126
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
243
Direct injuries
$36.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Galveston County, Texas: 126 recorded events between 1957 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #18 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Galveston County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Galveston County is the 1980s, when 26 of the county's 126 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 Galveston County archive, tornado makes up 18.5% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #18 for this hazard and #3 within Texas, putting it in the 99.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for tornado in Galveston County with 18 recorded events, while Apr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-03-08 | EF3 | 12.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1967-08-18 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-12 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-21 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1957-03-17 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-10-31 | EF2 | 4.2 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1981-05-09 | EF2 | 1.5 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-28 | EF2 | 20.5 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-13 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 17 yd | Crossed in |
| 1957-03-17 | EF2 | 11.6 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12, 1961 | F4 | 8 | 200 | $0 | |
| Mar 17, 1957 | F2 | 1 | 7 | $0 | |
| Jun 19, 1961 | F3 | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Feb 10, 1998 | LEAGUE CITY | F1 | 0 | 4 | $100K |
| Nov 16, 1987 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 17, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Mar 17, 1957 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| Aug 31, 2009 | GALVESTON | EF1 | 0 | 3 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 28, 2024 | DICKINSON | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2022 | ARCADIA | EF0 | $15K |
| Aug 2, 2021 | CAPLEN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 7, 2021 | NADEAU HGTS | EF1 | $500K |
| May 4, 2019 | ARCADIA | EF0 | $10K |
| Oct 20, 2017 | DICKINSON | EF0 | $50K |
| Aug 27, 2017 | KEMAH | EF0 | $200K |
| Aug 25, 2017 | GALVESTON | EF0 | $500 |
| May 22, 2017 | (GLS)SCHOLES FLD GAL | EF0 | $20K |
| Jul 17, 2016 | (GLS)SCHOLES FLD GAL | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Galveston County
- Thunderstorm Wind 231
- Hail 121
- Flash Flood 107
- Funnel Cloud 55
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The EF-2 tornado touched down just east of Clover Field Airport (Brazoria County) and continued on a narrow northeast track into Galveston County. This tornado expanded in size and weakened in intensity as it approached FM 518 over the last half of its track. There was extensive tree damage along the entire track. Homes sustained partial roof loss and tree damage consistent with an EF-1 rating from east of the airport through Sunset Drive in Friendswood (Galveston County). Low-end EF-2 damage occurred on Chester Drive in Friendswood where there was complete loss of a residential home's roof. Estimated peak wind was 115 mph.
NWS conducted a storm survey of storm damage in the area around the intersection of 21st street and 13th avenue north, then along a path toward the ESE ending at Anchor Park. Damage suggested a tornado on the high end of EF1 rating for the most severe damage occurred at a convenience store and the adjacent Tradewinds Apartment complex. A clear relatively narrow path was seen in the severe damage. Although most debris was pushed toward the east dirt and insulation was found splattered on all sides of many structures including the east downwind side. Damage continued intermittently along an ESE path to Rainbow Park where numerous hardwood tree trunks and large limbs were snapped off and an iron fence was pushed over. In addition a business lost most of their roof around 6th street and 11th avenue. Most of the other damage along the path was EF0 tree damage through a residential area but little or no damage to structures.
The tornado began as a waterspout moved onto the beach near 29th Street and Seawall Blvd. A police cruiser had its windows blown out and the roof of a souvenir shop at 29th and Seawall was blown off. Further inland, a house on stilts was blown over and the roof of a mobile home was peeled back. A two-story home at the intersection of 31st Street and Avenue Q 1/2 at the end of the damage track had its roof completely removed. Numerous trees and fences also sustained damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Galveston County, Texas?
126 tornado events are recorded in Galveston County between 1957 and 2024, causing 9 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Galveston County?
The strongest tornado on record in Galveston County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Galveston 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 Galveston County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/galveston-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.