Lavaca County, Texas severe weather history spans 294 recorded events between 1954 and 2024. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 35.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,810 nationally and #158 in Texas.
294
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
364
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Lavaca County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lavaca County, Texas severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 115 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 244 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lavaca County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.6M 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 Lavaca County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 104 | 1 | $6.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Hail | 84 | 0 | $266K | 4 | 1959–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 63 | 0 | $2.0M | 80 | 1959–2024 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $3.7M | F3 | 1954–2021 |
| Lightning | 4 | 1 | $350K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Lavaca 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: 37 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-09-20 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lavaca County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 1997 | Lightning | HALLETSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Oct 19, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 300 | $3.0M |
| Oct 18, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 50 | $2.0M |
| Mar 31, 2007 | Tornado | HALLETSVILLE | 0 | 4 | $75K |
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado was reported by the EMC just north of Moulton. Up to five inches of rain fell in the same storm. Power lines and tree limbs were knocked down on all streets and along Highway 95 northward toward Flatonia. One resident reported seeing a funnel dip downward out of the thunderstorm. Others in Moulton reported hearing a roaring sound as the damage occurred. A mobile home was blown off its blocks, farm outbuildings were destroyed and cattle injured. Numerous roofs across the city were damaged.
As the line of thunderstorms associated with the late season cold front moved southward into Lavaca County, they produced severe winds just south of the Fayette County line. The wind knocked down many trees and power lines. Some homes were without power until 3am the following day.
The Lavaca County Sheriff's Department reported a second tornado just west of Hallettsville. This tornado was very small and short-lived. It damaged the roof of a house and knocked down several trees before dissipating.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,552
Population (ACS)
$228K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | 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 |
| Aug 25, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HARVEY | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lavaca County, Texas?
294 events are on record between 1954 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths and $12.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lavaca County?
Flash Flood, with 104 recorded events — 35.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lavaca County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lavaca County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lavaca County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lavaca County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lavaca County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lavaca 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
- La Salle County 165
- Lee County 234
- Lampasas County 243
- Leon County 261
- Lamb County 528
- Liberty County 356
Cite this page
“Lavaca County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/lavaca-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.