50
Recorded events
25
Direct deaths
84
Direct injuries
$445K
Property damage
Tornado in Briscoe County, Texas: 50 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #372 nationally and #73 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Briscoe County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Briscoe County is the 2000s, when 13 of the county's 50 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Briscoe County archive, tornado makes up 14.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #73 within Texas, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Briscoe County with 20 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-15 | EF4 | 17.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-18 | EF4 | 65.0 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 96.6 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-28 | EF2 | 16.5 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-28 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-10 | EF2 | 36.9 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1962-06-07 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-06-07 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-22 | EF1 | 10.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-01 | EF1 | 1.8 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 1957 | F4 | 21 | 80 | $250K | |
| Jun 23, 1975 | F1 | 3 | 0 | $30 | |
| Apr 18, 1970 | F4 | 1 | 4 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2025 | WHITELEY | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | SILVERTON | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | SILVERTON | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 13, 2021 | SILVERTON | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2016 | SILVERTON | EFU | $0 |
| May 16, 2015 | SILVERTON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2013 | QUITAQUE | EF0 | $5K |
| Apr 1, 2013 | SILVERTON | EF1 | $5K |
| Jun 13, 2009 | SILVERTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2009 | SILVERTON | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Briscoe County
- Hail 185
- Thunderstorm Wind 92
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple observers photographed a tornado that developed just southwest of Silverton at 16:43 CST. This tornado crossed Texas Highway 86 just west of Silverton. Local law enforcement officials reported that seven utility poles were damaged along with lightweight buildings as the tornado impacted the outskirts of the city. Storm chasers continued to track the tornado until it roped out north of Silverton over open terrain around 17:00 CST.
A supercell thunderstorm produced an EF1 tornado in rural areas about 4.5 miles southeast of Silverton. This tornado damaged several power poles and one center pivot irrigation system. An NWS storm survey the following day discovered damage consistent with EF1 wind speeds. Video evidence from a storm chaser showed that very strong rear flank downdraft winds well outside the periphery of the tornado damaged the roof of a barn south of the tornado during its rope-out stage.
The first of two landspout tornadoes this afternoon developed just west of Valley Schools in far southeast Briscoe County and moved slowly eastward causing EF-0 damage to a barn. This tornado later passed within 1/4 mile of the Valley Schools' football field and was photographed and videoed by some members of the school faculty.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Briscoe County, Texas?
50 tornado events are recorded in Briscoe County between 1957 and 2025, causing 25 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Briscoe County?
The strongest tornado on record in Briscoe County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Briscoe County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Briscoe County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/briscoe-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.