On the map: every storm report logged this day.
On the map
Storm reports for May 23, 1981
On May 23, 1981, 25 hail, 23 damaging-wind and 28 tornado reports were logged across 7 states.
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On May 23, 1981, 25 hail, 23 damaging-wind and 28 tornado reports were logged across 7 states. The largest hail reported was 2.75″ (baseball size) in Menard County, TX.
Storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Radar hail estimates start October 2019.
Storm reports by state
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 10 | 13 | 0 | 2.75″ |
| OK | 9 | 1 | 11 | 2.50″ |
| IA | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1.75″ |
| MO | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1.50″ |
| KS | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1.25″ |
| AR | 0 | 4 | 0 | – |
| MN | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
Cities with hail reported within 5 miles
| City | Population | Largest report |
|---|---|---|
| Keene, TX | 6,930 | 1.75″ |
| Osceola, IA | 5,585 | 1.75″ |
| Breckenridge, TX | 5,190 | 1.75″ |
| Sulphur, OK | 4,844 | 1.75″ |
| Cisco, TX | 4,029 | 1.75″ |
| West Burlington, IA | 3,249 | 1.75″ |
| Jones, OK | 3,213 | 1.75″ |
| Platte City, MO | 4,867 | 1.50″ |
| Olathe, KS | 149,035 | 1.25″ |
Hail reports (25)
| Time (UTC) | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 01:15 | 2.75″ | Menard County, TX |
| 21:55 | 2.50″ | Garvin County, OK |
| 22:20 | 2.50″ | Grady County, OK |
| 01:15 | 2.50″ | Menard County, TX |
| 01:45 | 2.50″ | Mason County, TX |
| 20:45 | 1.75″ | Cotton County, OK |
| 21:30 | 1.75″ | Taylor County, IA |
| 21:30 | 1.75″ | Oklahoma County, OK |
| 21:48 | 1.75″ | Garvin County, OK |
| 21:50 | 1.75″ | Taylor County, IA |
| 21:53 | 1.75″ | Stephens County, OK |
| 23:08 | 1.75″ | Murray County, OK |
| 23:10 | 1.75″ | Stephens County, TX |
| 23:22 | 1.75″ | Murray County, OK |
| 00:00 | 1.75″ | Eastland County, TX |
| 00:32 | 1.75″ | Clarke County, IA |
| 00:55 | 1.75″ | Brown County, TX |
| 02:20 | 1.75″ | Johnson County, TX |
| 03:05 | 1.75″ | Des Moines County, IA |
| 21:31 | 1.50″ | Platte County, MO |
| 21:30 | 1.25″ | Johnson County, KS |
| 00:30 | 1.00″ | Carter County, OK |
| 03:40 | 1.00″ | Bandera County, TX |
| 04:40 | 1.00″ | Bexar County, TX |
| 04:55 | 1.00″ | Comal County, TX |
Damage, injuries and deaths
National Weather Service offices recorded about $6 million in property damage and 6 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (77 events in 7 states). Before 1996 the database holds only tornado, hail and wind events, and damage was often entered as a range, so treat these figures as rough. Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.
| County | Events | Injuries | Deaths | Property damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nowata County, OK | 2 | 6 | 0 | $250,000 |
| Anderson County, KS | 1 | 0 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| Bryan County, OK | 1 | 0 | 0 | $2.5 million |
| Mitchell County, IA | 1 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 |
| Ringgold County, IA | 1 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 |
| Linn County, KS | 1 | 0 | 0 | $250,000 |
| Montgomery County, KS | 1 | 0 | 0 | $25,000 |
| Madison County, IA | 1 | 0 | 0 | $3,000 |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Platte County, MO | 1 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database, as entered by National Weather Service offices; data through July 31, 2026. Damage is in dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation.
Guides: What radar-estimated hail (MESH) is and isn't · Storm reports: preliminary vs final
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