October 1981 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In October 1981, 17 hail, 46 damaging-wind and 32 tornado reports were logged on 19 storm days across 17 states. The largest hail reported was 2.75″ (baseball size) in Washita County, OK on October 3, 1981. The most hail reports came on October 1, 1981 (4).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← September 1981 All 1981 storm days November 1981 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of October 1981
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 1981 | 0 | 5 | 15 | – | 2 |
| Oct 17, 1981 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 1.75″ | 6 |
| Oct 5, 1981 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1.75″ | 5 |
| Oct 1, 1981 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1.75″ | 2 |
| Oct 25, 1981 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.75″ | 2 |
| Oct 16, 1981 | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | 3 |
| Oct 22, 1981 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 1 |
| Oct 30, 1981 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Oct 3, 1981 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.75″ | 1 |
| Oct 6, 1981 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
Largest hail reported in October 1981
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 3, 1981 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Washita County, OK |
| Oct 1, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Cumberland County, PA |
| Oct 2, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Coconino County, AZ |
| Oct 3, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Oklahoma County, OK |
| Oct 5, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Linn County, IA |
| Oct 5, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Jones County, IA |
| Oct 17, 1981 | 1.75″ (golf ball) | Monroe County, AR |
| Oct 1, 1981 | 1.50″ (ping pong ball) | Maricopa County, AZ |
| Oct 5, 1981 | 1.50″ (ping pong ball) | Green County, WI |
| Oct 15, 1981 | 1.00″ (quarter) | Eddy County, NM |
Storm reports by state, October 1981
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 4 | 19 | 23 | 0.75″ |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.75″ |
| Illinois | 0 | 6 | 0 | – |
| Missouri | 0 | 6 | 0 | – |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Arizona | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Indiana | 0 | 3 | 2 | – |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Iowa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| Virginia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| Nebraska | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| New Jersey | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| New Mexico | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Rhode Island | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 1 | – |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.50″ |
Every storm day in October 1981
Oct 1 Oct 2 Oct 3 Oct 5 Oct 6 Oct 7 Oct 11 Oct 13 Oct 14 Oct 15 Oct 16 Oct 17 Oct 18 Oct 22 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 30 Oct 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.