Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, November 16, 1987

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, November 16, 1987
Start: 1987-11-16T02:05
End: 1987-11-16T09:50
Location: Texas

November 16, 1987 · NWS SAT · 31 events in 20 counties and zones

28 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 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: 1
Injuries: 17
Property damage: $5.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 31

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

28 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kerr

When: November 16, 2:05 AM CST
Where: Kerr County
Coordinates: 30.080, -99.230

Hail, Frio

When: November 16, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Frio County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.880, -99.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Panola

When: November 16, 5:20 AM CST
Where: Panola County
Coordinates: 32.300, -94.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Live Oak

When: November 16, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Live Oak County
Coordinates: 28.230, -98.220

Thunderstorm Wind, San Patricio

When: November 16, 6:05 AM CST
Where: San Patricio County
Coordinates: 28.030, -97.530

Thunderstorm Wind, San Patricio

When: November 16, 6:05 AM CST
Where: San Patricio County
Coordinates: 28.100, -97.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Brazoria

When: November 16, 6:15 AM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Coordinates: 29.380, -95.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Bee

When: November 16, 6:25 AM CST
Where: Bee County
Coordinates: 28.400, -97.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Victoria

When: November 16, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Victoria County
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates: 28.800, -96.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Nueces

When: November 16, 6:40 AM CST
Where: Nueces County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 27.780, -97.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Victoria

When: November 16, 6:58 AM CST
Where: Victoria County
Coordinates: 28.800, -96.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Walker

When: November 16, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Walker County
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 30.720, -95.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: November 16, 7:22 AM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 28.830, -96.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Matagorda

When: November 16, 7:38 AM CST
Where: Matagorda County
Coordinates: 28.830, -95.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Wharton

When: November 16, 7:38 AM CST
Where: Wharton County
Coordinates: 29.200, -96.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Matagorda

When: November 16, 7:38 AM CST
Where: Matagorda County
Coordinates: 28.980, -95.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: November 16, 8:31 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Coordinates: 29.650, -95.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: November 16, 8:31 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Coordinates: 29.530, -95.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Brazoria

When: November 16, 8:39 AM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.470, -95.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Brazoria

When: November 16, 8:39 AM CST
Where: Brazoria County
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.170, -95.650

Tornado, Galveston

When: November 16, 8:40 AM CST
Where: Galveston County
Rating: F1
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 29.350, -95.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Matagorda

When: November 16, 8:48 AM CST
Where: Matagorda County
Measured: 95 kt (109 mph)
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.030, -95.950

Tornado, Harris

When: November 16, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 29.550, -95.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Galveston

When: November 16, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Galveston County
Measured: 89 kt (102 mph)
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.400, -94.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Chambers

When: November 16, 9:05 AM CST
Where: Chambers County
Coordinates: 29.770, -94.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Jasper

When: November 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where: Jasper County
Coordinates: 30.430, -93.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardin

When: November 16, 9:30 AM CST
Where: Hardin County
Coordinates: 30.300, -94.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: November 16, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Orange County
Coordinates: 30.120, -94.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 16, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 29.900, -93.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: November 16, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 30.080, -94.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When: November 16, 9:50 AM CST
Where: Harris County
Coordinates: 29.670, -95.020

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Matagorda	1987-11-16				Direct

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1987 Every state in 1987 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1987 Warnings in Texas, November 1987

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: 10137387, 10137388, 10137389, 10137390, 10137391, 10137392, 10137393, 10137394, 10137395, 10137396, 10137397, 10137398, 10137399, 10137400, 10137401, 10137402, 10138255, 10138256, 10138257, 10138258, 10138259, 10138260, 10138261, 10138262, 10138263, 10138264, 10138265, 10138479, 10138480, 10138481, 10138482.