Bell County, Texas severe weather history spans 965 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 40.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #156 nationally and #20 in Texas.
965
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
88
Direct injuries
$231.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Bell County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bell County, Texas severe weather history averages 13.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 251 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 153 events fall before 1990 and 812 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bell County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $203.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Bell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 394 | 0 | $203.8M | 5.68 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 302 | 0 | $7.1M | 89 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 159 | 10 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 72 | 3 | $13.8M | F3 | 1955–2024 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $765K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2001–2008 |
Decade by decade
Bell County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
73 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 67 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-05-26 | EF3 | 2 | 7 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-12 | EF3 | 0 | 23 | 16.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-06 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 34.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2007 | Flash Flood | KILLEEN | 4 | 0 | $110K |
| May 27, 1976 | Tornado | 2 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 21, 1997 | Flash Flood | KILLEEN | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| May 7, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Apr 10, 2024 | Flash Flood | (TPL)TEMPLE MUNI ARP | 1 | 0 | $40K |
| Jun 17, 2015 | Flash Flood | NOLANVILLE | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Sep 8, 2010 | Flash Flood | (GRK)GRAY AAF FT HOO | 1 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Mar 30, 2007 | Flash Flood | KILLEEN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several roads were flooded in Killeen and Harker Heights. The Killeen Police Department urged residents to stay off flooded roadways. Mobile home parks were flooded, and one permanent residence near Nolan Creek had four feet of water inside. A mobile home was washed into Nolan Creek and caught fire when the gas line hit a bridge. At least two cars were swept away into the creek. A man who was near a culvert when the rain began also drowned.
Significant flooding occurred in Bell County from the remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine. In Killeen, Highway 190 was closed due to flood waters. Residents were evacuated from an apartment complex on Watercrest Dr due to rising waters, and numerous cars with occupants were submerged in Killeen. There was one fatality in the city of Killeen when a 19 year old female's vehicle was submerged in flood waters on Reese Creek Road. Homes near the towns of Elms and Robinette had to be evacuated by boat. In Nolanville, a car was swept away, and a mobile home park was evacuated resulting in the rescue of 35 to 40 people. Salado Creek in Salado flooded the access roads of Interstate 35 and destroyed several businesses and residential structures along the creek. A bridge on Armstrong Road which crossed Salado Creek was washed away. Numerous roads were also flooded in the city of Temple. There were 17 businesses and 26 residences affected by the flood waters in the city of Belton.
Heavy rainfall in remnant bands from TD Bill resulted in flooding in Nolanville. An 11 year old boy was swept into a drainage culvert near Avenue H and 10th Street after losing his footing when approaching whirling high waters in the culvert. He passed away on the 18th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
386,897
Population (ACS)
$241K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 10, 2008 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IKE | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Temple 128
- Belton 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bell County, Texas?
965 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 13 direct deaths and $231.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bell County?
Hail, with 394 recorded events — 40.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bell County?
73 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 67 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bell County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bell County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bell County, Texas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Bee County 284
- Bexar County 1,409
- Baylor County 361
- Blanco County 249
- Bastrop County 378
- Borden County 210
Cite this page
“Bell County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/bell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.