Val Verde County, Texas severe weather history spans 704 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #396 nationally and #36 in Texas.
704
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
196
Direct injuries
$70.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Val Verde County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Val Verde County, Texas severe weather history averages 10.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 184 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 162 events fall before 1990 and 542 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Val Verde County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $40.8M 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 Val Verde County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 321 | 0 | $18.3M | 5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 196 | 0 | $1.3M | 98 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 129 | 9 | $40.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 0 | $9.4M | F2 | 1964–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2007–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2004 |
Decade by decade
Val Verde County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 22 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-03-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-10-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Val Verde County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 1998 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 9 | 150 | $40.0M |
| May 11, 1995 | Tornado | Del Rio | 0 | 22 | $250K |
| Aug 23, 1998 | Flash Flood | NORTH PORTION | 0 | 5 | $20K |
| Oct 20, 1993 | Tornado | Del Rio | 0 | 4 | $500K |
| Apr 7, 2002 | Hail | DEL RIO | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Mar 17, 1987 | Hail | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Feb 20, 1997 | Flash Flood | COUNTWIDE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| May 11, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Del Rio | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm produced four inch diameter hail in Del Rio. The large hail that hit the City of Del Rio likely caused in excess of 10 million dollars in damage but as of this writing do not have an accurate estimate of damage from city/county/state officials or private insurance companies.
Water releases from an upstream reservoir in Mexico caused flooding along the Rio Grande in Del Rio. Vega Verde Road and several properties along the road were flooded. Evacutions did occur in order to get residents out of the area as roads became inundated and impassable.
The second supercell storm struck near 635 pm to the northwest of Del Rio near the Los Campos subdivision. This is west of US 90 and south of Amistad Dam. Spotters reported that rain and hail struck first, followed by high winds. Hail varied in size with some as large as softballs and with winds estimated at over 70 mph. Damage in this part of Del Rio was the worst in the area, consisting of broken windows, dented home exteriors, torn roofs, damaged fences, large trees limbs blown down, trees knocked over, vehicles dented with broken windshields, and livestock injured and killed. In spite of the considerable damage, the amount of damage in dollars will still likely be less than the massive hailstorm suffered by Del Rio in April of 2002.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,741
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Feb 25, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Fire | WILDFIRES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Del Rio 183
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Val Verde County, Texas?
704 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $70.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Val Verde County?
Hail, with 321 recorded events — 45.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Val Verde County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 43 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Val Verde County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Val Verde County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Val Verde County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Val Verde County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 76 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Val Verde 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
- Uvalde County 409
- Van Zandt County 481
- Upton County 263
- Victoria County 376
- Upshur County 425
- Walker County 292
Cite this page
“Val Verde County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/val-verde-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.