Van Zandt County, Texas severe weather history spans 481 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #945 nationally and #88 in Texas.
481
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
122
Direct injuries
$55.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Van Zandt County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Van Zandt County, Texas severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 170 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 70 events fall before 1990 and 411 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Van Zandt County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $44.9M 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 Van Zandt County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 209 | 1 | $4.6M | 85 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 171 | 0 | $3.5M | 4.5 | 1973–2026 |
| Tornado | 42 | 6 | $44.9M | F2 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 42 | 1 | $1.6M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $318K | 0 | 2007–2016 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $367K | 0 | 1996–2022 |
Decade by decade
Van Zandt County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-29 | EF4 | 2 | 25 | 21.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-29 | EF3 | 2 | 24 | 39.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-10 | EF3 | 2 | 43 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-01-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Van Zandt County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2015 | Tornado | PRIMROSE | 2 | 43 | $40.0M |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Tornado | WALTON | 2 | 24 | $600K |
| Apr 29, 2017 | Tornado | BIG ROCK | 2 | 20 | $700K |
| Jun 4, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | BEN WHEELER | 1 | 1 | $5K |
| Mar 31, 2007 | Flash Flood | WILLS PT | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 8, 1996 | Lightning | BEN WHEELER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILLS PT | 0 | 10 | $500K |
| May 2, 2008 | Tornado | CANTON | 0 | 8 | $300K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A NWS storm survey team found EF-3 damage in the city of Van. This tornado began near highway 64, near Edom before moving in a northerly direction. The storm crossed Interstate 20 on the southeast side of Van, before carving a destructive path over the eastern side of the city. The greatest damage was done in a housing development to the north of the public school administration building, where over 50 homes were damaged or destroyed. Two fatalities occurred with this tornado, as a married couple was apparently asleep in their mobile home when the tornado hit.
The Henderson County tornado continued into Van Zandt County. A National Weather Service damage survey crew found the start of tornado number three began in Henderson County, approximately 3 miles due south of Eustace. This tornado eventually moved into Van Zandt County, where the storm produced EF4 damage. In Henderson County, several homes suffered EF2 damage, along with a considerable amount of tree damage and damage to farm buildings. As the storm moved into Van Zandt County, the tornado grew to a mile wide at the tornado's maximum width. Over 50 homes were either damaged or destroyed, with a continuous path noted between counties.
This tornado began nearly as the last tornado dissipated to the south and west. The parent supercell cycled another tornado about a mile to the east and northeast of the previous storm. This tornado quickly grew to a large tornado, becoming slightly less than one mile wide at its widest point. The tornado was at the strongest near Interstate 20 and FM 17 just north of Canton. The survey crews found continuous damage between Canton and Fruitvale, and then additional damage as far north as Emory, |and Lake Fork. Several homes, businesses, and farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in the 40 mile continuous damage path. This tornado occurred for over an hour, and spanned most of Van Zandt, and nearly all of Rains Counties during the 80 minute track.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
62,649
Population (ACS)
$222K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 25, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Van Zandt County, Texas?
481 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $55.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Van Zandt County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 209 recorded events — 43.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Van Zandt County?
45 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 Van Zandt County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Van Zandt County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Van Zandt County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Van Zandt County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Van Zandt 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
- Val Verde County 704
- Victoria County 376
- Uvalde County 409
- Walker County 292
- Upton County 263
- Waller County 158
Cite this page
“Van Zandt County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/van-zandt-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.