Storm reports for May 22, 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 22 →

On May 22, 1997, 12 hail, 6 damaging-wind and 5 tornado reports were logged across 6 states. The largest hail reported was 2.00″ (hen egg size) in Polk County, FL.

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 (12)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $627,000 in property damage from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (25 events in 7 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Polk County, FL (near Bartow) · Thunderstorm wind · $250,000
  “Thunderstorm winds overturned a few mobile homes and damaged the roofs of twelve others in Bartow. Four of the mobile homes were destroyed. Scattered trees and power lines were also downed in the vicinity of Bartow.”
• Polk County, FL (near Lakeland) · Hail 2.00″ · $100,000
  “Hail, slightly larger than golf balls, caused over one-hundred thousand dollars worth of damage to the roofs of homes and the surfaces of vehicles in Lakeland.”
• Highlands County, FL (near Sebring) · Thunderstorm wind · $10,000
  “Thunderstorm winds blew off the roof of a mobile home along U.S. Highway 92 in Lorida.”
• Charlotte County, FL (near Punta Gorda) · Thunderstorm wind · $5,000
  “Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and damaged a roof in Punta Gorda”
• Highlands County, FL (near Sebring) · Hail 1.00″
  “One inch hail was reported along U.S. Highway 98 in Lorida.”
• Hutchinson County, TX (near Morse Jct) · Hail 0.75″
  “Report of hail on county line in Hansford and Hutchinson counties.”

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