Palo Pinto County, Texas severe weather history spans 691 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #413 nationally and #37 in Texas.
691
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$17.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Palo Pinto County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Palo Pinto County, Texas severe weather history averages 9.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 191 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 155 events fall before 1990 and 536 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Palo Pinto County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $11.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Palo Pinto County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 388 | 0 | $11.3M | 4 | 1960–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 188 | 0 | $3.0M | 75 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 49 | 1 | $389K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 48 | 0 | $2.6M | F3 | 1952–2026 |
| Flood | 12 | 1 | $132K | 0 | 2007–2016 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $83K | 0 | 1996–2014 |
Decade by decade
Palo Pinto County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-05-12 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Palo Pinto County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2015 | Flood | GRAFORD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2007 | Flash Flood | POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 28, 2026 | Tornado | MINERAL WELLS | 0 | 5 | $300K |
| May 9, 1998 | Hail | MINERAL WELLS | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | Tornado | GORDON | 0 | 4 | $750K |
| Oct 30, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 17, 2008 | Hail | MINERAL WELLS | 0 | 1 | $10.0M |
| Jun 7, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads closed due to flooding countywide, including Old Christian Road and Highway 254 East near Graford, and FM 2270 near Salesville. Numerous high water rescues were required. A boy who was trying to wakeboard in the flood waters was dragged several blocks and hurt his leg. A man who was believed to be driving on Hell's Gate Drive near Possum Kingdom Lake during the storms was found dead three days later in the lake.
Tennis ball-size hail broke windows, damaged vehicles, and downed power and cable lines. The Palo Pinto General Hospital sustained about $400,000 damage to its roof. The Wal-Mart in town had every skylight broken which resulted in water damage. Mineral Wells High School sustained heavy damage to its roof and also to its new outdoor stadium and bleachers. Numerous city vehicles as well as private vehicles and residences received damage from the large hail. Car dealerships reported damage to 8,000 cars in the metroplex. Most of the damage in Palo Pinto County occurred in a west to east swath north of Highway 180. One woman was injured when she was hit in the head with a large hailstone but did not seek medical attention.
The Brazos River Authority reported extensive damage at Possum Kingdom Lake. Twenty-three docks broke loose and their walkways fell fully or partially into the water. A total of 41 docks were damaged with one being completely sunk and another turned on its side and partially sunk. At Scenic Point Northview Marina, the walkway, fuel pump dock, and marina office platform were damaged. Two boats were also damaged at the same marina. At Breakers Marina, walkways were separated and three wind breaks were broken off. At Willow Beach Marina, the fuel pump dock broke loose and overturned. Three houses in Hogg Bend had missing roofs and several other structures reported missing shingles. Sam's Storage had roof damage to several units and the Sandy Creek Marina Storage had damage from debris hitting the walls. In addition, several big trees were also down around the lake with some blocking roads. Several lake and road signs were blown down and several swim buoy lines were damaged. A pontoon boat attached to a trailer bed was blown across FM 2951.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,295
Population (ACS)
$198K
Median home value
26
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 |
| Jun 11, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 29, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mineral Wells 152
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Palo Pinto County, Texas?
691 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $17.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Palo Pinto County?
Hail, with 388 recorded events — 56.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Palo Pinto County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Palo Pinto County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Palo Pinto County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Palo Pinto County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Palo Pinto County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 55 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Palo Pinto 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
- Orange County 328
- Panola County 530
- Oldham County 458
- Parker County 993
- Ochiltree County 597
- Parmer County 377
Cite this page
“Palo Pinto County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/palo-pinto-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.