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Rusk County, Texas severe weather history spans 778 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #313 nationally and #32 in Texas.
778
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$17.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Rusk County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rusk County, Texas severe weather history averages 10.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 224 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 106 events fall before 1990 and 672 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rusk County, Texas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.2M 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 Rusk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 395 | 3 | $1.1M | 100 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 242 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 67 | 0 | $16.2M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 57 | 0 | $87K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2017 |
Decade by decade
Rusk County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
77 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 63 touched down inside it and 14 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-04-13 | EF3 | 2 | 20 | 41.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-11-22 | EF3 | 1 | 10 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-04-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-03-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-07-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 37.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rusk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Henderson | 1 | 2 | $50K |
| Apr 12, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 12, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 6, 2003 | Tornado | TATUM | 0 | 6 | $2.3M |
| Apr 30, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 5, 2022 | Tornado | HENDERSON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Aug 5, 2020 | Lightning | HENDERSON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 25, 2012 | Tornado | MT ENTERPRISE | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 3-week old child was killed and two persons sustained minor injuries when a mobile home was rolled by high winds and heavily damaged. Roofs were partially blown off two houses and a barn was damaged. Damage was estimated at over $25,000. M01M
A supercell thunderstorm moved northeast across Rusk County. Numerous wood frame and mobile homes were damaged with several homes totally destroyed. A few barns were damaged as well. One power substation was severely damaged. Numerous large Pine, Oak, and Pecan trees were twisted, broken and uprooted. This tornado moved into Rusk County from Cherokee County, TX.
A supercell storm moved across the northeast part of the county. About 20 wood frame and mobile homes were damaged. Six (6) mobile homes were totally destroyed. Numerous trees were twisted, broken and uprooted. This tornado remained in Rusk County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
52,842
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE BERYL | DR |
| 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 |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Henderson 151
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rusk County, Texas?
778 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $17.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rusk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 395 recorded events — 50.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rusk County?
77 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 63 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rusk County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rusk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rusk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rusk County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rusk 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
- Runnels County 520
- Sabine County 219
- Rockwall County 229
- San Augustine County 187
- Robertson County 204
- San Jacinto County 223
Cite this page
“Rusk County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/rusk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.