Texas, 1997

Tornado and Hail in Texas, April 24, 1997

April 24, 1997 · NWS MAF · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

A day with all kinds of dynamics but little moisture. Wind fields were strong at all levels, but dew points were only in the mid 40s.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MAF wrote it up.

A day with all kinds of dynamics but little moisture. Wind fields were strong at all levels, but dew points were only in the mid 40s. Severe reports were only marginal compared to what some were expecting considering the very high shear and helicity values.

The radar

The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Tornado, Dawson

When
April 24, 4:10 PM CST to 4:12 PM CST
Where
Dawson County, 5 mi SW of Lamesa
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Coordinates
32.680, -102.020

A small landspout tornado was briefly generated southwest of Lamesa from a towering cumulus cloud. The cloud continued to evolve into a weak shower over Lamesa as it moved to the northeast.

Hail, Winkler

When
April 24, 10:25 PM CST
Where
Winkler County, 10 mi N of Kermit
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
32.000, -103.080

Hail, Pecos

When
April 24, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Pecos County, Ft Stockton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
30.880, -102.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Pecos

When
April 24, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Pecos County, Ft Stockton
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
30.880, -102.870

Downburst winds downed telephone lines and wind-driven hail broke windows in Fort Stockton.

Hail, Andrews

When
April 24, 11:18 PM CST
Where
Andrews County, 5 mi S of Andrews
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
32.250, -102.550

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 1997Warnings in Texas, April 1997

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: 5601512, 5601510, 5601508, 5601509, 5601511.