Kaufman County, Texas severe weather history spans 597 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #591 nationally and #53 in Texas.
597
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$113.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Kaufman County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kaufman County, Texas severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 193 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 80 events fall before 1990 and 517 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kaufman County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $102.2M 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 Kaufman County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 264 | 0 | $5.4M | 78 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 205 | 0 | $1.9M | 5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 70 | 0 | $3.9M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 37 | 1 | $102.2M | F3 | 1957–2020 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $14K | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $160K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Kaufman County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-03 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-03-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-25 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kaufman County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 3, 2012 | Tornado | FORNEY | 0 | 7 | $100.0M |
| May 30, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 28, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | MABANK | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| May 29, 2019 | Tornado | TOLOSA | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| May 11, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | TALTY | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Aug 28, 2005 | Lightning | TERRELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 2, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | MABANK | 0 | 1 | $1.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Significant flash flooding occurred in the southern parts of Kaufman County, especially in the city of Mabank. Numerous roads were flooded and water flowed over several bridges. Over 10 inches of rain fell in Mabank and this led to numerous homes threatened with flood water and at least four homes were inundated with water. One home had to be evacuated. Numerous vehicles suffered damage as the water rose and flooded the insides. The flooding was directly responsible for power outages throughout the area and led to a boil water notice.
A tornado began in southern Kaufman County on the northwest side of Cedar Creek Reservoir, near FM 4042 and Valentine Rd. Notable tree damage was observed at the start of the track. The tornado crossed the reservoir and struck the peninsula where Cedar Creek Golf Course is located. Significant tree damage occurred along the track in the form of uprooted and snapped large hardwood trees. Some trees were snapped near the base, but most were snapped about half way up the trunk. The tornado appeared to strengthen to EF-2 winds as it crossed the golf course. On the east side of the peninsula, the tornado significantly damaged a house, lifting the roof off over an attached indoor swimming pool and part of the roof over the main house. The tornado then crossed the reservoir again, did minor tree damage across Hwy 175 and dissipated just past the highway. Maximum winds with the tornado were estimated at 120 mph. One person suffered minor injuries.
A downburst did widespread damage to a 3-mile-swath across the northwest and southwest sides of Mabank. Power lines were blown down, store fronts damaged, the city maintenance building was destroyed, the roof of school partially blown off, and two mobile homes heavily damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
172,604
Population (ACS)
$321K
Median home value
20
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 |
| Feb 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Terrell 116
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kaufman County, Texas?
597 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $113.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kaufman County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 264 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kaufman County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kaufman County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kaufman County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kaufman County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kaufman County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kaufman 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
- Karnes County 179
- Kendall County 271
- Jones County 726
- Kenedy County 46
- Johnson County 904
- Kent County 236
Cite this page
“Kaufman County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/kaufman-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.