Storm reports for May 6, 1998

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 6 →

On May 6, 1998, 143 hail, 51 damaging-wind and 10 tornado reports were logged across 18 states. The largest hail reported was 2.75″ (baseball size) in Cedar County, MO.

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 (143)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $1.6 million in property damage, $181,000 in crop damage and 3 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (235 events in 18 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Le Flore County, OK (near Calhoun) · Tornado F1 · $100,000 · 2 injuries
  “At 838 PM CDT, a tornado touched down in the small community of Calhoun. Six homes in Calhoun were damaged, four of which were considered destroyed. One of the six was a mobile home. Two minor injuries occurred when a home was lifted off of its concrete block foundation and destroyed.”
• Limestone County, AL (near Ardmore) · Thunderstorm wind 69 mph · $50,000 · 1 injury
  “A person was injured when his mobile home was overturned and destroyed during a thunderstorm.”
• Garland County, AR (near Hot Spgs) · Tornado F1 · $500,000
  “The tornado touched down along Highway 70 near the entrance to the Hot Springs Airport. A number of trees were knocked down in the yard of a residence at this location.”
• Lowndes County, GA (near Valdosta) · Thunderstorm wind · $250,000
  “Straight-line winds destroyed three mobile homes, a wood frame house, and a church in Valdosta. Numerous trees and power lines downed throughout Valdosta. Dime sized hail reported in northeast Valdosta.”
• Madison County, AL (near New Market) · Tornado F1 · $110,000
  “Trees were down in the New Market area, this damaged several homes in the area. One home had major damage and four homes had minor roof damage.”
• Madison County, AL (near Toney) · Tornado F1 · $100,000
  “Six homes were damaged in the Toney community, in northern Madison county. One home had major damage, one had moderate damage and four had minor damage.”

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