Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 27, 1997

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 27, 1997
Start: 1997-05-27T16:38
End: 1997-05-27T19:20
Location: Texas

May 27, 1997 · NWS EWX · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

3 hail, 2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud, 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: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Hays

When: May 27, 4:38 PM CST to 4:45 PM CST
Where: Hays County, Kyle to 2 mi W of Kyle
Rating: F1
Path length: 3.5 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 30.020, -97.870

A small tornado knocked over trees and power lines in the area just north and west of Kyle.

Hail, Bastrop

When: May 27, 5:35 PM CST to 5:40 PM CST
Where: Bastrop County, Elgin
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 30.350, -97.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Guadalupe

When: May 27, 5:40 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where: Guadalupe County, Seguin
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 29.570, -97.970

Severe winds blew a plane over on its top at the Seguin airport.

Hail, Hays

When: May 27, 5:45 PM CST to 5:50 PM CST
Where: Hays County, San Marcos
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.900, -97.900

Tornado, Kendall

When: May 27, 6:30 PM CST to 6:32 PM CST
Where: Kendall County, Sisterdale to 1 mi W of Sisterdale
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.7 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Coordinates: 29.980, -98.750

Amateur Radio spotters observed a small , short-lived tornado near Sisterdale.

Funnel Cloud, Gonzales

When: May 27, 6:35 PM CST to 6:37 PM CST
Where: Gonzales County, Wrightsboro
Coordinates: 29.457, -97.492 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Gonzales

When: May 27, 6:45 PM CST to 6:55 PM CST
Where: Gonzales County, Leesville
Coordinates: 29.400, -97.750

Trees were blown down by severe winds.

Hail, Gonzales

When: May 27, 7:15 PM CST to 7:20 PM CST
Where: Gonzales County, 2 mi N of Nixon
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 29.300, -97.770

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.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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 The tornado archive for Texas, 1997 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: 5599052, 5599053, 5599054, 5599055, 5599056, 5599057, 5599058, 5599059.