Denton County, Texas severe weather history spans 1,595 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #29 nationally and #4 in Texas.
1,595
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$974.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Denton County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Denton County, Texas severe weather history averages 21.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 498 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 170 events fall before 1990 and 1,425 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Denton County, Texas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $924.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Denton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 813 | 0 | $924.7M | 5.9 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 516 | 4 | $13.7M | 96 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 126 | 4 | $13.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 58 | 0 | $13.8M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Lightning | 51 | 1 | $8.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 27 | 3 | $90K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Denton County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-08-21 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Denton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 1996 | Flash Flood | DENTON | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | GARZA RES | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEWISVILLE | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 1996 | Lightning | SANGER | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2022 | Flood | LEWISVILLE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2017 | Flood | DENTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2016 | Flood | DENTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 20, 1997 | Flash Flood | JUSTIN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two teenage brothers drowned at Lake Lewisville after 40 MPH outflow winds moved across the lake. The boys were swimming at the time and one brother was swept out due to the strong winds. The other went out to help him. Both boys were recovered that evening by dive teams.
Outflow from thunderstorms to the east produced wind gusts in excess of 45 MPH on Lake Lewisville. Two men drowned in separate incidents shortly after the strong winds affected the lake. One died after his small inflatable boat overturned from the gusty winds. The other died after he was overcome on his paddle board by choppy waters.
Broadcast media reported that a woman drowned after waters rose in a ravine that she and her husband were located in near the intersection of Southwest Parkway and Bellaire Blvd in Lewisville, TX. The man broke his legs while fleeing the rising waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
979,561
Population (ACS)
$437K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 29, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Denton 185
- Lewisville 154
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Denton County, Texas?
1,595 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 12 direct deaths and $974.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Denton County?
Hail, with 813 recorded events — 51.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Denton County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Denton County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Denton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Denton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Denton County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Denton 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
- Delta County 197
- DeWitt County 262
- Deaf Smith County 598
- Dickens County 339
- Dawson County 375
- Dimmit County 132
Cite this page
“Denton County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/denton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.