Howard County, Texas severe weather history spans 608 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #567 nationally and #50 in Texas.
608
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
52
Direct injuries
$54.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Howard County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Howard County, Texas severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 149 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 132 events fall before 1990 and 476 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Howard County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $51.0M 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 Howard County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 318 | 0 | $51.0M | 5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 144 | 0 | $1.7M | 94 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 86 | 2 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 54 | 0 | $774K | F2 | 1954–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2004–2014 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Howard County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
55 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-05-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Howard County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2000 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 2 | 1 | $10K |
| May 10, 1996 | Hail | BIG SPRING | 0 | 48 | $30.0M |
| Jun 23, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $30 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous reports were received of wind-driven hail damage across Big Spring. West facing windows and walls of homes were damaged. Car windows were broken. Multiple power poles were snapped. At least some small metal outbuilldings and awnings were damaged. Wind speeds are estimated to have been between 80-100 mph. The time of occurrence is estimated from radar. The total cost of damages is also estimated.
Heavy rain moved over Howard County and produced flash flooding over Big Spring and portions of rural Howard County. Numerous vehicles were stranded in Big Spring. The cost of damage of six hundred thousand dollars is a very rough estimate. There were no injuries reported.
A severe thunderstorm moved across the eastern portions of the city of Big Spring, producing golfball to baseball size hail and 40-50 mph winds over approximately a one mile stretch of land. It is estimated that 400 cars sustained hail damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,290
Population (ACS)
$156K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Sep 9, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Big Spring 260
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Howard County, Texas?
608 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $54.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Howard County?
Hail, with 318 recorded events — 52.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Howard County?
55 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 51 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Howard County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Howard County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Howard County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Howard County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Howard 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
- Houston County 363
- Hudspeth County 119
- Hopkins County 508
- Hunt County 672
- Hood County 481
- Hutchinson County 913
Cite this page
“Howard County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/howard-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.