Briscoe County, Texas severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #145 in Texas.
344
Recorded events
25
Direct deaths
84
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Briscoe County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Briscoe County, Texas severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 276 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Briscoe County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 25 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $671K 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 Briscoe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 185 | 0 | $671K | 6 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 92 | 0 | $297K | 76 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 50 | 25 | $445K | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $127K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2013 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Briscoe County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
55 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-15 | EF4 | 21 | 80 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-18 | EF4 | 16 | 42 | 65.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 5 | 51 | 96.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 36.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-22 | EF1 | 3 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Briscoe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1957 | Tornado | 21 | 80 | $250K | |
| Jun 23, 1975 | Tornado | 3 | 0 | $30 | |
| Apr 18, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The public and local fire department officials reported that predominately golfball size hail was mixed with intermittent hail stones as large as softballs in Quitaque. The hail reportedly combined with damaging thunderstorm winds to knock out many windows in Quitaque. Combined damages from wind and hail were estimated to approach $200,000. No injuries were reported.
Storm chasers reported several roads flooded in the eastern portion of the county. The Texas Tech West Texas Mesonet station located 7 E Silverton measured 3.94 inches of rain between 1640 and 1905 CST. Several roads were washed out in Caprock Canyons State Park.
Numerous reports of wind-blown hail were received from the Quitaque vicinity. Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated near 60 mph blew golfball to softball size hail through many windows in the town. Combined damages from wind and hail were estimated to approach $200,000. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,301
Population (ACS)
$90K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 9, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Silverton 150
- Quitaque 101
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Briscoe County, Texas?
344 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 25 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Briscoe County?
Hail, with 185 recorded events — 53.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Briscoe County?
55 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Briscoe County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Briscoe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Briscoe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Briscoe County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Briscoe 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
- Brewster County 507
- Brooks County 89
- Brazos County 454
- Brown County 679
- Brazoria County 549
- Burleson County 238
Cite this page
“Briscoe County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/briscoe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.