Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 20, 1988

Name: Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 20, 1988
Start: 1988-05-20T09:35
End: 1988-05-20T22:30
Location: Texas

May 20, 1988 · NWS SAT · 24 events in 19 counties and zones

12 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 1 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: 24

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

12 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Kerr

When: May 20, 9:35 AM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.070, -99.330

Hail, Kerr

When: May 20, 10:10 AM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.050, -99.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Palo Pinto

When: May 20, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Palo Pinto County
Coordinates: 32.920, -98.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Palo Pinto

When: May 20, 12:40 PM CST
Where: Palo Pinto County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 32.800, -98.100

Hail, Real

When: May 20, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Real County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 29.800, -99.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Parker

When: May 20, 1:27 PM CST
Where: Parker County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 32.770, -97.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Parker

When: May 20, 1:27 PM CST
Where: Parker County
Coordinates: 32.970, -97.680

Hail, Bandera

When: May 20, 1:32 PM CST
Where: Bandera County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.800, -99.250

Hail, Tarrant

When: May 20, 2:13 PM CST
Where: Tarrant County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.750, -97.350

Hail, Tom Green

When: May 20, 2:31 PM CST
Where: Tom Green County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.650, -100.630

Hail, Dallas

When: May 20, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.850, -96.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Ellis

When: May 20, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Coordinates: 32.400, -96.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Dallas

When: May 20, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dallas County
Coordinates: 32.830, -96.720

Hail, Gaines

When: May 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Gaines County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 32.930, -102.580

Hail, Yoakum

When: May 20, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Yoakum County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.970, -103.020

Hail, Kerr

When: May 20, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Kerr County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.050, -99.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Midland

When: May 20, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Midland County
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates: 32.000, -102.080

Tornado, Howard

When: May 20, 5:14 PM CST
Where: Howard County
Rating: F0
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Coordinates: 32.320, -101.400

Hail, Val Verde

When: May 20, 7:53 PM CST
Where: Val Verde County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.680, -101.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Limestone

When: May 20, 8:44 PM CST
Where: Limestone County
Coordinates: 31.530, -96.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Comal

When: May 20, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Comal County
Coordinates: 29.700, -98.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Medina

When: May 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Medina County
Coordinates: 29.150, -98.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Atascosa

When: May 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Atascosa County
Coordinates: 28.950, -98.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Guadalupe

When: May 20, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Guadalupe County
Coordinates: 29.750, -97.970

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 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1988 Warnings in Texas, May 1988

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: 10141248, 10141249, 10141250, 10141251, 10141252, 10141253, 10141254, 10141255, 10141256, 10141257, 10141258, 10141259, 10141260, 10141261, 10141262, 10141263, 10141264, 10141265, 10141266, 10141267, 10141268, 10141269, 10141270, 10141271.