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Cherokee County, Texas severe weather history spans 574 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #652 nationally and #60 in Texas.
574
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
110
Direct injuries
$40.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Cherokee County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cherokee County, Texas severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 160 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 506 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cherokee County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $39.0M 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 Cherokee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 249 | 0 | $702K | 90 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $295K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 3 | $39.0M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $650K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
Decade by decade
Cherokee County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
47 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 44 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-11-15 | EF3 | 4 | 81 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-13 | EF3 | 2 | 20 | 41.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-04-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-03 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-11 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 37.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cherokee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1987 | Tornado | 2 | 75 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 13, 2019 | Tornado | MORRILL | 1 | 20 | $10.0M |
| Sep 13, 2012 | Lightning | JACKSONVILLE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Jun 4, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Apr 26, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | HENRYS CHAPEL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Nov 23, 1983 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-2 tornado with winds estimated between 105-115 mph touched down along County Road 2807 just east of Farm To Market Road 220 South about 4.5 miles southwest of Alto, and lifted north of County Road 2438 about 3 miles north of Alto. Over 27 homes sustained damage, including two homes that completely lost their roofs. Several outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, and at least two travel trailers were destroyed. The total path length was 7.3 miles.
The same storm that produced an EF-2 tornado over Southern Cherokee County about 6 miles south southwest of Alto produced another EF-2 tornado with maximum estimated winds near 120 mph across the southern and western sections of the city of Alto, where it damaged structures along Highway 21, Blaton Street, and Putnam Avenue. Damage included shifting a single family home off of its foundation and significant roof damage to another home on Quincy Avenue. Several other homes sustained structural damage as the tornado tracked across the west side of Alto and then crossed Highway 69. The tornado then moved across the Alto Independent School District (ISD) and damaged its gymnasium and roofs to structures on the campus. It was near the Alto ISD where a second stronger tornado crossed paths with this tornado as it tore through the western and northern sections of Alto just over an hour later.
A tornado touched down at Neches, and then moved northeast for approximately five miles in Anderson County before reaching the Cherokee County line. Trailers were destroyed, mobile homes damaged, windows in a house were broken, and trees were blown down. The tornado moved into western Cherokee County at seven miles south of Cuney, and remained on the ground for approximately two miles before lifting at miles west of Jacksonville. In Cherokee County, mobile homes were damaged, and trees and power lines were down, causing several roads to be closed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
51,886
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | DR |
| 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 |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Jacksonville 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cherokee County, Texas?
574 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $40.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cherokee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 249 recorded events — 43.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County?
47 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 44 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cherokee County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cherokee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cherokee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cherokee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 62 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cherokee 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
- Childress County 441
- Clay County 656
- Castro County 453
- Cochran County 266
- Cass County 653
Cite this page
“Cherokee County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/cherokee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.