Storm reports for May 16, 2017

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 16 →

On May 16, 2017, 183 hail, 125 damaging-wind and 21 tornado reports were logged across 9 states. The largest hail reported was 4.00″ (grapefruit size) in Beckham County, OK. Tornadoes killed 2.

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 (183)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $38.7 million in property damage, 37 injuries and 2 deaths from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (335 events in 9 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Barron County, WI (near Reeve) · Tornado EF2 · $10.1 million · 1 death · 25 injuries
  “The tornado first developed over southeastern Polk County, then tracked mostly east-northeast across southern Barron before moving into Rusk County and eventually Price County. In Barron County, the tornado hit numerous farmsteads, devastating barns and other outbuildings.”
• Beckham County, OK (near Carter) · Tornado EF2 · $25 million · 1 death · 10 injuries
  “The Elk City tornado initially developed near the North Fork of the Red River about 3 miles northwest of Carter. Damage was primarily to trees and power poles for the first few miles as it moved northeast approaching State Highway 34.||One fatality occurred on State Highway 34 (Merritt Road) south…”
• Barton County, KS (near Pawnee Rock) · Tornado EF3 · $658,000 · 2 injuries
  “This long track tornado moved in from Pawnee County. Law Enforcement reported the tornado just south of the county line near Pawnee Rock and then followed it as it moved to the NE.”
• Barron County, WI (near Turtle Lake) · Hail 3.00″ · $500,000
  “There was a swath of very large hail, up to 3 inches in diameter, that occurred from east of Clayton, to Barron.”
• Polk County, WI (near Clayton) · Hail 2.75″ · $500,000
  “There was a swath of very large hail, up to baseball size, that fell from southwest of Amery, northeast to Clayton. Numerous photos from social media provided how large the hail became.”
• Rusk County, WI (near Weyerhaeuser) · Tornado EF3 · $420,000
  “The long-track tornado continued from Barron County into Rusk County and produced EF3 damage in the Conrath area. It entered Rusk County with an east-northeast track, but shortly thereafter began a gradual turn to the east and barely missed the village of Weyerhaeuser.”

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