68
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$6.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Cameron County, Texas: 68 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #179 nationally and #35 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Cameron County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Cameron County is the 1970s, when 12 of the county's 68 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 Cameron County archive, tornado makes up 12.4% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #179 for this hazard and #35 within Texas, putting it in the 94.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Cameron County with 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-05-12 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-12 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-08-09 | EF2 | 4.6 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-05-24 | EF2 | 25.5 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2023-05-13 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-04-04 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-09-16 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-16 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-04-21 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 13 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-01 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 17 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2023 | BAYSIDE | EF1 | 1 | 11 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2025 | PORT ISABEL | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 28, 2025 | PORT ISABEL | EF0 | $15K |
| Jul 8, 2024 | COMBES | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2023 | PORT BROWNSVILLE | EFU | $0 |
| May 13, 2023 | BAYSIDE | EF1 | $500K |
| Jul 26, 2020 | (BRO)BROWNSVILLE ARP | EF0 | $250K |
| Jul 26, 2019 | PORT ISABEL | EF0 | $500 |
| Jul 7, 2017 | PORT BROWNSVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 11, 2012 | SAN BENITO MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $15K |
| Apr 20, 2012 | RANGERVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cameron County
- Thunderstorm Wind 193
- Hail 101
- Flash Flood 92
- Flood 42
- Heavy Rain 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A mini-supercell thunderstorms dropped a very brief tornado, containing estimated 80 mph winds (high end EF0 on the Fujita Scale) on top of a single family home, causing considerable damage to property at the well built structure. Damage included: four sections of cyclone fence bent in different directions around the home; a boat and trailer flipped over, numerous snapped tree limbs in different directions, and other limbs that came from an undetermined tree, barrel-tile roof shingles lifted off, one broken window, and a damaged carport. Unusual was the singular nature of the damage – striking only this property – with one of the shortest track lengths (a tenth of a mile) one would see on survey.
The manager and security officer of the Long Island Village (Port Isabel) swing bridge reported damage from a likely small and brief tornado that crossed the bridge just after 1 AM CST (2 AM CDT) on March 28th. Dollar value of the damage is estimated.
The tornado appeared to begin near a home between Old Military Highway and Mary Lee Court, lifting a few old shingles before knocking down several large limbs in the front yard. The track continued across Old Military Highway, tipping over a water kiosk and tearing off numerous mesquite limbs before moving across Military Highway (Federal 281), where it blew down smaller mesquite trees before crossing a field and tipping over a trailer at a 45�� angle onto a recreational vehicle. Damage continued into a tree stand before ending. Well built homes in the neighborhood sustained no damage; power lines remained up and power never went out as the storm raced by.||Estimated winds were 60 to 65 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Cameron County, Texas?
68 tornado events are recorded in Cameron County between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Cameron County?
The strongest tornado on record in Cameron County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Cameron 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 Cameron County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/cameron-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.