Matagorda County, Texas severe weather history spans 219 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,325 nationally and #210 in Texas.
219
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$7.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Matagorda County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Matagorda County, Texas severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 55 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 156 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Matagorda County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.0M 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 Matagorda County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 92 | 3 | $692K | 95 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 47 | 4 | $6.0M | F3 | 1954–2017 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $172K | 2 | 1973–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $808K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Matagorda County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 49 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 | 4 | 7 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-14 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-04-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-04-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Matagorda County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 4 | 7 | $25K | |
| Nov 25, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 2 | $0 | |
| Nov 16, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 11, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 14, 2017 | Tornado | VAN VLECK | 0 | 6 | $900K |
| Sep 11, 1998 | Tornado | SARGENT | 0 | 5 | $15K |
| Jun 5, 2007 | Lightning | MATAGORDA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | PALACIOS | 0 | 1 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This EF-1 tornado touched down on the west side of Van Vleck and moved east- northeast through a residential area. It crossed Highway 35 and then dissipated soon after. There was significant damage to two houses, and there were also trunks of hardwood trees snapped. Estimated peak winds were 100 mph.
A brief yet strong tornado moved onshore along the coast in Sargent causing significant damage to one home and overturning a motor home. Numerous trees were snapped and/or downed along the path as well as minor roof damage to several homes and businesses.
Large tree limbs down.A rare mid summer cold front combined with extreme instability to produce a severe squall line which pushed through southeast Texas on the afternoon and early evening of July 23rd. The storms resulted in numerous reports of wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph producing widespread wind damage. Hail of dime to golfball size was also reported in a few areas.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,329
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
29
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 |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Jul 26, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HANNA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Matagorda County, Texas?
219 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $7.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Matagorda County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 92 recorded events — 42.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Matagorda County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 49 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Matagorda County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Matagorda County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Matagorda County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Matagorda County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Matagorda 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
- Mason County 237
- Maverick County 208
- Martin County 306
- Medina County 372
- Marion County 282
- Menard County 204
Cite this page
“Matagorda County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/matagorda-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.