Texas, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flood in Texas, May 22, 1997

May 22, 1997 · NWS LUB · 7 events in 1 county or zone

Swisher County was affected by several severe thunderstorms on the evening of the 22nd. An brief, weak tornado was reported by a storm chaser west of Kress.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 LUB wrote it up.

Swisher County was affected by several severe thunderstorms on the evening of the 22nd. An brief, weak tornado was reported by a storm chaser west of Kress. The Tulia Police Department reported large hail northwest of Kress and west of Tulia. They also reported that FM road 1424 was flooded in the western part of the county. Also, the public reported golfball-sized hail 7miles SW of Tulia.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:10 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Swisher

When
May 22, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 14 mi WSW of Tulia
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.450, -102.000

Hail, Swisher

When
May 22, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 8 mi W of Tulia
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
34.530, -101.900

Funnel Cloud, Swisher

When
May 22, 7:29 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 2 mi W of Kress
Coordinates
34.530, -101.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Swisher

When
May 22, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 14 mi W of Kress
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
34.370, -102.000

Hail, Swisher

When
May 22, 7:55 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 7 mi SW of Tulia
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.470, -101.850

Hail, Swisher

When
May 22, 8:05 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 7 mi NW of Kress
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
34.430, -101.830

Flash Flood, Swisher

When
May 22, 8:15 PM CST to 9:15 PM CST
Where
Swisher County, 8 mi W of Tulia
Coordinates
34.530, -101.735 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, 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: 5603888, 5603887, 5603893, 5603889, 5603892, 5603890, 5603891.