Castro County, Texas severe weather history spans 453 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,051 nationally and #103 in Texas.
453
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
45
Direct injuries
$9.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Castro County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Castro County, Texas severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 135 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 385 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Castro County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.7M 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 Castro County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 239 | 0 | $341K | 5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 112 | 0 | $3.4M | 88 | 1967–2025 |
| Tornado | 71 | 3 | $5.7M | F3 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Castro County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
85 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 75 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 1 | 13 | 130.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-04-12 | EF3 | 3 | 32 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 28.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 45.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 31.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 28.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-10-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 31.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Castro County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 1960 | Tornado | 3 | 32 | $250K | |
| Oct 18, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 9, 1996 | Tornado | DIMMITT | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Jun 3, 1995 | Tornado | Dimmitt | 0 | 3 | $400K |
| Oct 11, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | HART | 0 | 1 | $180K |
| Jul 27, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250 | |
| May 29, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Local fire department and emergency management officials reported wind damage in and around Hart associated with a severe thunderstorm downburst. A freestanding grain dryer was blown over against a grain tank at the intersection of Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 168. A couple of center pivot irrigation systems were also blown over as the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet site in town recorded a 64 mph wind gust. Additionally, hail of up to penny size was observed.
A Texas Tech University West Texas mesonet station near Dimmitt measured a wind gust to 95 mph. The mesonet station sustained significant damage during the thunderstorm. The mesonet station's radiation shields were damaged, and a pole and guy wires were pulled out of the ground. Additionally, three-quarter inch hail dents were observed on the mesonet equipment. A center pivot irrigation system was also damaged in vicinity of the mesonet station. Southwest of Dimmitt, seven power poles were downed around the intersection of FM 1055 and County Road 621. In Dimmitt, a feed lot office was heavily damaged.
A large and long-tracked tornado cut a path of damage twenty-nine miles in length and at times nearly three-quarters of a mile wide across portions of Lamb, Hale, Castro and Swisher Counties between 17:57 and 18:36 CST on the 21st. Total damages from the tornado were estimated to exceed $1.2 million, and one person was injured.|The large tornado caused damage to center pivot irrigation systems and utility lines as it tracked over southeastern Castro County between 18:18 and 18:33 CST. Local newspapers reported that numerous irrigation systems were destroyed, and utility poles were downed along Texas Highway 194 and Farm to Market Road 145 southeast and east of Hart.|Damage caused by the tornado east of Olton (Lamb County) supported an EF-2 rating with winds estimated between 110 and 120 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,344
Population (ACS)
$95K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dimmitt 176
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Castro County, Texas?
453 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $9.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Castro County?
Hail, with 239 recorded events — 52.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Castro County?
85 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 75 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Castro County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Castro County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Castro County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Castro County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Castro 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
- Chambers County 227
- Cass County 653
- Cherokee County 574
- Carson County 910
- Childress County 441
- Camp County 221
Cite this page
“Castro County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/castro-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.