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Harris County, Texas severe weather history spans 1,937 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #14 nationally and #3 in Texas.
1,937
Recorded events
97
Direct deaths
433
Direct injuries
$11.0B
Property damage
The record
What the Harris County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harris County, Texas severe weather history averages 25.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 538 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 325 events fall before 1990 and 1,612 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harris County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 62 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $10.3B 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 Harris County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 713 | 10 | $162.7M | 90 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 603 | 0 | $23.3M | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 254 | 13 | $528.5M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 217 | 62 | $10.3B | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Lightning | 72 | 11 | $7.1M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 62 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $6.3M | 0 | 2012–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 1 | $2K | 0 | 2004–2018 |
Decade by decade
Harris County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
257 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 246 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-11-21 | EF4 | 0 | 16 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-05 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-12-13 | EF3 | 1 | 40 | 25.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-28 | EF3 | 1 | 7 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-11 | EF3 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-03-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-08 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 12.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-09-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harris County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2017 | Flash Flood | JOYCE | 36 | 0 | $10.0B |
| Apr 18, 2016 | Flash Flood | HOCKLEY | 6 | 0 | $35.0M |
| May 26, 2015 | Flash Flood | NASSAU BAY | 6 | 0 | $25.0M |
| May 16, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTHLINE TERRACE | 4 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2007 | Flash Flood | HOUSTON | 3 | 0 | $750K |
| Jul 15, 2012 | Lightning | LITTLE YORK | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 31, 2015 | Flash Flood | ORR | 2 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 16, 2006 | Flash Flood | HOUSTON | 2 | 0 | $12K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
There were numerous water rescues within Houston and the surrounding suburbs. Flood waters completely inundated thousands of homes and businesses. Roads and highways in and around Houston were flooded and therefore closed for long time periods. Catastrophic flooding occurred on nearly every one of the 22 watersheds in Harris County. 10 out of the 19 bayous in the county reached record crests and flooding. There was widespread flooding along Buffalo Bayou and upstream and downstream of both Addicks and Barkers Reservoirs due to record level pool elevations. There was major flooding of hundreds of homes within numerous neighboring subdivisions along the San Jacinto River and the East Fork of the San Jacinto River.|There were numerous water rescues within Houston and the surrounding suburbs. Roads and highways in and around Houston inundated and closed due to flash flooding. ||Some of the reported flooded roads in Pasadena were Vista Street, Shafer Street, Fairmont Drive and Strawberry Road.
Heavy rain caused extensive flooding especially over western half of the county where 10 to 15 inches of rain fell in less than a 12 hour period. An estimated 40,000 vehicles and 10,000 homes were flooded. Seven people in Harris County drowned in their vehicles when they drove into flooded roadways. There were numerous high water rescues.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in and around the city of Houston that caused numerous creek and bayou overflows. Multiple water rescues were conducted. Numerous roads were impassable due to flooding that was as high as six feet deep. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the flood water. Flood waters inundated at least 2,585 homes and 73 commercial buildings. Many bayous, including Brays, Keegans, Buffalo (610 Loop to Downtown Houston), White Oak, Armand, and Halls were out of banks. Additional flooding occurred along Brickhouse Gully, South Mayde Creek, San Jacinto River, Clear Creek, Rummel Creek, Willow Water Hole, Cypress Creek, Little Cypress Creek, Willow Creek and Spring Creek. There were six directly related drowning fatalities.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,838,303
Population (ACS)
$277K
Median home value
41
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 |
| Jul 26, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HANNA | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Houston 248
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Harris County, Texas?
1,937 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 97 direct deaths and $11.0B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harris County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 713 recorded events — 36.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harris County?
257 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 246 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harris County?
41 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harris County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harris County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harris County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harris 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
- Hardin County 293
- Harrison County 899
- Hardeman County 462
- Hartley County 497
- Hansford County 499
- Haskell County 574
Cite this page
“Harris County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/harris-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.