May 1979 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In May 1979, 213 hail, 237 damaging-wind and 111 tornado reports were logged on 31 storm days across 39 states. The largest hail reported was 3.50″ (teacup size) in Major County, OK on May 2, 1979. The most hail reports came on May 2, 1979 (32). Tornadoes killed 2.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← April 1979 All 1979 storm days June 1979 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of May 1979
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 1979 | 31 | 42 | 26 | 2.75″ | 5 |
| May 2, 1979 | 32 | 23 | 9 | 3.50″ | 5 |
| May 11, 1979 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 1.75″ | 11 |
| May 30, 1979 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 2.50″ | 10 |
| May 1, 1979 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 2.75″ | 5 |
| May 21, 1979 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 1.75″ | 3 |
| May 8, 1979 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 2.00″ | 3 |
| May 19, 1979 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 1.75″ | 7 |
| May 29, 1979 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 1.75″ | 7 |
| May 28, 1979 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1.75″ | 6 |
Largest hail reported in May 1979
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1979 | 3.50″ (teacup) | Major County, OK |
| May 1, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Sherman County, KS |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Woods County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Major County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Major County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Logan County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Payne County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Creek County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Creek County, OK |
| May 2, 1979 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Creek County, OK |
Storm reports by state, May 1979
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 87 | 48 | 38 | 2.75″ |
| Oklahoma | 29 | 22 | 7 | 3.50″ |
| Florida | 11 | 8 | 27 | 1.75″ |
| Arkansas | 9 | 19 | 6 | 2.75″ |
| Mississippi | 1 | 27 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Georgia | 9 | 14 | 0 | 2.00″ |
| Minnesota | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2.00″ |
| Missouri | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Kansas | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2.75″ |
| Tennessee | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0.75″ |
| Alabama | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1.75″ |
| Iowa | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1.00″ |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.00″ |
| Louisiana | 0 | 8 | 0 | – |
| South Dakota | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1.75″ |
| Michigan | 0 | 6 | 0 | – |
| North Carolina | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.50″ |
| New Mexico | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1.75″ |
| Colorado | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0.75″ |
| North Dakota | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Nebraska | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2.00″ |
| Ohio | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Illinois | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Indiana | 0 | 4 | 0 | – |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| South Carolina | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Virginia | 0 | 2 | 0 | – |
| Arizona | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Connecticut | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.50″ |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| Montana | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| New York | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Utah | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Washington | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| Wyoming | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
Every storm day in May 1979
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 14 May 15 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.