Storm reports for May 3, 1997

IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology

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Other storms on May 3 →

On May 3, 1997, 28 hail, 114 damaging-wind and 6 tornado reports were logged across 9 states. The largest hail reported was 1.75″ (golf ball size) in Henry County, GA.

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

Cities with hail reported within 5 miles

Hail reports (28)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $733,000 in property damage, $1,000 in crop damage and 6 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (148 events in 9 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Tattnall County, GA (near Reidsville) · Thunderstorm wind 63 mph · $50,000
  “Scattered areas of trees, large limbs and powerlines down.”
• Beaufort County, SC (near Beaufort) · Thunderstorm wind 63 mph · $25,000
  “A house was damaged on Harbour Island and several trees down.”
• Pitt County, NC (near Farmville) · Thunderstorm wind · $25,000
  “Roof blown off a mobile home and numerous trees down.”
• Marshall County, WV (near Moundsville) · Thunderstorm wind · $25,000
  “A roof was torn off of a house by strong thunderstorm winds. Trees and power lines were also downed nearby and throughout the county.”
• Mercer County, PA (near Farrell) · Thunderstorm wind · $20,000
  “Severe thunderstorm winds downed about 13 trees in Farrell. Also, part of a roof was torn off of a house and two other houses sustained minor damage.”
• Columbiana County, OH (near Hanoverton) · Thunderstorm wind · $15,000
  “Thunderstorm winds downed fifteen 30 foot tall pine trees. A trampoline was blown through a fence. Shingles were blown off of a roof and a television antenna was bent down into power lines that resulted in a house fire.”

Event narratives from NWS Storm Data, shortened. Up to six per day, chosen by deaths, injuries, damage and size.

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