50
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$30.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Parmer County, Texas: 50 recorded events between 1955 and 2019. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #372 nationally and #73 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Parmer County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Parmer County is the 1990s, when 16 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 Parmer County archive, tornado makes up 13.3% 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
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Parmer County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-17 | EF4 | 130.0 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-02 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-21 | EF3 | 5.9 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1960-10-11 | EF3 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1992-03-27 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-10 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-16 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-03-19 | EF2 | 0.6 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-12 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-12 | EF2 | 8.8 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1970 | F4 | 1 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 2, 1995 | Friona | F3 | 0 | 12 | $24.0M |
| Apr 12, 1960 | F2 | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| May 11, 1991 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Oct 11, 1960 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2019 | LARIAT | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2017 | LAZBUDDIE | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2007 | FRIONA | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 24, 2007 | BOVINA | EF0 | $75K |
| Mar 24, 2007 | FARWELL | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2003 | BOVINA | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2003 | FRIONA | F1 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2003 | FRIONA | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2003 | BOVINA | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2003 | FRIONA | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Parmer County
- Hail 196
- Thunderstorm Wind 114
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Storm survey indicated a strong tornado swept across the southern and eastern edge of Friona destroying 14 homes and damaging another 25. Another 25 businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged. Of the 12 injuries only one was critical, a 68-year-old male. The largest employer in town, the Hi-Pro Feed Mill was completely demolished, as well as the airport. A train was derailed and toppled on the west side of town, but this was not along the damage path. Straight-line winds or rear flank downdraft may have been responsible for this.
The Bovina Police Department reported seeing a funnel cloud approach the city from the southwest. A National Weather Service survey team documented damage from a weak tornado that developed in a Bovina city park and moved northeastward through a residential area. Large tree limbs up to five inches in diameter were blown down, storage sheds were destroyed, and several homes sustained roof and window damage. On the north edge of the city, a carport was destroyed with debris wrapped around a large tree. Additionally, windows were blown out of an adjacent mobile home. Power outages were widespread across the city. |The tornado continued to track northward where it destroyed a horse stable at a farm northeast of the city. No injuries were reported. Many residents sought shelter in basements and left trailer houses for more substantial structures. Damage estimates totaled $75,000.
Reports from law enforcement officials and the public indicated that a tornado intermittently touched down south of Friona around 13:00 CST. The tornado was photographed as it remained over open farm land, and no damage was reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Parmer County, Texas?
50 tornado events are recorded in Parmer County between 1955 and 2019, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Parmer County?
The strongest tornado on record in Parmer County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Parmer 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 Parmer County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/parmer-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.