60
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
77
Direct injuries
$15.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Fort Bend County, Texas: 60 recorded events between 1950 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #248 nationally and #47 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Fort Bend County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Fort Bend County is the 1990s, when 19 of the county's 60 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 Fort Bend County archive, tornado makes up 13.4% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #248 for this hazard and #47 within Texas, putting it in the 91.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Feb is the peak month for tornado in Fort Bend County with 9 recorded events, while Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-04-19 | EF3 | 0.2 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-09-13 | EF3 | 3.6 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-14 | EF2 | 0.7 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-17 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-17 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-21 | EF2 | 25.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-09 | EF2 | 3.3 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-02-17 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-26 | EF1 | 0.9 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-25 | EF1 | 1.6 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1965 | F3 | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| Nov 17, 2003 | SUGARLAND | F2 | 0 | 60 | $500K |
| Mar 22, 2022 | KENDLETON | EF0 | 0 | 4 | $100K |
| Feb 16, 1998 | SUGARLAND | F1 | 0 | 4 | $3.7M |
| Sep 7, 2002 | NEEDVILLE | F1 | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| Sep 13, 1974 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 12, 1972 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2023 | LONG PT | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2022 | KENDLETON | EF0 | $100K |
| Aug 27, 2017 | HOBBY | EF1 | $2.0M |
| Aug 26, 2017 | KATY | EF1 | $800K |
| Aug 26, 2017 | CLODINE | EF0 | $30K |
| Aug 26, 2017 | SUGARLAND JCT | EF1 | $500K |
| Aug 26, 2017 | JULIFF | EF1 | $500K |
| Feb 14, 2017 | SMADA | EF0 | $150K |
| Feb 14, 2017 | STAFFORD | EF0 | $200K |
| Feb 14, 2017 | CRABB | EF0 | $500K |
Other hazards here
More from Fort Bend County
- Thunderstorm Wind 163
- Hail 128
- Flash Flood 56
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado touched down at the First Colony Mall. Dillards downwind wall was torn down along with minor structural damage to other stores. The tornado then crossed HWY 59 And damaged the Aerodrome (ice skating rink) and other nearby stores and signs. The tornado path ended on the south side of HWY 6 at Williams Grant Rd. 4 minor injuries from flying glass
Tornado touched down near Trailer World RV and Boat Storage facility then crossed Interstate 10. It did minor damage to Bucees car wash area then ripped large air conditioning units off top of Pepperl Fuchs buiding. Finally in damaged awnings near Builders First building. Tornado crossed from Fort Bend into Waller County. This entry documents Fort Bend County segment.
This EF-0 tornado touched down on the west side of Crabb River Road about a mile north of FM 762 and then crossed Crabb River Road into the Tara subdivision where several homes suffered roof, fence and tree damage. Spotty roof and tree damage continued generally eastward across the entire subdivision and into the western section of Greatwood in a well defined path. Security footage from nearby Valasquez Elementary showed very strong shifting winds near the tornado. A police officer experienced very strong winds from the west, then the passage of the small tornado south of the school suggesting perhaps a satellite tornado on the southern flank of the larger circulation may have been responsible for the more significant damage. Estimated peak winds were 80 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Fort Bend County, Texas?
60 tornado events are recorded in Fort Bend County between 1950 and 2023, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Fort Bend County?
The strongest tornado on record in Fort Bend County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Fort Bend 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 Fort Bend County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/fort-bend-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.