Hail in Texas, May 14, 1997

Name: Hail in Texas, May 14, 1997
Start: 1997-05-14T15:53
End: 1997-05-14T16:28
Location: Texas

May 14, 1997 · NWS MAF · 2 events in 1 county or zone

2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 12 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:52 UTC.

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Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Midland

When: May 14, 3:53 PM CST to 4:10 PM CST
Where: Midland County, 3 mi SSE of Midland
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 31.970, -102.070

Hail, Midland

When: May 14, 4:10 PM CST to 4:28 PM CST
Where: Midland County, 5 mi SSE of Midland
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 31.930, -102.050

The triple point marking the intersection of the dry line and a cold front was located near Midland with a thunderstorm developing over the southern sections of the city. As indicated on radar two inflow areas were established--on the north and west sides of the storm. Spotters were concentrating on the west side, but apparently the dominant updraft was on the north side as a wall cloud and possible funnels were reported. The 88D reflectivity gradient was strongest on the north side as well. A mesocyclone was never confirmed with the storm, but the updraft was extremely strong with reports of tennis ball and baseball hail reported.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, May 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: 5611465, 5611466.