Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 15, 1995

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 15, 1995
Start: 1995-05-15T16:00
End: 1995-05-15T20:50
Location: Texas

May 15, 1995 · 34 events in 16 counties and zones

22 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 31 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: $97,000
Crop damage: $80,000
Events: 34

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.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 hail, 9 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cochran

When: May 15, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Cochran County, Morton
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.604, -102.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hale

When: May 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Hale County, Halfway
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Crop damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hale

When: May 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Hale County, Cotton Center
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $5,000
Crop damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Lamb

When: May 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Lamb County, Sudan
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When: May 15, 4:55 PM CST
Where: Hale County, Hale Center
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Dallam

When: May 15, 4:59 PM CST
Where: Dallam County, Dalhart
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 36.278, -102.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Terry

When: May 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Terry County, Brownfield
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 33.174, -102.335 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Bailey

When: May 15, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Bailey County, Baileyboro
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.830 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamb

When: May 15, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Lamb County, Littlefield
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 34.069, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hale

When: May 15, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Hale County, Hale Center
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When: May 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County, Reese Air Force to Base
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 33.610, -101.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Winkler

When: May 15, 5:39 PM CST to 5:44 PM CST
Where: Winkler County, Kermit
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Coordinates: 31.930, -103.180

Hail, Briscoe

When: May 15, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Briscoe County, Quitaque
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Late afternoon thunderstorms produced dime- to quarter-size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lubbock

When: May 15, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County, Shallowater
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 33.610, -101.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Winkler

When: May 15, 5:57 PM CST
Where: Winkler County, Kermit
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.850, -103.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Motley

When: May 15, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Motley County, Flomot
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 34.074, -100.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Briscoe

When: May 15, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Briscoe County, Quitaque
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.530, -101.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Late afternoon thunderstorms produced dime- to quarter-size hail.

Hail, Motley

When: May 15, 6:12 PM CST
Where: Motley County, Flomot
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 34.074, -100.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Hale

When: May 15, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Hale County, Petersburg
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 34.071, -101.827 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Motley

When: May 15, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Motley County, Flomot
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 34.220, -100.970

Hail, Lubbock

When: May 15, 6:27 PM CST
Where: Lubbock County, Lubbock
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 33.610, -101.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Motley

When: May 15, 6:28 PM CST
Where: Motley County, Flomot
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 34.074, -100.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Floyd

When: May 15, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Floyd County, Lockney
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 34.072, -101.303 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Winkler

When: May 15, 6:46 PM CST
Where: Winkler County, Ink
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.850, -103.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Winkler

When: May 15, 6:55 PM CST
Where: Winkler County, Ink
Measured: 1.13 in hail
Coordinates: 31.850, -103.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Motley

When: May 15, 7:04 PM CST
Where: Motley County, Flomot
Coordinates: 34.074, -100.780 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Dickens

When: May 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Dickens County, Afton
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 33.617, -100.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Severe storms battered the Texas South Plains on the evening of the 15th. Up to golf ball-size hail caused some crop damage and minor property damage. However, strong winds caused most of the damage. Trees were uprooted and roofs were damaged near Hale Center and Brownfield. Spotters reported a brief tornado east of Flomot. In Petersburg, two barns and several roofs were damaged, plus trees were uprooted and windows shattered by strong wind. Sheds were damaged east of Afton and Dickens.

Thunderstorm Wind, Dickens

When: May 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Dickens County, Dickens
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 33.617, -100.779 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Ward

When: May 15, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Ward County, Monahans
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.510, -103.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Crane

When: May 15, 7:52 PM CST to 7:55 PM CST
Where: Crane County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 40 yd
Coordinates: 31.670, -102.650

Hail, Ector

When: May 15, 7:52 PM CST
Where: Ector County, Penwell
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.869, -102.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An HP supercell that caused wind damage and dropped large hail in southeastern New Mexico turned right and crossed the border into Winkler County, Texas. A rotating wall cloud was reported by SKYWARN spotters, then a brief tornado occurred five minutes later. Spotters reported the hail in Kermit as the storm continued to move southeast. Weather observer recorded hail in surface observations from the Winkler County Airport near Wink. The storm continued to track southeastward through parts of the next three counties, dropping large hail and another brief tornado.

Hail, Crane

When: May 15, 7:57 PM CST
Where: Crane County, Crane
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.429, -102.516 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Ector

When: May 15, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Ector County, Penwell
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.869, -102.543 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Upton

When: May 15, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Upton County, Rankin
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 31.369, -102.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Reported from off-duty Ft. Worth National Weather Service employee along State Highway 349 in the northern part of the county.

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 1995 Every state in 1995 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Texas, 1995 Warnings in Texas, May 1995

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: 10347827, 10349951, 10349952, 10353749, 10349953, 10352246, 10355679, 10348463, 10353750, 10349954, 10354705, 10355509, 10348502, 10354706, 10355510, 10354024, 10348503, 10354025, 10349955, 10354026, 10354707, 10354027, 10351679, 10355511, 10355512, 10354028, 10352201, 10352202, 10356052, 10352065, 10352538, 10352066, 10352539, 10355735.