Each year on average, 137 tornadoes touch down in Texas each year, the most of any U.S. state. Its position next to the Gulf of Mexico provides the required moisture to generate tornadoes any month out of the year.[2]
May 28, 1880 – A violent unrated tornado hit the northeastern portions of Savoy, Texas, killing 14 people and injuring 60 more.[3]
April 27, 1883 – An unrated tornado hit Belton, destroying 3 homes and scattering debris for over a mile. It was estimated to have F4 windspeeds.[4]
May 15, 1896 – A destructive F5 tornado ravaged Sherman, destroying large portions of the town and killing an estimated 73 people.[5]
May 18, 1902 – An F4 tornado touched down in the city of Goliad, killing 114 people. This made it the deadliest tornado in state history, later tied by the 1953 Waco tornado.[6]
April 9, 1919 – Four F4 tornadoes touched down in various areas of Texas, killing 64 people and injuring hundreds of others.[7] The deadliest of these tornadoes tracked through Wood County, destroying rural communities and causing an estimated $450,000 (1919 USD) in damages.[8]
May 4, 1922 – Two F2 and F4 tornadoes struck Austin, killing an estimated 12-133 people and causing $300,000 (1922 USD) or more in damages. Both were widely photographed, and caused extensive damage to Austin.
May 9, 1927 – Three F4 tornadoes touched down in the counties of Collin, Hunt and Dallas, killing 40 people and completely destroying numerous buildings and structures.[9] The deadliest, which killed 19, hit Nevada and destroyed up to a half of the town.[9]
April 28, 1950 – A destructive tornado tore through Clyde, killing 5. 21 homes were completely destroyed by this tornado.
March 12, 1952 – An F2 tornado touched down in Carthage, causing extensive damage to homes and injuring 2 people. The tornado is estimated to have caused $25,000 (1953 USD) in damages.
March 13, 1952 – A large and violent F4 tornado tracked through Haskell County, killing 17 people and injuring another 25. The tornado caused $5 million (1953 USD) in damages.
April 28, 1953 – An F3 tornado hit Smithville, destroying multiple poorly-built homes and injuring 3 people. Another F3 tornado tracked through Hays County, destroying up to four homes. 1 person was killed, and it was estimated that the tornado caused $250,000 (1953 USD) in damages. A destructive and violent F4 tornado also tracked through Bexar County, hitting suburban areas of San Antonio and killing 2 people.
May 11, 1953 – Amid a larger outbreak, three tornadoes touched down across the state, including an F5 that struck Waco in McLennan County, killing 114 people and injuring 597 others. This made it the deadliest tornado in state history, along with the 1902 Goliad tornado. Across Waco, the tornado damaged or destroyed more than 1,600 buildings.[6]
December 1, 1953 – An F3 tornado touched down near Seguin, destroying seven houses and injuring 10 people. The tornado caused $250,000 (1953 USD) in damages.[10]
December 2, 1953 – An F3 tornado touched down near Tanglewood, destroying three houses and two churches. 4 people were injured.[11] An F2 tornado hit Lane City, shifting two farmhouses off of their foundations and inflicting crop damage. Another deadly F2 tornado hit areas near Navasota, completely destroying a house with 2 people inside, instantly killing both. Multiple farmhouses and barns were also heavily damaged and destroyed.[12] A tornado briefly inflicted F1 damage to Pollok, and three houses were unroofed with a garage heavily damaged.[10] An F2 tornado struck Brazos County, destroying a house.[10]
May 25, 1955 – An F4 tornado tracked through Collingsworth and Wheeler counties, destroying thirteen farmhouses and killing 2. Damage caused by the tornado was estimated to be $500,000 (1955 USD). Another brief F0 tornado touched down near Sterling City before lifting. An F1 tornado was observed near Rotan, and an F2 tornado damaged two houses near Benjamin. Another F2 briefly touched down in the Wichita Falls area, causing damage to trees.
May 26, 1955 – A brief F0 tornado touched down near Corsicana, causing little damage to crops.
April 2, 1957 – A brief tornado inflicted F0 damage on crops in Cooke County.[13] An F2 tornado damaged multiple houses near Howe, and 2 people were injured.[13] The tornado caused an estimated $25,000 (1957 USD) in damages. Another F2 tornado touched down in Montague County, destroying a church and a warehouse.[13] One person was injured when the building they were sheltering in collapsed.[13] A brief F0 tornado also inflicted minimal damage to crops near Grapevine. An F0 tornado in Grayson County destroyed multiple houses and caused crop damage.[13] A long-tracked F3 tornado hit Melissa, destroying over 10 homes and injuring four people. The tornado caused $500,000 (1957 USD) in damages, and was part of a larger tornado family. An F3 tornado tore through Western Dallas, causing $2.5 million (1957 USD) in damages and killing 10 people.[13] An F2 tornado tracked through Lamar County, destroying multiple homes and outbuildings and killing one person.[13] Another F2 tornado damaged multiple barns and killed hundreds of cattle in Wheeler County. An F3 tornado struck Newark, directly impacting a school and destroying 11 poorly-built homes. Two people were injured.[13] A brief but strong F2 tornado also destroyed a rodeo arena and a K-Bar Ranch.[13] An F1 tornado tracked through rural Denton County, damaging a few homes and barns.[13] A tornado hit Ben Franklin, inflicting F2 damage to a home and killing one person.[13]
April 3, 1957 – A brief and weak F0 tornado impacted Kaufman County, and a brief F1 tornado touched down near Woodlawn. Three brief F0 tornadoes tracked through Denton, Tarrant and Dallas counties, causing little damage to crops.[14] An F2 tornado touched down near Lone Star, damaging multiple structures. Another brief F2 tornado tracked through Harrison County, causing minor damage to sheds and trees.[14] A brief F1 tornado also tracked through Orange County, damaging a school and multiple houses.[14] A brief F2 tornado touched down in Shelby County, damaging multiple structures.[14]
May 24, 1957 – A long-tracked F2 tornado hit Bovina, damaging an orchard and multiple buildings. The tornado caused a traffic accident that injured multiple people.[15] A brief F0 tornado touched down in Bailey County,[16] and another F0 tornado was documented in Deaf Smith County.[16] A strong F3 tornado hit areas near Sudan, damaging or destroying up to 77 homes. 3 people were injured.[17] Another long-tracked tornado hit Lynn, Lubbock and Crosby counties, damaging over 120 buildings. One person was injured, the total length of the tornado path was 50 miles. A brief F1 tornado hit Cotton Center, damaging multiple homes. An F0 tornado was documented in Hale County, and another F0 tornado tracked through rural Potter County.[18] A brief but strong F3 tornado hit Lenorah, destroying 5 homes and injuring one person.[17] A brief F2 tornado impacted areas near Midland, destroying several farmhouses and downing a utility pole.[18] An F1 tornado also touched down in Baylor County, causing little damage.[18]
May 25, 1957 – A brief F0 tornado touched down near Oak Trail Shores, hitting a ranch but causing minimal damage.[19] An F1 tornado also impacted areas near Lometa, damaging a carport.[19]
June 22, 1957 – A brief F0 tornado caused little damage in Yoakum County.[20] An F1 tornado also briefly touched down in Hale County, damaging several structures.[21]
May 4, 1960 – Multiple low-rated tornadoes touched down across Texas, including an F1 tornado that caused minor damage to Flower Mound[22] and an F2 tornado that hit Dublin. An F3 tornado hit Tarrant County, destroying 8 homes.[23]
April 27, 1961 – An F2 tornado hit Marion touched down for an estimated 30 seconds, destroying multiple structures, including a steel marina.[25]
April 29, 1961 – A small F2 tornado was observed near Corpus Christi, causing $25,000 (1961 USD) in damages. A fruit stand that was in the path of the tornado was completely destroyed, and a house was damaged.[24]
May 3, 1961 – Multiple tornadoes hit the Texas panhandle, including an F2 tornado in Dougherty that destroyed barns and buildings. Two brief F0 tornadoes were also observed, one in Silverton and the other was a twin of the Dougherty tornado.[26][27]
May 4, 1961 – An F0 tornado was reported in Canadian,[28] and an F2 tornado touched down near Bogata, heavily damaging multiple barns and vehicles. An F3 tornado was reported outside of Fort Stockton, causing $250,000 (1961 USD) in damages.[29] A brief F0 tornado also touched down near Paducah, causing no damage.[26]
May 7, 1961 – A damaging F3 tornado hit Stamford, destroying up to 4 homes and tossing a 4-foot-long portion of brick wall over 0.25 miles away. The tornado was estimated to have caused $250,000 (1961 USD) in damages.[30] A relatively weak and brief F0 tornado also touched down near Seymour, causing little damage.[31]
May 17, 1962 – A destructive F2 tornado hit Pecos, destroying a church and causing heavy damage to a smokestack. Multiple houses were also damaged or destroyed, and the tornado caused $250,000 in damages.[32] A brief F0 tornado also touched down in Pecos, causing little damage.
May 20, 1962 – A relatively strong tornado touched down outside of Vernon, destroying a poorly-built structure at F2 intensity and downing various power lines. It caused an unknown amount of damage, and no fatalities were reported.[33] An F1 tornado also struck Matador, destroying multiple sheds and uprooting trees.[34]
May 25, 1962 – A deadly and destructive F3 tornado tore through Radium,[35] destroying six houses and multiple barns. A woman was killed when the house she was sheltering in took a direct hit, and she was found over 200 yards away from her property.[36] A brief F0 tornado[37] and another F1 tornado were documented in Jones County, causing little damage.[38]
May 26, 1962 – An F4 tornado hit Haskell, injuring one person and causing $2.5 million (1962 USD) in damages.[39] An F1[40] and F2 tornado also followed, both hitting Haskell.[41] A brief tornado also touched down near Rotan, inflicting F1 damage on trees.[42]
May 27, 1962 – A brief but strong F2 tornado hit Booker, destroying a house.[43] It was accompanied by an F0, which caused little damage.[44] An F1 tornado was also reported near Spearman, and one house was damaged.[45] Three tornadoes struck Perryton, one of which inflicted F3 damage on a farmhouse. 13 people were injured.[46] The second Perryton tornado caused F2 damage to six houses, but caused no injuries.[47] The third tornado caused F1 damage to multiple homes, and no injuries were reported.[48] The event in total caused $2.5 million (1962 USD) in damages.[49]
May 28, 1962 – A large F2 tornado caused extensive damage near Fredericksburg.[50] An F1 tornado was also reported outside of Comfort, although it is speculated that the Fredericksburg tornado and this one were the same tornado.[51] A brief F0 tornado was also documented outside of Kerrville, destroying a poorly-built barn and uprooting crops.[52]
May 31, 1962 – A relatively strong F1 tornado caused damage in Cottle County,[53] and an F0 tornado tracked through Best, causing minimal damage.[54] A large nocturnal tornado was also documented in Callahan County, destroying four homes at F3 intensity and critically injuring a man. Six other people were also injured.[55] A brief but strong F2 tornado tracked through rural land near Longworth, destroying a house and causing crop damage.[56]
May 5, 1965 – An F0 tornado touched down near Spofford, and another F1 tornado briefly touched down near Wingate. No damage was reported.
May 7, 1965 – A weak and brief F0 tornado caused damage to crops south of Wheeler.
June 10, 1966 – A long-tracked F2 tornado was observed in Swisher County, causing an unknown amount of damage, Two tornadoes, rated as an F1 and an F0, were documented in the minutes following. No damage was reported.
June 12, 1966 – A brief F3 tornado damaged fields and crops in Denton County. No injuries were reported.
May 1, 1967 – Three brief but strong F3 tornadoes hit North Zulch, Ebenezer and Corsicana, causing damage to barns and other structures. A brief F2 tornado was also documented near Mount Pleasent. Later in the day, multiple more tornadoes were reported, including four F2 tornadoes in Polk, Liberty and Guadalupe counties, all of which were brief and caused little damage.
May 16, 1968 – A brief F1 tornado touched down near Bellevue, causing minimal damage. An F3 tornado also damaged a house near Vernon. No injuries were reported.
April 17, 1970 – Three powerful F4 tornadoes caused intense damage in the Southern Texas panhandle. The first tornado touched down near Whiteface, and caused $20,000,000 (1970 USD) in damages while injuring 20 people. Many houses were wiped clean off of their foundations. Multiple grain elevators were obliterated at F4 intensity before the tornado lifted near Anton.[57] The second tornado touched down near Cotton Center, immediately becoming violent and destroying houses, vehicles, and other structures in the immediate path of the tornado. 5 people were killed, and the tornado caused an estimated $4.5 million (1970 USD) in damages before lifting near Hedley.[57] The third tornado formed and touched down in Lazbuddie, destroying multiple houses at F4 intensity and killing one person.[58]
April 18, 1970 – A violent F4 tornado struck Vigo Park, killing 16 people and causing $100,000 (1970 USD) in damages as it destroyed multiple homes and structures.[57] An F2 tornado impacted areas near Lake Worth, damaging multiple boats before lifting.[57] Another F2 tornado formed directly north of Cross Mountain, damaging multiple homes and downing power lines.[59] An F1 tornado was observed near Plano, throwing an occupied vehicle into the side of a fence. Two people were injured, and no fatalities were reported.[58] Another F2 tornado hit Royse City, damaging a dairy store and damaging a mobile home.[59] A brief F0 tornado was also reported near Franklin.[58]
April 19, 1970 – A relatively weak F2 tornado hit a nursing home in Longview, causing structural damage and damage to trees.[59]
May 11, 1970 – A powerful multi-vortex tornado touched down and tracked into the city of Lubbock, killing 26 people, injuring 1,500+, and causing over $1.96 billion (2024 USD) in damages. It was at the time the costliest tornado ever recorded.[60]
May 6, 1973 – An F5-rated tornado caused damage to vehicles, and two pickup trucks were lofted for hundreds of yards. Structural damage was only of F2 intensity, and two barns were destroyed during the event. No fatalities or injuries were reported.[61]
April 19, 1976 – Homes were swept away, and multiple houses were slabbed. Several teenagers were caught in the open and were picked up and thrown over 1,000 yards, but no fatalities were reported.[62]
April 10, 1979 – An F2 tornado was confirmed in Foard County, causing an unknown amount of damage.[63] A powerful and extremely violent tornado hit Wilbarger County, causing extensive damage to Vernon. Houses were destroyed and multiple businesses were flattened.[64] The tornado killed 11 people in total, 7 of which occurred when the tornado struck a highway. The tornado caused $27,000,000 (1979 USD) in damages, and injured 67 people.[65] Multiple other brief F0 and F1 tornadoes were reported in Wichita and Runnels counties. A tornado hit Seymour, inflicting F2 damage to roofs, power lines, and trees.[66] An extremely violent and catastrophic F4 tornado touched down near Wichita Falls, killing 42 people and injuring 1,740. This is the second-highest number of injuries ever recorded for a single tornado in U.S. history, only surpassed by the 1925 Tri-State tornado.[67] An F3 tornado was recorded near Talpa, causing extensive damage to houses but causing no injuries.[68]
April 11, 1979 – Multiple brief F1 and F2 tornadoes touched down in Comanche County, injuring one person. A brief F1 tornado was confirmed in Palo Pinto County,[69] and another F1 was reported in Grayson County.[70] An F2 tornado caused damage near Athens, and another F2 tornado hit Sulphur Springs.[69] A brief F1 tornado was also documented damaging crops in Wood County.[69]
April 2, 1982 – A long-tracked and strong F3 tornado tracked through Lamar County, causing extensive damage to multiple houses and barns. One elderly woman was killed while sheltering.[71] An F2 tornado was recorded in Fannin County, damaging trees and other crops before dissipating near a lake.[71] An extremely violent F4 tornado tracked through Red River County, killing 10 people and injuring 170 others.[72] An F1 tornado briefly touched down directly after this tornado had lifted.[72] Three more tornadoes would touch down in Red River County, one of which was an F3 tornado that killed one person and injured four others.[72] The other tornadoes, rated F1 and F2, also briefly damaged crops and rural buildings.[72]
May 22, 1987 – A deadly F4 tornado struck Saragosa, killing 30 people and causing over $1.4 million (1987 USD) in damages.[73]
June 8, 1995 – Multiple violent tornadoes touched down in the Texas Panhandle, injuring 11 people. The most well known of these was a F4 tornado that hit Pampa.[74][75]
May 27, 1997 – A violent and extremely destructive tornado hit Jarrell, killing 27 people and injuring a further 12. This is the most recent F5 tornado to hit Texas, and is regarded as one of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded.[73]
May 11, 1999 – A violent multi-vortex F4 tornado hit Loyal Valley. Although it had a short path, it caused over $1 million (1999 USD) in damages and killed 1 person.[76]
March 28, 2000 – A powerful and violent F3 tornado struck downtown Fort Worth, killing 2 people. The tornado damaged skyscrapers and low-rise buildings, causing $450 million (2000 USD) in damage.[77] Nine more tornadoes touched down as part of the event, including another F3 tornado that caused extensive damage in Arlington.[78] Multiple brief F0 and F1 tornadoes damaged structures and crops in Dallas, Henderson, Bexar and Navarro counties.[79]
April 23, 2000 – Six tornadoes touched down in Cass County, including an F3 which damaged buildings.[80] Four F1 and F2 tornadoes touched down in Harrison County, and a relatively strong F2 tornado damaged crops in Red River County.[80]
April 10, 2001 – An F1 tornado damaged several structures near Fritich,[81] and an F2 tornado destroyed grain bins near Spearman, injuring 2 people.[81] An F2 tornado was recorded directly south of Wheeler, and a home was heavily damaged. An F1 tornado damaged areas surrounding Wichita Falls,[81] and a machine stop was heavily damaged. A brief and weak F1 tornado was also observed near Era, but little damage occurred.[81]
April 11, 2001 – A brief F1 tornado damaged trees near Muenster,[81] and another F1 tornado destroyed a barn and other structures near Gainesville.[81]
May 3, 2003 – A brief and small F0 tornado touched down near Aspermont, and was on the ground for an estimated 3 minutes. No damage was reported.[82] Two F0 tornadoes were also documented in Haskell County, but little damage was reported.[83] Another F2 tornado was also reported near Haskell,[83] downing power lines while an F0 tornado caused minimal damage in Stonewall County.[83]
May 7, 2003 – An F1 tornado destroyed an old school building and multiple sheds in Callahan County, and an F0 tornado caused minor damage near Cisco.[83]
February 10, 2009 – A violent tornado touched down in near Spanish Fort, destroying houses at EF4 intensity and killing 5 people.[84]
November 7, 2011 – A destructive EF4 tornado tore through Wilbarger County, causing large amounts of damage but no fatalities.[85]
May 15, 2013 – A violent wedge tornado hit Granbury, wiping multiple homes off of their foundations and completely destroying other structures. 6 people were killed, and 54 were injured.[86]
December 26, 2015 – A wedge tornado hit 600 homes in the communities of Sunnyvale and Garland, causing 10 deaths and 468 injuries. Multiple well-built homes were destroyed at EF4 intensity.[87]
January 24, 2023 – A large EF3 tornado struck the Houston suburban areas of Pasadena and Deer Park, causing $6.6 million (2023 USD) in damages and injuring 3 people.
June 21, 2023 – An intense EF3 tornado hit Matador, destroying multiple structures and killing 4 people. A 500-foot-tall radio tower was completely destroyed.[88]
March 14, 2024 – An EF0 tornado caused minimal damage to crops and structures near Frisco.
March 15, 2024 – An EF1 tornado touched down near Rochelle, heavily damaging a metal barn.
April 26, 2024 – Two EF0 and EF1 tornadoes touched down near China Spring, causing damage to several homes and snapping trees. An EF0 tornado briefly touched down near West, causing tree damage.
The following chart lists the number of tornadoes by county, based on the location of where the twister first touched down, and listed by intensity on the Fujita scale, or the Enhanced Fujita scale after 2007.
Fire whirls are indicated with a †.
Number of tornadoes organized by Fujita or Enhanced Fujita scale rating
^In the United States, a tornado or twister both refer to a violently rotating column of air that reaches the ground. The National Weather Service (NWS) describes them as the "most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena".[1]
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