Dallas County, Texas severe weather history spans 2,012 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #12 nationally and #2 in Texas.
2,012
Recorded events
46
Direct deaths
882
Direct injuries
$5.3B
Property damage
The record
What the Dallas County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dallas County, Texas severe weather history averages 27.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 460 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 417 events fall before 1990 and 1,595 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dallas County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 23 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.6B 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 Dallas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 833 | 0 | $1.2B | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 703 | 5 | $39.2M | 100 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 296 | 11 | $877.1M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 109 | 23 | $2.6B | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 42 | 4 | $5.0M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 20 | 2 | $536.3M | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 1 | $136K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
Decade by decade
Dallas County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
103 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 95 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-12-26 | EF4 | 10 | 468 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-25 | EF4 | 3 | 48 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-02 | EF3 | 10 | 200 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-26 | EF3 | 0 | 46 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-12-13 | EF3 | 0 | 28 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-10-12 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 45.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-10-04 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 27.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dallas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | Tornado | NEW HOPE | 10 | 468 | $26.0M |
| Apr 2, 1957 | Tornado | 10 | 200 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 26, 1994 | Tornado | Lancaster to | 3 | 48 | $500K |
| Jul 7, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | RENNER | 2 | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 9, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | DALLAS | 1 | 6 | $10.0M |
| Oct 8, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAGLE FORD | 1 | 5 | $10K |
| Jun 4, 2025 | Flash Flood | ALPHA | 1 | 0 | $45K |
| Aug 22, 2022 | Flash Flood | MESQUITE | 1 | 0 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Garland and Rowlett tornado began in Sunnyvale, where several mobile homes were destroyed along a wide and long path. The full tornado length was a little over 13 miles, with nearly ten miles within Dallas County. Nine people lost their lives in vehicles as the tornado crossed Interstate 30 at the President George Bush Turnpike. Another male died after sustaining injuries in a collapsed home in Rowlett. Eight of the 10 died that night, but one died on January 8th from his injuries, and another passed away on January 18th. The tornado affected nearly 600 homes in Dallas County, destroying nearly 400 of these homes. Twenty-two businesses were affected by this tornado, with one business being completely destroyed.
The Lancaster tornado was on the ground for approximately 6 miles and was 1/2 mile wide, producing upper F3 to lower F4 damage. Two hundred twenty-three homes were destroyed, 227 damaged, 58 businesses destroyed. Severe damage was done to one elementary and one junior high school. Eighty percent of the historic downtown square was destroyed. (F73O)(F70O)(M71O)
Outflow from thunderstorms to the east produced wind gusts in excess of 45 MPH on the campus of The University of Texas-Dallas, in the city of Richardson. This outflow caused the collapse of a crane which was being dismantled at a construction project. Two workers, a 58 year old male, and a 50 year old male died in the crane collapse.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,621,179
Population (ACS)
$303K
Median home value
28
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 |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dallas 218
- Garland 129
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dallas County, Texas?
2,012 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 46 direct deaths and $5.3B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dallas County?
Hail, with 833 recorded events — 41.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dallas County?
103 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 95 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dallas County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dallas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dallas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dallas County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dallas 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
- Dallam County 354
- Dawson County 375
- Culberson County 139
- Deaf Smith County 598
- Crosby County 402
- Delta County 197
Cite this page
“Dallas County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/dallas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.