Texas, 1997

Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Texas, May 25, 1997

May 25, 1997 · NWS FWD · 13 events in 1 county or zone

5 tornado, 5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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 Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 tornado, 5 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Cooke

When
May 25, 7:36 PM CST to 7:41 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Muenster to 4 mi S of Muenster
Rating
F2
Path length
1 mi
Path width
75 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
33.620, -97.430

A tornado blew over a 1500 lb pumpjack, snapped 25 power poles, destroyed several barns, damaged roofs, and damaged or destroyed numerous trees.

Hail, Cooke

When
May 25, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Muenster
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.650, -97.380

Tornado, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:10 PM CST to 8:13 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Myra
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
33.630, -97.320

A tornado was reported by spotters.

Hail, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:25 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, 5 mi NE of Era
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.550, -97.230

Hail, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:34 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Valley View
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
33.480, -97.170

Tornado, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:39 PM CST to 8:49 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Era to 3 mi NW of Valley View
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
33.530, -97.270

Spotters reported a tornado northeast of Era. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes and uprooted numerous large trees.

Tornado, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:41 PM CST to 8:43 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Mountain Spgs
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Coordinates
33.480, -97.050

A brief tornado was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:50 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, 2 mi NW of Era
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Coordinates
33.520, -97.320

Hail, Cooke

When
May 25, 8:54 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, 5 mi S of Gainesville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.570, -97.150

Flash Flood, Cooke

When
May 25, 9:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Gainesville
Coordinates
33.639, -97.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Streets were reported flooded in and around town.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cooke

When
May 25, 9:10 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, 2 mi N of Valley View
Measured
78 kt (90 mph)
Coordinates
33.520, -97.170

Winds were estimated at 80 to 90 mph north of town.

Tornado, Cooke

When
May 25, 9:11 PM CST to 9:19 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Gainesville
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
40 yd
Coordinates
33.630, -97.150

A tornado touched down just east of the high school. Spotters watched this weak tornado for about 8 minutes as it moved east.

Hail, Cooke

When
May 25, 9:19 PM CST
Where
Cooke County, Gainesville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.630, -97.150

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.
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: 5599098, 5599099, 5599100, 5599101, 5599102, 5599103, 5599104, 5599105, 5599106, 5599107, 5599108, 5599109, 5599110.