Storm reports for October 11, 1997

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

← Oct 10, 1997 All 1997 storm days · October 1997 Oct 12, 1997 →

Other storms on October 11 →

On October 11, 1997, 32 hail, 23 damaging-wind and 13 tornado reports were logged across 6 states. The largest hail reported was 4.50″ (softball size) in Bent County, CO.

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 (32)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $747,000 in property damage, $50,000 in crop damage and 6 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (70 events in 6 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Emmons County, ND (near Linton) · Thunderstorm wind 98 mph · $150,000
  “strong thunderstorm winds Cattail Bay,a popular camping area. A mobile home was picked up off of its foundation, lifted over a van, and dropped 40 feet away. Van and a boat in the driveway were flipped over. Numerous other campers were flipped over or onto their sides.”
• Otero County, CO (near La Junta) · Tornado F1 · $75,000
  “Another supercell thunderstorm brought large hail and a tornado to southeast Otero county. The storm and accompanying tornado moved out of open country southwest of the Higbee Valley and struck several ranches just north of the Purgatoire River on Road 804. At about 8:45 p.m.”
• Chase County, NE (near Wauneta) · Thunderstorm wind · $50,000
  “Thunderstorm winds in excess of 60 mph caused significant damage to a farm house and barn.”
• Logan County, ND (near Napoleon) · Thunderstorm wind 86 mph · $30,000
  “Strong thunderstorm winds continued into Logan county. Pole barns were toppled along damage path, as well as a few out buildings. Roofs also partially ripped off of a few barns. A few of the buildings just finished receiving repairs from the July 1st storm.”
• Colfax County, NM (near Raton) · Thunderstorm wind 60 mph · $30,000
  “Highway signs were blown over at the Raton Truck Stop. Trees and small lawn building were also damaged across town.”
• Bent County, CO (near Las Animas) · Tornado F1 · $20,000
  “A line of thunderstorms moving east through western Bent county merged with a northeast moving supercell thunderstorm just west of Las Animas. The hail quickly grew from one inch in diameter up to 4.50 inches in diameter.”

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