Dickens

When: May 16, 7:38 PM CST
Where: Dickens County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.700, -100.930

Hail, Cottle

When: May 16, 7:49 PM CST
Where: Cottle County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.920, -100.100

Hail, Foard

When: May 16, 7:50 PM CST
Where: Foard County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.070, -99.720

Tornado, Hardeman

When: May 16, 8:13 PM CST
Where: Hardeman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.230, -99.730

Tornado, Wilbarger

When: May 16, 8:23 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.080, -99.370

Tornado, Hardeman

When: May 16, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Hardeman County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.250, -99.530

Tornado, Hardeman

When: May 16, 8:51 PM CST
Where: Hardeman County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.220, -99.500

Tornado, Wilbarger

When: May 16, 8:53 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.070, -99.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilbarger

When: May 16, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 34.170, -99.130

Tornado, Wilbarger

When: May 16, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Wilbarger County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.070, -99.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Wichita

When: May 16, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Wichita County
Coordinates: 34.030, -98.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardeman

When: May 16, 10:12 PM CST
Where: Hardeman County
Coordinates: 34.200, -99.520

Hail, Wichita

When: May 16, 11:25 PM CST
Where: Wichita County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.000, -98.920

Hail, Wichita

When: May 16, 11:50 PM CST
Where: Wichita County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.950, -98.670

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 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1986 Warnings in Texas, May 1986

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: 10144280, 10144281, 10144282, 10144283, 10145137, 10145138, 10145139, 10145140, 10145141, 10145142, 10145143, 10145144, 10145145, 10145359, 10145360, 10145361, 10145362, 10145363, 10145364, 10145365, 10145366, 10145367, 10145368, 10145369, 10145370, 10145371, 10145372, 10145373, 10145374, 10145375, 10145376, 10145377.