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Flood Watch
Houston; Trinity; Madison; Walker; San Jacinto; Polk; Brazos; Grimes; Montgomery; Northern Liberty; Waller; Inland Harris; Southern Liberty; Coastal Harris
Wind Advisory
Houston; Trinity; Walker; San Jacinto; Polk; Northern Liberty; Southern Liberty
Walker County, Texas severe weather history spans 292 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,823 nationally and #160 in Texas.
292
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
26
Direct injuries
$605.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Walker County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Walker County, Texas severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 72 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 263 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Walker County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $601.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Walker County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $1.2M | 73 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 77 | 0 | $354K | 3.5 | 1973–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 1 | $601.3M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 18 | 1 | $1.7M | F2 | 1957–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $670K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2015 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Walker County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-02-10 | EF2 | 1 | 8 | 19.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-01-01 | EF1 | 0 | 7 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Walker County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1981 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $250K | |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Flash Flood | HAWTHORNE | 1 | 0 | $600.0M |
| Jan 1, 1999 | Tornado | HUNTSVILLE | 0 | 7 | $125K |
| Aug 28, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW WAVERLY | 0 | 2 | $7K |
| Mar 7, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Huntsville | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Nov 16, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 17, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 31, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Slow moving Tropical Storm Harvey produced torrential rains and moderate to major flooding over portions of Walker County. Areas along the Trinity River and Bedias Creek were among the areas impacted. There were numerous road closures including FM1375, SH75 at Bedias Creek, FM1791, FM2989, and FM3478. High water occurred on Interstate 45 but it remained passable.
Tornado continued from the Montgomery/Walker County line moving to the east-northeast through Sam Houston National Forest. This tornado snapped numerous trees along its path, some 18 inches in diameter. Timber loss was estimated at $200,000. Most significant number of trees down along FR 208 & 208A. In addition to downed trees, numerous camping shelters were destroyed in Huntsville State Park causing that area of the forest to be closed to campers for weeks.
Tornado touchdown in the Acres Hills subdivision just NE of Huntsville. One mobile home completely destroyed. Three people inside escaped with fairly minor injuries (cuts and abrasions, separated shoulder). A large oak tree bisected another trailer down the road pinning the resident who was later Life Flighted to Houston and had a broken leg and ankle, and a collapsed lung. Three other residents sustained minor injuries (lacerations, etc). Numerous trees and roof damage was noted throughout the remainder of the subdivision.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
80,209
Population (ACS)
$227K
Median home value
39
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Walker County, Texas?
292 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $605.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Walker County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 129 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Walker County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Walker County?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Walker County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Walker County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Walker County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 74 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Walker 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
- Victoria County 376
- Waller County 158
- Van Zandt County 481
- Ward County 244
- Val Verde County 704
- Washington County 213
Cite this page
“Walker County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/walker-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.