South Plains Severe Weather
One of the severe storm disasters on NOAA’s billion-dollar list: $11 billion in losses at 2024 prices ($5.5 billion at the time) and 32 deaths.
What the offices filed during it
The 30 most significant severe storm episodes filed in these dates, colored by kind.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Losses, 2024 dollars
- $11 billion
- Losses at the time
- $5.5 billion
- Deaths
- 32
The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.
By state, as filed
| State | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 305 | 2 | 145 | $1.2 billion |
| New Mexico | 27 | 0 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| Oklahoma | 113 | 3 | 7 | $3.5 million |
| Louisiana | 25 | 0 | 1 | $2.8 million |
| Missouri | 28 | 1 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| Kansas | 43 | 0 | 0 | $467,000 |
| Mississippi | 18 | 0 | 0 | $435,000 |
| Idaho | 4 | 0 | 0 | $10,000 |
| Florida | 7 | 0 | 0 | $2,000 |
| Iowa | 4 | 0 | 0 | $1,000 |
| Arkansas | 20 | 0 | 0 | |
| Colorado | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alabama | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nevada | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Episode by episode
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Alabama, May 4, 1995Trees and power lines were reported down by thunderstorm wind in Townley, and small hail (one-quarter of an inch) was reported at Parrish.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Louisiana, May 4, 1995Golf ball-size hail covered the ground at Waldheim.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 4, 1995,,,,,,,,Hail (1.75) A few power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds of 45 to 50 mph at Twilight Drive and Nichols Road.
- Hail in Nevada, May 4, 1995A weather spotter in Jackpot reported three-quarters inch diameter hail in a thunderstorm.
- Hail in Texas, May 4, 1995Reported by SKYWARN Spotters. Up to 10 inches of water was also reported running over roadways in the community of Elbow.
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, May 5, 1995At 1948 CDT, a large, slow moving high precipitation supercell began moving into western Dallas County. A squall line merged with this storm producing record rainfall across Dallas. In some areas over three inches of rain fell in 30 minutes and five inches in one hour.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New Mexico, May 5, 1995Reported by a cooperative observer.
- Hail in Virginia, May 5, 1995Dime- to nickel-size hail reported between Victoria and Kenbridge.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Idaho, May 5, 1995North of the Boise foothills 0.75 inches of rain fell causing minor flooding.
- Hail in North Carolina, May 5, 1995Three-quarters-inch hail in Whitehall.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Colorado, May 5, 1995Thunderstorm winds estimated above 60 mph blew across Mesa and Garfield Counties from Grand Junction north-eastward to the Glenwood Springs vicinity. Power lines and trees were downed in many communities in the path of the thunderstorms.
- Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 5, 1995Severe thunderstorm winds in Bryan County downed power lines and uprooted trees in Achille and blew two barns down nine miles east-southeast of Durant.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 6, 1995A cluster of early morning thunderstorms produced dime-size hail.
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 6, 1995A severe thunderstorm in Bryan County produced nickel-sized hail 2 miles north of Bomarton.
- Tornado in Colorado, May 6, 1995A tornado, evident by its debris cloud, lasted less than a minute approximately five miles north of Fort Collins in an open field. The life span of the funnel cloud was six minutes.
- Hail in Idaho, May 6, 1995A strong thunderstorm in Idaho City produced 0.75 inches.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, May 6, 1995Dime-size hail was first reported by the New Mexico State Police. Shortly afterward, a SKYWARN spotter reported golf ball-size hail that pounded much of Artesia.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 7 to 31, 1995Reported by a SKYWARN Spotter.
- Tornado and Hail in Missouri, May 7 to 26, 1995Several limbs were downed by thunderstorm limbs.
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, May 7, 1995Hail piled four to five inches deep in the vicinity of Quincy Reservoir in south Aurora.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 7, 1995Roof heavily damaged and light poles down.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 7, 1995Morning thunderstorms produced marginal severe weather and heavy rains. The high winds west of Gray blew a barn over. By noon the heavy rains required the closing of several roads around Guymon.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 7, 1995Severe thunderstorms moved through northwest Arkansas during the late evening of May 7th. Strong thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Cherokee City and in Sulphur Springs, and trees were also blown down in Hiawasse.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 8, 1995Damage was reported to homes from the hail.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Mississippi, May 8, 1995Three houses were damaged by strong wind. Several trees were blown down. One tree fell on a car. Hinds Co.,08,1500cst,,,0,0,4K,0,TSTM Wind Midway Numerous trees were blown down across Myers road.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 8, 1995Thunderstorms winds damaged a barn and chicken house and also knocked down some trees.
- Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 8, 1995Thunderstorm winds downed trees on Highway AA.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, May 8, 1995Trees and power lines blown down on Highway 5.
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, May 8, 1995
- Tornado in Colorado, May 8, 1995A tornado briefly touched down in open land near Paoli.
More
Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 1995Tornadoes in 1995
Sources
NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.