Texas, 1997

Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, May 23, 1997

May 23, 1997 · NWS LUB · 4 events in 1 county or zone

Severe thunderstorms occurred over Briscoe County during the evening of the 23th. The Quitaque Fire Department reported quarter-sized hail in the city of Quitaque and FM road 599 was flooded southeast of Quitaque with 1-3 feet of water.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
4

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.

Severe thunderstorms occurred over Briscoe County during the evening of the 23th. The Quitaque Fire Department reported quarter-sized hail in the city of Quitaque and FM road 599 was flooded southeast of Quitaque with 1-3 feet of water. Golfball-sized hail was reported at Caprock Canyons State Park by park officials.

The radar

The Lubbock radar (KLBB), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:02 UTC.

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Event by event

3 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Briscoe

When
May 23, 4:04 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County, Quitaque
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
34.370, -101.050

Hail, Briscoe

When
May 23, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County, Quitaque
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
34.370, -101.050

Hail, Briscoe

When
May 23, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County, 15 mi E of Silverton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.470, -101.030

Flash Flood, Briscoe

When
May 23, 5:45 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Briscoe County, 3 mi SE of Quitaque
Coordinates
34.530, -101.209 (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.
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 historyWarnings 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: 5603897, 5603894, 5603895, 5603896.