May 1978 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In May 1978, 210 hail, 326 damaging-wind and 211 tornado reports were logged on 29 storm days across 32 states. The largest hail reported was 4.50″ (softball size) in Hansford County, TX on May 24, 1978. The most hail reports came on May 11, 1978 (25). Tornadoes killed 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← April 1978 All 1978 storm days June 1978 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of May 1978
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1978 | 17 | 61 | 26 | 1.75″ | 14 |
| May 11, 1978 | 25 | 47 | 25 | 3.50″ | 7 |
| May 27, 1978 | 15 | 24 | 7 | 2.00″ | 8 |
| May 26, 1978 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 2.75″ | 11 |
| May 2, 1978 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 2.00″ | 4 |
| May 25, 1978 | 5 | 21 | 11 | 1.75″ | 7 |
| May 28, 1978 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 1.75″ | 9 |
| May 1, 1978 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 2.75″ | 6 |
| May 4, 1978 | 1 | 14 | 13 | 1.00″ | 6 |
| May 6, 1978 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 2.75″ | 4 |
Largest hail reported in May 1978
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 24, 1978 | 4.50″ (softball) | Hansford County, TX |
| May 11, 1978 | 3.50″ (teacup) | Pettis County, MO |
| May 30, 1978 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Finney County, KS |
| May 1, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Gillespie County, TX |
| May 1, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Bosque County, TX |
| May 1, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Lincoln County, MS |
| May 6, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Tom Green County, TX |
| May 6, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Jones County, TX |
| May 6, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Runnels County, TX |
| May 6, 1978 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Runnels County, TX |
Storm reports by state, May 1978
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 88 | 83 | 65 | 4.50″ |
| Kansas | 28 | 24 | 10 | 3.00″ |
| Missouri | 14 | 23 | 7 | 3.50″ |
| Nebraska | 11 | 16 | 16 | 1.75″ |
| Florida | 1 | 15 | 25 | 1.00″ |
| Oklahoma | 16 | 13 | 5 | 2.75″ |
| Alabama | 3 | 24 | 5 | 1.75″ |
| Mississippi | 4 | 26 | 2 | 2.75″ |
| Louisiana | 14 | 10 | 7 | 2.75″ |
| Arkansas | 10 | 5 | 9 | 1.75″ |
| North Dakota | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1.75″ |
| Georgia | 0 | 10 | 6 | – |
| Wyoming | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1.75″ |
| Illinois | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1.75″ |
| Kentucky | 0 | 8 | 3 | – |
| North Carolina | 0 | 9 | 2 | – |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1.75″ |
| Colorado | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1.75″ |
| Minnesota | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2.00″ |
| New York | 0 | 7 | 3 | – |
| Indiana | 0 | 4 | 3 | – |
| New Mexico | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Ohio | 0 | 6 | 0 | – |
| South Dakota | 0 | 5 | 1 | – |
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 4 | – |
| South Carolina | 0 | 3 | 2 | – |
| Tennessee | 0 | 4 | 0 | – |
| Iowa | 0 | 2 | 0 | – |
| Pennsylvania | 0 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Idaho | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Maryland | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Maine | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
Every storm day in May 1978
May 1 May 2 May 3 May 4 May 5 May 6 May 7 May 8 May 9 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 May 16 May 17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 24 May 25 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.