Brooks County, Texas severe weather history spans 89 recorded events between 1950 and 2023. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 37.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,919 nationally and #250 in Texas.
89
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Brooks County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Brooks County, Texas severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 35 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 78 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $6.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Brooks County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 33 | 0 | $84K | 90 | 1960–2022 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $6.0M | 1.75 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $320K | 0 | 1997–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2017 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $5K | F2 | 1950–1976 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 2009–2018 |
Decade by decade
Brooks County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-01-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-09-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-06-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Brooks County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 27, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Measured and estimated rainfall of between 7 and more than 12 inches in north central Brooks County from the pre-dawn hours through around noon on June 19th created high standing water in and around Falfurrias. More than a dozen roads in town were flooded, some with 2 to 3 feet of water depth, and a number of properties saw floodwater inside of them. Farther north, along US 281 but mainly in Jim Wells County, two to three feet of flowing water closed the highway for a time during the morning and early afternoon. Highest rainfall totals for the event included 12.1 inches at the NWS cooperative observing station 4 miles west of Falfurrias and 8 inches near the center of town. Much of the flooding was the result of a combination of creeks, including Palo Blanco and Cibolo, overspilling their banks in nearby Jim Wells and Duval County, along with sheet flow from the same areas. An unknown number of water rescues were conducted during the afternoon and evening of the 19th.
Thunderstorm winds estimated at 50 knots blew over a carport and blew it across the street. Additionally, part of the awning and roof of Rigo's Tire Shop and Road Service was torn off and tossed approximately 100 feet down the road. Radar velocity from the Corpus Christi radar indicated winds of 58 knots about 4,000 feet in elevation between 7:15PM CDT and 7:20PM CDT, which was used to estimate the timing of the event.
Brooks County Sheriffs Office reported 1 to 2 feet of water along Highway 281 in Falfurrias, as well as on multiple streets across Falfurrias. The high water on roadways resulted in at least 3 water rescues from stranded vehicles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,943
Population (ACS)
$81K
Median home value
23
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 |
| Jul 26, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HANNA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Brooks County, Texas?
89 events are on record between 1950 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Brooks County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 33 recorded events — 37.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Brooks County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Brooks County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Brooks County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Brooks County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Brooks County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Brooks 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
- Briscoe County 344
- Brown County 679
- Brewster County 507
- Burleson County 238
- Brazos County 454
- Burnet County 499
Cite this page
“Brooks County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/brooks-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.