Storm reports for May 7, 1997

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

← May 6, 1997 All 1997 storm days · May 1997 May 8, 1997 →

Other storms on May 7 →

On May 7, 1997, 94 hail, 40 damaging-wind and 17 tornado reports were logged across 11 states. The largest hail reported was 2.75″ (baseball size) in Hartley 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

Cities with hail reported within 5 miles

Hail reports (94)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $820,000 in property damage, $800,000 in crop damage and 1 injury from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (164 events in 11 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Caddo County, OK (near Binger) · Thunderstorm wind · $60,000 · 1 injury
  “Severe thunderstorm winds estimated at up to 90 mph caused widespread damage and one injury in Binger. One man was injured when his mobile home was overturned, pinning him between a tree and some of the debris from the home.”
• Custer County, OK (near Weatherford) · Thunderstorm wind 96 mph · $100,000
  “Severe thunderstorm winds up to 96 mph (measured by a local firefighter) caused widespread and heavy damage in and around Weatherford. Extensive tree, sign, limb, fence, and window damage was reported.”
• Custer County, OK (near Clinton) · Thunderstorm wind 70 mph · $80,000
  “Severe thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage in and around Clinton. At the Clinton Airport an airplane was tossed 200 feet, one hangar was destroyed, and eight other hangars sustained heavy damage. Power was knocked out across much of the city.”
• Beckham County, OK (near Elk City) · Thunderstorm wind · $35,000
  “Severe thunderstorm winds in Elk City blew the roof off of one business and blew eight overhead doors out of several other businesses. On the edge of town an 11,000 pound tank trailer was blown onto its side and into a fence.”
• Beckham County, OK (near Sayre) · Thunderstorm wind · $15,000
  “Severe thunderstorm winds blew part of the roof off of the Sayre elementary school library. Winds also uprooted large trees and downed at least one utility pole in town. Reports of more minor tree and roof damage were widepsread across Sayre.”
• Grant County, OK (near Medford) · Thunderstorm wind · $7,000
  “A roof was blown off a grain elevator by severe thunderstorm winds.”

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