May 1989 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service.
In May 1989, 1,206 hail, 1,201 damaging-wind and 228 tornado reports were logged on 31 storm days across 38 states. The largest hail reported was 4.50″ (softball size) in Jones County, TX on May 13, 1989. The most hail reports came on May 16, 1989 (119). Tornadoes killed 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← April 1989 All 1989 storm days June 1989 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of May 1989
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1989 | 95 | 191 | 16 | 3.00″ | 7 |
| May 21, 1989 | 77 | 114 | 5 | 2.75″ | 10 |
| May 5, 1989 | 23 | 144 | 17 | 2.50″ | 11 |
| May 24, 1989 | 27 | 119 | 33 | 2.75″ | 12 |
| May 16, 1989 | 119 | 35 | 20 | 4.50″ | 7 |
| May 15, 1989 | 115 | 17 | 12 | 4.50″ | 13 |
| May 25, 1989 | 69 | 63 | 9 | 3.50″ | 10 |
| May 23, 1989 | 52 | 67 | 1 | 2.75″ | 18 |
| May 6, 1989 | 21 | 73 | 0 | 1.75″ | 9 |
| May 3, 1989 | 61 | 21 | 3 | 2.75″ | 8 |
Largest hail reported in May 1989
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Jones County, TX |
| May 14, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Hansford County, TX |
| May 14, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Hansford County, TX |
| May 15, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Grayson County, TX |
| May 15, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Fannin County, TX |
| May 16, 1989 | 4.50″ (softball) | Wheeler County, TX |
| May 25, 1989 | 3.50″ (teacup) | Jefferson County, MO |
| May 4, 1989 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Ouachita Parish, LA |
| May 11, 1989 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Chaves County, NM |
| May 14, 1989 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Dawson County, TX |
Storm reports by state, May 1989
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 414 | 201 | 70 | 4.50″ |
| Oklahoma | 270 | 86 | 7 | 2.75″ |
| Louisiana | 55 | 71 | 16 | 3.00″ |
| Arkansas | 49 | 81 | 2 | 2.75″ |
| Kansas | 69 | 41 | 4 | 2.75″ |
| North Carolina | 15 | 86 | 10 | 2.00″ |
| Wisconsin | 29 | 59 | 10 | 2.00″ |
| Missouri | 49 | 25 | 5 | 3.50″ |
| Iowa | 23 | 45 | 9 | 2.00″ |
| Minnesota | 42 | 15 | 10 | 2.75″ |
| Georgia | 4 | 55 | 7 | 1.75″ |
| South Carolina | 3 | 57 | 3 | 2.50″ |
| Mississippi | 16 | 40 | 5 | 2.00″ |
| Indiana | 13 | 35 | 9 | 2.00″ |
| Virginia | 2 | 50 | 4 | 0.75″ |
| Michigan | 8 | 33 | 6 | 1.50″ |
| Colorado | 26 | 12 | 6 | 2.75″ |
| Illinois | 21 | 19 | 4 | 2.75″ |
| Florida | 15 | 20 | 6 | 1.75″ |
| Nebraska | 21 | 9 | 4 | 3.00″ |
| Tennessee | 5 | 28 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Kentucky | 11 | 11 | 8 | 2.75″ |
| Ohio | 0 | 25 | 4 | – |
| North Dakota | 8 | 17 | 3 | 1.75″ |
| New Mexico | 16 | 3 | 4 | 3.00″ |
| Wyoming | 6 | 10 | 6 | 1.75″ |
| Alabama | 3 | 14 | 1 | 0.75″ |
| South Dakota | 6 | 8 | 0 | 2.00″ |
| Idaho | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Maryland | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Montana | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Pennsylvania | 0 | 8 | 0 | – |
| Washington | 0 | 6 | 0 | – |
| New Jersey | 0 | 2 | 1 | – |
| Utah | 0 | 2 | 1 | – |
| California | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| District of Columbia | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Vermont | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
Every storm day in May 1989
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.