May 1953 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In May 1953, 94 tornado reports were logged on 22 storm days across 24 states. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center record starts with tornado reports in 1950; hail and damaging-wind reports start in 1955. Tornadoes killed 163.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← April 1953 All 1953 storm days June 1953 →
94tornado reports
22storm days
Biggest storm days of May 1953
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 1953 | – | – | 16 | – | 4 |
| May 10, 1953 | – | – | 12 | – | 6 |
| May 29, 1953 | – | – | 9 | – | 5 |
| May 1, 1953 | – | – | 6 | – | 2 |
| May 4, 1953 | – | – | 6 | – | 2 |
| May 11, 1953 | – | – | 5 | – | 2 |
| May 16, 1953 | – | – | 5 | – | 3 |
| May 17, 1953 | – | – | 5 | – | 4 |
| May 18, 1953 | – | – | 4 | – | 3 |
| May 27, 1953 | – | – | 3 | – | 1 |
Storm reports by state, May 1953
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas | – | – | 11 | – |
| Nebraska | – | – | 9 | – |
| Iowa | – | – | 8 | – |
| Louisiana | – | – | 8 | – |
| Oklahoma | – | – | 8 | – |
| Alabama | – | – | 6 | – |
| South Dakota | – | – | 6 | – |
| Texas | – | – | 6 | – |
| Mississippi | – | – | 5 | – |
| North Dakota | – | – | 5 | – |
| Tennessee | – | – | 3 | – |
| Virginia | – | – | 3 | – |
| Michigan | – | – | 2 | – |
| Minnesota | – | – | 2 | – |
| Pennsylvania | – | – | 2 | – |
| Wyoming | – | – | 2 | – |
| Arkansas | – | – | 1 | – |
| California | – | – | 1 | – |
| Florida | – | – | 1 | – |
| Maryland | – | – | 1 | – |
| Missouri | – | – | 1 | – |
| Montana | – | – | 1 | – |
| South Carolina | – | – | 1 | – |
| Wisconsin | – | – | 1 | – |
Every storm day in May 1953
May 1 May 2 May 4 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 14 May 15 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 23 May 24 May 26 May 27 May 28 May 29 May 30 May 31
A storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Read more about NOAA storm reports.