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Storm reports for May 3, 2021

NOAA recorded 223 hail reports, 195 wind reports and 52 tornado reports in 16 states on May 3, 2021.

in 16 states
470
Storm reports
About 13 miles from San Antonio, TX
5.5 in
Largest hail
About 57 miles from Clarksville, TN
96 mph
Highest gust
Highest rating EF2, about 50 miles from Greenville, SC
52
Tornado reports
Sources: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center reports; radar hail estimates from NOAA MRMS; damage surveys from the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit

Hail, inches

  • 0.75
  • 1
  • 1.5
  • 2
  • 2.5
  • 3+

Dots: reports. Shading: radar estimate.

  • Wind report
  • Tornado and its path
  • Surveyed tornado path
  • Surveyed wind damage

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center, final severe weather database (from NOAA's Storm Data). Report day: 12:00 UTC on May 3, 2021 to 12:00 UTC the next day. Times are Central.

Select a dot or a path for the report. NWS survey teams walked the shaded paths after the storm; each is drawn at the widest width they found, so it can look wider than the damage at any one spot.

What happened

An EF1 tornado crossed northern Fort Smith, Arkansas, at about 8:42 p.m. CST on May 3, 2021, then crossed the Arkansas River again and moved through Van Buren, Rudy and Alma.1,2 Up to 2,200 yards wide, with winds estimated at up to 110 mph, it damaged numerous homes and businesses in Fort Smith and Van Buren.1,2 NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $1 million in property damage in Sebastian County and $15 million in Crawford County from this tornado, with 1 person injured.1,2

An EF2 tornado with winds near 120 mph began near Five Points in Ellis County, Texas, at about 7:43 p.m. CST, crossed I-35E and then damaged homes along Highway 77.3 The Storm Events Database lists 8 injuries and $1.5 million in property damage from it.3 Hail up to 5.5 inches across fell near Sayers and China Grove on the east side of San Antonio at about 7:20 p.m. CST, with 4.5-inch hail reported near I-410 and Paula Drive.4,5

Earlier, at about 9:22 a.m. EST, an EF1 tornado with winds up to 110 mph tore roof coverings off several large warehouses near Fulton Industrial Boulevard in southwest Fulton County, Georgia, and blew down or collapsed walls at two buildings.6 Falling trees killed 2 people: one in a home in Bonaire, Georgia, on the afternoon of May 3, and one in a mobile home near Dresden, Tennessee, early on May 4.7,8

Sources

  1. 1. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 958730, tornado, Sebastian County, Arkansas
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 958732, tornado, Crawford County, Arkansas
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 947893, tornado, Ellis County, Texas
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 961040, hail, Bexar County, Texas
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 961017, hail, Bexar County, Texas
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 962671, tornado, Fulton County, Georgia
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 962770, thunderstorm wind, Houston County, Georgia
  8. 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Storm Events Database: Event 957582, thunderstorm wind, Weakley County, Tennessee

Reports by hour

Hail223, most at 8 PM

Wind195, most at 2 AM

Tornado52, most at 6 AM

Reports per hour, Central time. Each row has its own scale.

Every report

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center.

TimeRatingWherePath
8:08 AMEF1Near 36.70, -85.70, KY0.5 mi long, 60 yd wide
9:00 AMEF1About 22 miles from Atlanta, GA1.45 mi long, 250 yd wide
9:22 AMEF1About 12 miles from Atlanta, GA5.73 mi long, 400 yd wide
11:39 AMEF0About 43 miles from Atlanta, GA1.4 mi long, 200 yd wide
11:39 AMEF1About 32 miles from Spartanburg, SC0.5 mi long, 150 yd wide
11:42 AMEF0About 56 miles from Nashville, TN0.83 mi long, 50 yd wide
11:54 AMEF1Near 34.07, -83.31, GA5.53 mi long, 250 yd wide
12:29 PMEF0Near 33.95, -83.28, GA1.87 mi long, 200 yd wide
12:41 PMEF1About 58 miles from Greenville, SC0.13 mi long, 25 yd wide
1:04 PMEF2About 50 miles from Greenville, SC29.35 mi long, 150 yd wide
1:23 PMEF0About 31 miles from Charlotte, NC1.48 mi long, 150 yd wide
2:01 PMEF2About 57 miles from Richmond, VA4.41 mi long, 250 yd wide
Show all 52 tornado reports
TimeRatingWherePath
4:57 PMNot ratedNear 39.88, -90.32, IL0.5 mi long, 50 yd wide
5:05 PMNot ratedNear 39.91, -90.21, IL1.48 mi long, 100 yd wide
5:27 PMEF1About 24 miles from Hagerstown, MD1.81 mi long, 125 yd wide
5:27 PMNot ratedNear 39.88, -89.95, IL0.29 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:02 PMEF0About 33 miles from Fort Worth, TX0.36 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:10 PMNot ratedNear 39.85, -89.45, IL0.43 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:14 PMNot ratedNear 39.83, -89.43, IL0.63 mi long, 50 yd wide
7:10 PMNot ratedAbout 43 miles from Waco, TX0.01 mi long, 25 yd wide
7:14 PMEF0About 26 miles from Hagerstown, MD0.78 mi long, 200 yd wide
7:18 PMEF2About 43 miles from Arlington, TX3.36 mi long, 150 yd wide
7:35 PMEF0About 32 miles from Baltimore, MD0.64 mi long, 150 yd wide
7:41 PMEF0About 9 miles from McKinney, TX0.51 mi long, 50 yd wide
7:47 PMEF0About 29 miles from Baltimore, MD0.21 mi long, 75 yd wide
8:00 PMEF0About 28 miles from Grand Prairie, TX0.24 mi long, 50 yd wide
8:37 PMEF0About 24 miles from Youngstown, OH0.16 mi long, 50 yd wide
8:43 PMEF2About 28 miles from Grand Prairie, TX5.43 mi long, 659 yd wide
9:33 PMEF1About 53 miles from Fayetteville, AR28.8 mi long, 2200 yd wide
9:36 PMEF1About 51 miles from Fayetteville, AR10.3 mi long, 900 yd wide
10:06 PMEF1About 36 miles from Fayetteville, AR2.7 mi long, 300 yd wide
2:09 AMEF0Near 36.15, -90.54, AR2.24 mi long, 100 yd wide
2:55 AMEF0Near 36.30, -89.70, MO2.73 mi long, 90 yd wide
3:19 AMEF1Near 36.62, -89.26, MO3.71 mi long, 400 yd wide
3:23 AMEF1Near 36.41, -89.16, TN2.6 mi long, 50 yd wide
3:31 AMEF1Near 36.66, -89.09, KY5.25 mi long, 100 yd wide
3:33 AMEF2Near 36.52, -89.03, KY6.06 mi long, 150 yd wide
3:55 AMEF1Near 36.55, -88.65, KY4.67 mi long, 125 yd wide
3:59 AMEF1Near 36.76, -88.58, KY0.54 mi long, 100 yd wide
4:35 AMEF0About 42 miles from Clarksville, TN3.14 mi long, 80 yd wide
5:12 AMEF0About 19 miles from Clarksville, TN2.62 mi long, 75 yd wide
5:54 AMEF0About 15 miles from Nashville, TN4.91 mi long, 100 yd wide
5:56 AMEF0About 27 miles from Nashville, TN1.76 mi long, 25 yd wide
6:01 AMEF0About 20 miles from Nashville, TN2.21 mi long, 200 yd wide
6:02 AMEF0About 28 miles from Nashville, TN9.4 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:03 AMEF0About 12 miles from Nashville, TN6.38 mi long, 200 yd wide
6:10 AMEF0About 22 miles from Nashville, TN0.71 mi long, 25 yd wide
6:21 AMEF0About 18 miles from Nashville, TN3.89 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:31 AMEF0About 24 miles from Nashville, TN6.87 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:38 AMEF0About 31 miles from Nashville, TN5.05 mi long, 200 yd wide
6:54 AMEF0About 40 miles from Nashville, TN3.27 mi long, 50 yd wide
6:56 AMEF0About 48 miles from Nashville, TN1.93 mi long, 25 yd wide

By state

StateReportsHailWindTornado
Texas179144296
Arkansas566482
Tennessee5043214
Oklahoma4027112
South Carolina3916212
Georgia253166
Illinois211245
Kentucky18666
Missouri171142
Maryland7043
West Virginia6051
Alabama4130
North Carolina3021
New Mexico3300
Pennsylvania1001
Virginia1001

Cities with reports nearby

Reports within 15 miles of the center of each city we track.

CityLargest hailHighest gustTornado reports
San Antonio, TX5.5 inNone0
Fort Worth, TX1.75 inNone0
Temple, TX1.75 inNone0
Myrtle Beach, SC1.5 in70 mph0
San Marcos, TX1.5 inNone0
Denton, TX1.25 inNone0
Lewisville, TX1.25 inNone0
Dallas, TX1.0 inNone0
Frisco, TX1.0 in60 mph1
Garland, TX1.0 inNone0
McKinney, TX1.0 in60 mph1
Mesquite, TX1.0 inNone0
Montgomery, AL1.0 in58 mph0
Richardson, TX1.0 inNone0
New Braunfels, TX0.88 inNone0
Columbia, SC0.75 in58 mph0
Wichita Falls, TX0.75 in71 mph0
Allen, TXNone60 mph0
Atlanta, GANoneNone1
Clarksville, TNNone60 mph0
Fayetteville, ARNone60 mph0
Nashville, TNNone60 mph2
Plano, TXNone60 mph0

Reports are what observers recorded near a location, not a complete record of every storm. They don’t describe conditions at any building.