October 1997 storm reports: hail, wind and tornadoes
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In October 1997, 243 hail, 280 damaging-wind and 100 tornado reports were logged on 22 storm days across 29 states. The largest hail reported was 4.50″ (softball size) in Bent County, CO on October 11, 1997. The most hail reports came on October 25, 1997 (77).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology
← September 1997 All 1997 storm days November 1997 →
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Biggest storm days of October 1997
| Day | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 8, 1997 | 28 | 101 | 13 | 1.75″ | 8 |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 77 | 54 | 9 | 3.00″ | 11 |
| Oct 23, 1997 | 29 | 27 | 23 | 2.50″ | 4 |
| Oct 11, 1997 | 32 | 23 | 13 | 4.50″ | 6 |
| Oct 26, 1997 | 9 | 18 | 20 | 1.75″ | 5 |
| Oct 24, 1997 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 1.00″ | 6 |
| Oct 5, 1997 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 1.75″ | 3 |
| Oct 31, 1997 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 1.75″ | 4 |
| Oct 27, 1997 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 1.00″ | 1 |
| Oct 30, 1997 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1.00″ | 3 |
Largest hail reported in October 1997
| Day | Size | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 1997 | 4.50″ (softball) | Bent County, CO |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 3.00″ (teacup) | Tishomingo County, MS |
| Oct 11, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Ziebach County, SD |
| Oct 11, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Otero County, CO |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Cullman County, AL |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Prentiss County, MS |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Lee County, MS |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Franklin County, AL |
| Oct 25, 1997 | 2.75″ (baseball) | Itawamba County, MS |
| Oct 11, 1997 | 2.50″ (tennis ball) | Otero County, CO |
Storm reports by state, October 1997
| State | Hail | Wind | Tornado | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 44 | 23 | 18 | 2.50″ |
| Mississippi | 28 | 34 | 6 | 3.00″ |
| Georgia | 22 | 23 | 9 | 1.75″ |
| Florida | 3 | 26 | 24 | 1.00″ |
| Minnesota | 11 | 35 | 1 | 1.75″ |
| Oklahoma | 23 | 21 | 2 | 1.75″ |
| South Dakota | 14 | 25 | 1 | 2.75″ |
| Colorado | 15 | 6 | 13 | 4.50″ |
| Kansas | 2 | 25 | 7 | 0.75″ |
| Alabama | 18 | 8 | 6 | 2.75″ |
| Louisiana | 12 | 10 | 4 | 1.75″ |
| Nebraska | 9 | 12 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Tennessee | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Arkansas | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| North Dakota | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| New Mexico | 0 | 6 | 4 | – |
| Arizona | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.00″ |
| Michigan | 0 | 6 | 1 | – |
| Missouri | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
| North Carolina | 0 | 1 | 2 | – |
| South Carolina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.88″ |
| Utah | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Iowa | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Idaho | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Indiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00″ |
| New York | 0 | 1 | 0 | – |
| Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75″ |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.75″ |
Every storm day in October 1997
Oct 1 Oct 2 Oct 3 Oct 5 Oct 6 Oct 7 Oct 8 Oct 9 Oct 10 Oct 11 Oct 12 Oct 13 Oct 21 Oct 22 Oct 23 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 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.