Upshur County, Texas severe weather history spans 425 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,152 nationally and #110 in Texas.
425
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$17.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Upshur County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Upshur County, Texas severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 371 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Upshur County, Texas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.7M 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 Upshur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 214 | 1 | $5.9M | 87 | 1959–2026 |
| Hail | 138 | 0 | $2.4M | 4.5 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 41 | 1 | $386K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $8.7M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2016 |
Decade by decade
Upshur County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-04-01 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 40.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 25.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 54.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Upshur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAST MTN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 3, 2009 | Flash Flood | THOMAS | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 1, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 15, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 22, 2022 | Tornado | MINGS CHAPEL | 0 | 7 | $2.2M |
| Nov 5, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gilmer | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Jul 13, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAST MTN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 6, 1998 | Flash Flood | GILMER | 0 | 1 | $6K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three automobile dealerships suffered considerable hail damage to their entire inventories of over 300 vehicles. The hail fell continuously for over 20 minutes. A 24 year veteran in insurance claims said that the hail episode was the second worse he had ever seen in north Texas.
An National Weather Storm Survey team determined that the damage in Upshur County, Texas was consistent with that of a tornado. An EF-1 tornado touched down just south of FM 852 near the Bison Road and FM 852 intersection. The tornado moved east, crossing FM. 852 and passing along Armadillo Road north of Lake Gilmer and then crossing Cherokee Trace, reaching Hwy. 271 near Antelope Road before lifting. The tornado caused damage to numerous trees by snapping and/or uprooting them along the path. Some homes sustained significant damage along the path due to fallen trees. Several barns had substantial damage along the path as well. One house suffered significant injuries while a rancher lost two cows as a tree fell on them.
Excessive heavy rainfall fell across the county…resulting in several roadways under water. Water was also reported to be entering homes in Gilmer, Texas and a shed was washed from a yard and ended up in the roadway. A motorists had to be rescued from her vehicle when it stalled out on Bob-O-Link Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
42,567
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Gilmer 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Upshur County, Texas?
425 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $17.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Upshur County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 214 recorded events — 50.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Upshur County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Upshur County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Upshur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Upshur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Upshur County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Upshur 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
- Tyler County 299
- Upton County 263
- Trinity County 232
- Uvalde County 409
- Travis County 1,181
- Val Verde County 704
Cite this page
“Upshur County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/upshur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.