254
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
325
Direct injuries
$528.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Harris County, Texas: 254 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #2 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Harris County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Harris County is the 1970s, when 56 of the county's 254 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 Harris County archive, tornado makes up 13.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2 for this hazard and #1 within Texas, putting it in the 100.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Harris County with 39 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-11-21 | EF4 | 30.0 mi | 1,800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-05 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-12-13 | EF3 | 25.1 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-10-28 | EF3 | 3.3 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-02-11 | EF3 | 12.0 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-24 | EF3 | 23.3 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-03-30 | EF3 | 0.7 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-21 | EF3 | 32.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-08 | EF3 | 12.7 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1969-09-08 | EF3 | 0.8 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 1986 | F3 | 2 | 0 | $25.0M | |
| Dec 13, 1977 | F3 | 1 | 35 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Lake Houston | F2 | 1 | 20 | $50K |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Lake Houston | F2 | 1 | 20 | $50K |
| Feb 11, 1950 | F3 | 1 | 12 | $25K | |
| May 20, 1983 | F2 | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 28, 1974 | F3 | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| May 20, 1983 | F2 | 1 | 5 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2025 | ORR | EF2 | $0 |
| Nov 24, 2025 | CYPRESS | EF1 | $0 |
| Dec 26, 2024 | HUFFMAN | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 26, 2024 | WEST PARK | EF1 | $0 |
| May 16, 2024 | CYPRESS | EF1 | $500K |
| May 16, 2024 | CYPRESS | EF1 | $750K |
| Apr 10, 2024 | DELHI | EF1 | $500K |
| Jan 24, 2023 | PEARLAND | EF3 | $6.6M |
| Jan 9, 2022 | HUMBLE | EF1 | $200K |
| Jan 9, 2022 | MOONSHINE HILL | EF1 | $300K |
Other hazards here
More from Harris County
- Thunderstorm Wind 713
- Hail 603
- Flash Flood 217
- Lightning 72
- Funnel Cloud 62
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS surveyed storm damage in the Willow Creek area. A west-northwest to east-southeast damage path was found just less than a half mile long. Numerous large trees were uprooted, several onto homes. An elderly woman died with a large tree crashed into her mobile home. Soils were extremely soft from recent rains and flooding.
Tornado began on west shore of Lake Houston, crossed the lake then crossed the east shore in Indian Shores Estates. The air survey located minor damage and trees down on the west shore of the lake. Eye witnesses observed the tornado over the lake and WSR-88D reflectivity/ velocity data indicated a strong low-level mesocyclone near the west shore of the lake just prior to the first tornado reports. The tornado moved across the east shore of the lake and into Indian Shores Estates around 1710 CST and produced a damage path 300-400 yards wide and approximately 2.5 miles in length that ended about 1.5 miles east of the intersection of FM 2100 and Heathergate. One woman was killed in a mobile home, and 20 received injuries in the area.
Tornado began on west shore of Lake Houston, crossed the lake then crossed the east shore in Indian Shores Estates. The air survey located minor damage and trees down on the west shore of the lake. Eye witnesses observed the tornado over the lake and WSR-88D reflectivity/ velocity data indicated a strong low-level mesocyclone near the west shore of the lake just prior to the first tornado reports. The tornado moved across the east shore of the lake and into Indian Shores Estates around 1710 CST and produced a damage path 300 to 400-yards wide and approximately 2.5 miles in length that ended about 1.5 miles east of the intersection of FM 2100 and Heathergate. One woman was killed in a mobile home, and 20 received injuries in the area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Harris County, Texas?
254 tornado events are recorded in Harris County between 1950 and 2025, causing 13 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Harris County?
The strongest tornado on record in Harris County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Harris 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 Harris County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/harris-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.