Wharton County, Texas severe weather history spans 327 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,625 nationally and #150 in Texas.
327
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Wharton County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wharton County, Texas severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 118 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 268 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wharton County, Texas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $5.5M 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 Wharton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $1.8M | 91 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $5.5M | 4.5 | 1962–2019 |
| Tornado | 71 | 1 | $3.0M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 28 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2006–2009 |
Decade by decade
Wharton County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
70 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-11-22 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wharton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 8, 2004 | Tornado | WHARTON | 0 | 6 | $300K |
| Aug 30, 1955 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| Jun 6, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAST BERNARD | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | EL CAMPO | 0 | 3 | $20K |
| Nov 17, 2003 | Tornado | EL CAMPO | 0 | 2 | $8K |
| Sep 20, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Feb 12, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | LOUISE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread major flooding with evacuations in Louise with more than 200 El Campo residents being rescued by boat or high-water vehicles. Numerous roads (including two sections of Highway 59 between Wharton and El Campo and between El Campo and the Jackson County line) and bridges were flooded and impassable. Countywide, 59 homes sustained major damage and 225 homes received minor damage.
Tornado began as a weak EF0 in East Bernard then tracked NW across SH 90 where it strengthened to EF1 snapping the trunks of several large mature oak and pecan trees. A house suffered significant brick facade damage to one side of the home. Four apartments were damaged on college street.
Tornado formed just outside city limits and caused damage to shopping center roof, several homes, and overturned a pump house as it entered Wharton. A mobile home was flipped over, damage occurred to several out houses, and vehicles. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Overall, six minor injuries were reported, mainly from flying glass.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,794
Population (ACS)
$190K
Median home value
26
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 |
| Jul 26, 2020 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HANNA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wharton County, Texas?
327 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $12.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wharton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 117 recorded events — 35.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wharton County?
70 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 70 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wharton County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wharton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wharton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wharton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wharton 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
- Webb County 412
- Wheeler County 566
- Washington County 213
- Wichita County 1,298
- Ward County 244
- Wilbarger County 593
Cite this page
“Wharton County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/wharton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.